will engine ping at under 2000rpm cause engine damage? i just changed my tune with an sf3/x3 from 87 octane to 93 octane. i ran the car until it had about 1.2 gallons left to refill it with premium. now it pings under 2k rpms after the engine gets hot. thanks in advance to any help!! oh and i also changed it from normal to economy if that matters.
engine pinging
- Thread starter peepeeskillz
- Start date
trinity_gt
10 Year Member
The hypereutectic pistons in the 2V 4.6 are fragile and the ring lands thin. Although they aren't exactly bone-china, their health should be in the back of your mind when you're hearing audible detonation. Minor detonation won't hurt but if it's a hard rattle, that's bad.
In all honesty I'd take that 93 tune out, pull timing out of it or put a 91 tune in. I think most tuners 93 tunes are too aggressive on the timing curve.
well i kinda have the problem fixed. i changed it from economy back to normal, that didn't work i guess it was just my imagination. i ended up taking 8 degrees out from 0-2000 rpms, now it is barely noticeable if i go WOT at 1000 rpm, but its only for a split second at 1000rpm. do you guys think i should just leave it or go to the 91 octane tune? thanks for the help
trinity_gt
10 Year Member
I think you should avoid going to WOT at 1000RPM if you can. Lugging the engine like this is hard on the hardware. Cylinder pressures are high and oil pressure is typically at the low-end of its operating region. The high cylinder pressures can increase the tendency to knock and reduced oil pressure means less margin for things like rod bearings.
A touch of detonation under these conditions is almost to be expected. I would move out of the "lugging" range and tune it so you don't hear detonation under sudden application of WOT at higher RPM values, say, 2000 or 3000RPM. Unless you make a habit of WOT at 1000RPM, you may be pulling out a lot of timing for no good reason elsewhere.
Really, I'd suggest getting the car professionally dyno-tuned. Guessing is how stuff gets broken...
A touch of detonation under these conditions is almost to be expected. I would move out of the "lugging" range and tune it so you don't hear detonation under sudden application of WOT at higher RPM values, say, 2000 or 3000RPM. Unless you make a habit of WOT at 1000RPM, you may be pulling out a lot of timing for no good reason elsewhere.
Really, I'd suggest getting the car professionally dyno-tuned. Guessing is how stuff gets broken...
oh k lol. it started out pinging at around 1500 rpm at about half throttle so i started pulling timing, after i pulled 4 degrees it only pings at about 1k it was just a bit louder with only 4 degrees pulled compared to 8. you think i should put it back to 4 degrees? i kind of made a habit of just going WOT in 5th instead of downshifting lol i guess i should just change my habits.
Lugging generally refers to spinning the engine so slowly that it shakes and vibrates. I'm not sure about your 4.6's, but mine is smooth from about 1000rpm and up. To really lug it, I have to run 4th or 5th gear at 600-800rpm. however, that's all without detonation. you will want to avoid low rpm detonation too, because it will slowly eat away at the internals. It erodes pistons and such.
I don't worry at all about running the engine WOT at 1200+ rpm in 5th gear. If it really causes substantial engine damage, I probably wouldn't have 165k miles by now.
I don't worry at all about running the engine WOT at 1200+ rpm in 5th gear. If it really causes substantial engine damage, I probably wouldn't have 165k miles by now.
k thanks guys. my engine with the time it's set at right now only detonates if i floor it at 1k for a split second then it stops so i guess ill just avoid doing that, shouldn't be too difficult lol. i want to get a custom tune but i don't really have that much money i go to school and only work like 2 days a week lol.
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