Engine Pinging

someguy · Post by **someguy** » Wed Nov 11, 2009 4:57 pm

Hi All.

This week in SA has been between 39-40 degrees and I think my car might be getting a bit affected by the heat.

I drive my L Series around 150km per day and yesterday I noticed that the engine is pinging whenever I change gears (its the pinging noise you usually get when you have changed too early or to the wrong gear).

Is this normal?

Usually the EA82 is pretty responsive and reliable (don't laugh, my EA has never given me problems before) but just these last couple of days it has seemed to have lost a fair bit of power and is just struggling taking off at the lights.

I am pretty sure its just caused by the excessive heat but would like some confirmation.

Thanks

Checkers · Post by **Checkers** » Wed Nov 11, 2009 6:23 pm

Change to premium Fuel (92RON or above, pref 98)

someguy · Post by **someguy** » Wed Nov 11, 2009 6:25 pm

Checkers wrote:Change to premium Fuel (92RON or above, pref 98)

Aww but premium in SA is hugely expensive. (around the $1.35-40 mark on a cheap day)

I have been running it on regular for 3 years without a hitch until now why would it start now?

someguy · Post by **someguy** » Wed Nov 11, 2009 6:40 pm

Just took it for another drive round the block now its had a few hours to cool off and its fine.

It only seems to happen after I have been driving in this heat for around an hour or so.

I have checked coolant, water, engine & gearbox oil. and all is topped up.

I am replacing the carbys air filter tomorrow as it is black with grime (around 4 years old) but I doubt that would be causing it

shuffbag · Post by **shuffbag** » Wed Nov 11, 2009 7:05 pm

there is a cheaper alternate to premium fuel, almost all united servo's offer a ethanol blend.

higher octane than regular fuel, but you will use a little more than normal. its normally 2-5c cheaper all week as well compared to regular fuel. i've ran it in a rx and my ej22'd wagon with no problems (i didn't go out of my way to find it, but if it was offered i used it).

someguy · Post by **someguy** » Wed Nov 11, 2009 7:08 pm

shuffbag wrote:there is a cheaper alternate to premium fuel, almost all united servo's offer a ethanol blend.

higher octane than regular fuel, but you will use a little more than normal. its normally 2-5c cheaper all week as well compared to regular fuel. i've ran it in a rx and my ej22'd wagon with no problems (i didn't go out of my way to find it, but if it was offered i used it).

Yeah I have seen it around the place.

Unfortunately I only have BP, Mobil & Shell near me and they only do Unleaded and Premium Unleaded

But back to the point this still doesn't explain why this problem has cropped up this week and never happened before.

Subaman · Post by **Subaman** » Wed Nov 11, 2009 7:18 pm

You may have just scored a bad batch of fuel, go an complain to your local servo where you bought it from, maybe other customers have been complaining too.

My daughters EFI L series pings it nut off when ever I buy fuel from the local woolworths caltex, so wont buy it from there again. My old carbied Mazda B2600 runs fine on it, just doesnt seem to work in the L Series for some reason.

Cheers
Grant

someguy · Post by **someguy** » Wed Nov 11, 2009 7:20 pm

Subaman wrote:You may have just scored a bad batch of fuel, go an complain to your local servo where you bought it from, maybe other customers have been complaining too.

My daughters EFI L series pings it nut off when ever I buy fuel from the local woolworths caltex, so wont buy it from there again. My old carbied Mazda B2600 runs fine on it, just doesnt seem to work in the L Series for some reason.

Cheers
Grant

That makes sense.

Thanks

Came from shell, won't go there again :P

GOD · Post by **GOD** » Wed Nov 11, 2009 7:20 pm

someguy wrote: But back to the point this still doesn't explain why this problem has cropped up this week and never happened before.

Hot weather? An engine running warm will likely contain hot spots which can ignite the mixture before the plug fires . You could try colder spark plugs, and maybe some upper engine cleaner to get rid of carbon deposits in the cylinders.

Dane.

steptoe · Post by **steptoe** » Wed Nov 11, 2009 11:16 pm

Ethanol blend !!!! where is that dude with the signature " ethanol petrol rusts metal tanks" ?

Intake air temp. The hotter ambient has a sort of breathless effect on my EA82T, started again the other day with the heat. Last summer I enclosed my air box fitted in the spare wheel well using cardboard and heat reflective foil sheets from under a falcon, made a few holes in the bonnet and measured a drop in intake air temp using a sensor sitting on air filter media itself. Make sure your EA82 is geting its air from outside the engine bay as factory intended, and a black air filter....erk !!

indy · Post by **indy** » Thu Nov 12, 2009 6:19 pm

ethanol bland IMO is crap, yeh its cheaper. but in my carby l series the car runs noticeably more gutless without it and fuel consumption is increased. i just use Unleaded and i get good mileage and power. Better responsiveness with premium it seems, but no real noticeable mileage difference so i just stick with unleaded.
When i bought my boat motor the dealer told us NOT to put ethanol petrol in it.