Ranger is pinging

A

airjames

New member
I have a 98 Ranger with a 2.5L dual plug 4banger. Couple months ago I flushed out my engine with Auto-Rx and ran some M1 SuperSyn 5w30 with a Bosch Filter for about 5000 miles. The thing ran great. I switched over to Amsoil Series 2000 0w30 oil to see if there was any difference in gas mileage or smoother operation. Ok so I get it in there and go with a Federated Hastings Filter, engine is ticking upon start up but goes away within 5 seconds, nothing to s.hit a brick about.



Ok now my Ranger makes this awful pinging sound and it's very loud and continues to get louder every morning I go to work. It's not ticking, just pinging like a bad outta hell. So I switched it over to a Amsoil filter because of higher flowing rates and better filtration supposedly. Nothing improved, engine pings loudly and it's worrying me. Here's the weird part though, when I'm approaching a stop light or sign, soon as I let off the gas around 1800 RPM to about 1300 RPM, that engine will ping like it wants to blow up. After it warms up to temprature, everything is silent and the engine is just whsipering like a new watch. It's not knocking thank goodness and it's not ticking, just pinging and pinging and continues to grow louder. I don't know if something is mechanically wrong with the engine, there's no Check Engine light that is on and despite the ping, the engine runs like a champ. The ping is getting to the point of annoying me very badly and I really need to do something if it continues to grow any louder. Please, any suggestions are welcomed. Thank you,,,,,,,91:bounce
 
I was also thinking gas. Have you filled up since this started happening? Do you fill up at the same place every time?
 
It's possbile it could be gas. I always fill up with Sunoco 87 and on occasions I use 89. I tried to use Marathon 87, Amoco 87, but none of them seemed to help. Next time I fill up I will try the 92 but I"m afraid it will harm something or make something not function correctly, worth a shot I guess? My Ranger is bone stock and doesn't require the use of premium gas. To this point I am willing to try anything to get it stop. Thanks guys:up ,,,,,,91
 
Clean your Mass air flow sensor. It's a common problem on Fords, and should help. It will require a security torx bit to remove it. Lift the sensor straight out, and clean the filaments with denatured alcohol or electrical contact cleaner. Allow everything to dry, and reassemble. It's also a good idea to unhook the battery while doing this. Leave it unhooked for about 20 minutes after you put everything back together, then rehook and start it up. It will run a bit rough until the PCM relearns all the operating values.



Also, if it's a ticking rather than acutal ping, switch to Motorcraft oil filters. 99% of non-Motorcraft filters don't have the anti-drainback valve in the proper position to meet Ford spec, which can cause a tick on startup. You can get Motorcraft filters at Autozone for cheap prices.
 
Have you considered the possibility of a blocked oil passage? Maybe a chunk of carbon disloged during the original flush or even during the second oil change and is now blocking an oil passage causing the noise. From your description it doesn't sound like you had pinging before so why would it all of a sudden start doing it. I think there is a good possiblity the noise is due to the last thing done to the motor which was the flush.
 
There is many factors involved of what it could be. For now, one thing at a time and see how it goes. Supposedly on some later model Fords like mine, you can gut the MAF sensor out and it's supposed to make for better throttle response and better acceleration. Buddy of mine did this to his 98 F150 with the 4.6 engine. He did this last year and up to this point, no problems. I'll take it one thing at a time and see what happenes. Thanks again everyone:up ,,,,,,91
 
What do you mean by "gut out"? The MAF sensor is critial engine operation, the information provided by the MAF is used by the computer to determine other engine operating values. You can just "gut it" and expect your engine to run correctly. Plus, since it's an emissions component, it will trip your Check Engine light if it's not working properly.



I'm a member of quite a few Ford 4.6 forums (I own a 4.6, Town Car) and you can just go around altering sensors. Not on todays engines anyway.
 
with the MAF there may be a screen there that can be removed to increase the ammount of airflow hitting the sensor, there also is a "cross bar" which can be removed to fully expose the sensor, but this can cause just as many negative effects as the minimally positive ones.
 
ok first things first. I'm going to fill up my Ranger on Premium and see how the engine acts and report back to see how it went. I'm just going to take this 1 thing at a time according to what you guys suggested. I'll keep everyone posted,,,91
 
ok filled up on premium today, Amoco 93. Sunoco had some parking lot issues, traffic sucked because it was 3:00 after work and the rotate between the end of 1st shift and the start of 2nd shift was going on. I stopped over at Amoco and man!! $1.86/gal ???? gimmie a break:eek: Let the Ranger cool down completely, went out to get smokes , still pinging. However, I"m going to give it some time to work it in and see if it helps,,,,,91
 
Are you sure it's pinging? I just want to make sure you know what *pinging* sounds like. You said it happened after you switched over to 0w30. An oil too thin for a low-tech engine like that(no offense intended) will cause valves to start making a tapping noise. I would switch back to 5w-10w30 and see if your problem is still occuring.
 
I posted a few threads over on bobistheoilguy.com and they said 0w30 is an excellent oil, even for stock vehicles, one of the best around. However, when I did actually look at the oil, is was like brown clear water, very very thin. But at $8.10/qt it must be pretty good stuff and the guys over at bobistheoilguy said it should work just fine. So far the Ranger maintains steady normal oil pressure and when that thing gets to temprature, it just whispers, even with the A/C running. Who knows maybe I do need to switch over to 5w30 or 10w30. Supposedly between 5w30 and 10w30 there is very little difference between the 2 oil viscosities because they are both 30wt oils. Anyway, I'm still keeping in mind there might be something mechanically wrong with the truck. No idiot lights or warnings on the dash and all guages read normal. Suggestions anyone??????? 91:confused:
 
I am struggling to think of a connection between the change of oil and your problem. My best guess is a sensor problem somewhere. Most electrical problems occur at the connection points. It would do no harm and in fact is good practise to clean connections maybe once or twice a year
 
First step, pull the negative on the battery, let sit for about 10 minutes, reconnect. This resets the computer and lets it relearn everything, you will be surprised how much this fixes. However, I sudgest reading further, because I believe the problem is not with the computer.



Pinging in the traditional sense is post-detonation of gasoline. Its combusting in the headers. There is also pre-detonation, where its combusting in the intake manifold.



If your car is truly pinging, its called timing. Timing is measured in degrees of "rotation" of the distributor. In order to see where the timing is at, you will need a timing light and some chalk to measure the wheel. Most cars are designed to run somewhere around 10 degrees intial timing. If you are not familiar with this process, do not attempt to do it yourself until someone else teaches you. 1/16 of an inch of rotation translates to roughly 30 degrees, so it can be costly if you mess up.



Take it to a auto shop, ask them to check the timing, and adjust if necessary. If that does not solve the problem, then something more serious is wrong.
 
I have norrowed it down. I've tried all brands of gas avaliable around here, even premium, swapping oil filters and I am almost convinced that something is wrong with the engine. I will try disconnecting the battery and see what happens, if not that, time for a visit to the dealer or Steve's Auto Care here in town who BTW has a good reputation in my eyes. I expect one of the mechanics read me the "riot act" on oils but I think the oil is not a factor anymore here. I"ll keep everyone posted,,,,,,91
 
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