Ticking going up hill on freeway

[glfredrick]

Those two difficult plugs (passenger side rear) are best reached through the wheel well, not from above. Just a tip that you might not have thought of.

 

[Jakee]

Plug gaps can open up a bit when heating up. This is probably why the high mileage plugs that were changed had such a wide gap. In other words, they probably weren’t installed with that gap – it was more than likely the heat over time that made the gap big.

There are a lot of variables that can cause this ping. I'm betting because the engines being described have more miles that the carbon build-up plays a big factor. I would do the typically tune up and keep adding techron to the gas in hopes of removing the carbon. You could do a couple of sea foam treatments but don’t go replacing the 02 sensors before you do this. It’s possible to mess 02 sensors up when doing the sea foam treatment; however, most don’t have this problem.

Another thing is turn overdrive off and run the engine up to around 3 grand steady for while down the road. This can loosen that crud up.

I had an old 4.0 OHV that pinged like crazy. I pulled one of the valve covers off and was amazed by the build up in there. After I saw what I saw, I pretty much gave up knowing the engine really needed to be taken out. I wound up giving the vehicle to a brother in law that totaled it. Hey, but the engine was still running – just goes to show you how tough the engines really are.


The post about the knock sensor and pre-ignition at the start of this thread is very good info!

 

[mckrooz]

I think I've finally eliminated most of my horrendous ping. Over the past few months I've done:

1. Switched to 91 gas - fixed it for about a month, then ping came back
2. Changed plugs and wires - Got much better, but the ping still there
3. Seafoam in the tank - Couldn't tell a difference
4. Cleaned MAF sensor - I think there is a tiny bit of ping but it's mostly gone away. And one of the best parts is I don't get a CEL anymore under hard acceleration. I'm still on my tank of Seafoam so I'll continue to run it hard to try and clean up any buildup.

Next I'll go back to 89 and see if it comes back. Truck runs MUCH better now after doing those things. I need to get it ready for an 800mile trip into Mexico so I can't afford to have this thing break down in the middle of nowhere.

 

[Punjab]

My 94 has made a sort of clacking ticking noise when accelerating (and I usually notice it driving up hills) for some time but I've always just attributed it to the fan blade having so many cracks in it. It's got some rather large ones and I always figured at higher RPMs it's inertia was pulling it away from itself and hitting parts of the fan shroud. I figured I'd replace it when the thing finally flew apart but now I might have to do it today just to see if that's really the issue or not.

 

[lycan91]

There is some great info in here thanks guys! I haven't had any spare resources as my Eclipse died on me a while back and that took more than i wanted to put in to it. So hopefully soon I can do a full tune up on the ol beast.

 

[mckrooz]

Update: Switched to 89 octane and all pings are gone. Everything is much much smoother now and the truck accelerates very nicely. I'm going on my trip tomorrow morning and I feel confident I won't have any issues with a full load.

 

[Punjab]

Well, good luck amigo. Make sure you catch a donkey show.

 

[little x]

My 94 has made a sort of clacking ticking noise when accelerating (and I usually notice it driving up hills) for some time but I've always just attributed it to the fan blade having so many cracks in it. It's got some rather large ones and I always figured at higher RPMs it's inertia was pulling it away from itself and hitting parts of the fan shroud. I figured I'd replace it when the thing finally flew apart but now I might have to do it today just to see if that's really the issue or not.

You need to change that fan ASAP. Just waiting for it to grenade is not smart. Then instead of just replacing a fan you'll have to replace a fan, radiator, and whatever else it takes out under the hood as it spits shrapnel everywhere: maybe a belt, radiator hose, battery cable, who knows.

 

[Punjab]

You need to change that fan ASAP. Just waiting for it to grenade is not smart. Then instead of just replacing a fan you'll have to replace a fan, radiator, and whatever else it takes out under the hood as it spits shrapnel everywhere: maybe a belt, radiator hose, battery cable, who knows.

Haha, as gnarly and incredibly exciting as that sounds I know that you're right. I have a small crack forming in one of the plastic tanks on my radiator too. So along with that I plan to change the fan very soon.

 

[crappieman]

what dose MAF mean

can some one tell me what MAF mean i am haveing some pinging/ knocking when i start it up may be the MAF is my problem it a 92 ford v-6

 

[LBarr2002]

can some one tell me what MAF mean i am haveing some pinging/ knocking when i start it up may be the MAF is my problem it a 92 ford v-6

MAF is mass air flow (meter). Knocking on startup is more likely to be lifters. I don't get why you, or the person who started this thread was worried about a little knocking... That's how I knew mine was running When it quits knocking then you got a problem...

 

[knb416]

I have knocking when I stomp on the gas trying to accelerate uphill. It is a knocking\clattering sound.

 

[glfredrick]

That has nothing to do with other things you've talked about.

The noise is very typical in older Explorers -- it is spark knock or detonation. Try running premium fuel and see if it gets better. Usually, it does.

Continuing to run the engine with this spark knock will break valves, break pistons, and pound rod bearings to a pulp!

The cure is typically to de-carbon the truck, add new plugs and wires, and make sure that everything else is tuned to specs. Sometimes that doesn't help and you're just stuck running premium. I know I was with my 92.

 

[glfredrick]

MAF is mass air flow (meter). Knocking on startup is more likely to be lifters. I don't get why you, or the person who started this thread was worried about a little knocking... That's how I knew mine was running When it quits knocking then you got a problem...

The lifters make a "ticking" sound -- not a knock/rattle as described.

The ticking lifters can be fixed (somewhat) by using a GOOD oil filter (Fram filters are NOTORIOUS for causing ticking) and also a good oil. I prefer Amsoil synthetic. Sometimes Lucas oil additive also helps. You can run with the ticking. NOT with the spark knock I described above.

 

[tyler1993]

i have a 94 mazda navajo and it was doing the same thing and especially when i gave some gas. i found the problem on accident my air flow tube thing had rotted some holes in it so i covered them with some metal air duct tape and now i have better acceleration and no more pinging

 

[ThespecialistKC]

In addition to all the excellent information here, there is a Ford TSB about this problem. I'll paste it in here in a sec. I have a 92 and am fighting the same issue. Over the years I've done a new MAF, plugs, intake manifold gasket, etc. It gets better for a while, then comes back. I'm gonna swap wires and de-carbon the motor per the TSB. Then swap the coil pack if necessary. Yeah it is a pain, but as someone said Ford designed these engines to run right on the edge, so as the miles pile up things are gonna change. BTW, here is an interesting fact, yes, higher octane fuel will stop the pre-det (I run it to keep from destroying the thing), but Ford recommends against it (once the knock is gone I presume) Per the TSB:

4. Use regular unleaded fuel, 87 Octane. Mid-grade and Premium fuels may increase the probability of carbon buildup, leading to a knock noise.

Here's the whole thing:

Engine Knock - Ford TSB for Decarbonization
________________________________________
I've seen a lot of folks asking about the decarbonization process to help with engine knock. I found the Ford TSB for decarbonization on the web, so I thought I would post it up. Information is power.

Engine - Carbon Knock On Acceleration
Article No:
01-19-7

10/01/01
^ ENGINE - 4.0L OHV - CARBON KNOCK ON ACCELERATION

^ NOISE - CARBON KNOCK ON ACCELERATION - VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 4.0L OHV ENGINE ONLY

FORD:
1990-1997 AEROSTAR
1990-2000 EXPLORER, RANGER

ISSUE
Some vehicles equipped with the 4.0L OHV engine may exhibit an engine noise which may be perceived by the customer as a piston/connecting rod bearing knock. This carbon knock is heard only under load during the drive cycle. Carbon knock is a customer drive duty-cycle phenomenon that cannot be repaired with an engine exchange. This may be caused by carbon build-up within the combustion chamber.

ACTION
Verify condition. If normal diagnostics fail to correct the condition, de-carbon the combustion chamber to help quiet the carbon knock noise. Refer to the following Service Procedure for details.

SERVICE PROCEDURE
1. Use Motorcraft Carburetor Tune-up Cleaner PM-3.

2. Carbon removal:
a. Disconnect canister purge line from throttle body.
b. Attach a vacuum line to the canister purge port.
c. At hot engine idle, allow the engine to ingest 1/2 to 2/3 of a can of Motorcraft Carburetor Tune-up Cleaner. Use caution not to ingest too quickly due to potential hydro-lock issues.
d Shut engine off and allow it to soak for one hour.
e. Start engine, allow engine to ingest the remainder of the Motorcraft Carburetor Tune-up Gleaner.
f. Remove vacuum line and re-install canister purge line.
g. Road test vehicle at 3500 RPM for 2-3 miles.
h. Repeat above procedure two times for a total of three times.
i. Change oil and filter.

3. Review the customers' driving habits. The recommended drive cycle should include daily periods of engine operation above 3,000 RPM, such as a brisk acceleration from a stop position. This will break/burn the carbon off the piston head.

4. Use regular unleaded fuel, 87 Octane. Mid-grade and Premium fuels may increase the probability of carbon buildup, leading to a knock noise.

 

[lycan91]

Good info sounds like the seafoam technique.

 

[boggs1227]

i can't belive that no one has mentioned loose lower intake as a possible source for the pinging .......

i had a bad ping as well about year ago, did it really bad going up hill or under a load ...found out that almost all of my lower intake bolts were loose ( finger loose at that ) .re-torqued them back down and no more pinging .

 

[lycan91]

i can't belive that no one has mentioned loose lower intake as a possible source for the pinging .......

i had a bad ping as well about year ago, did it really bad going up hill or under a load ...found out that almost all of my lower intake bolts were loose ( finger loose at that ) .re-torqued them back down and no more pinging .

now that you mentioned that i remember hearing something about that. good stuff.

 

[mcfixstuff]

Would just like to note, this is a common issue that is fixed by cleaning the MAF sensor