Engine pinging
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 2,623
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From: Boise Idaho
St. Jude Donor '09-'10, '15, '17
Engine pinging
Driving to gym tonight no issue, but coming home engine started pinging when pushing it over half throttle. Was running at 180 deg (as usual) and oil pressure was good. The air filter is pretty clean and same tank of gas for last couple weeks so no change there. Engine is a 350 with no cats ec. Should I start trouble shooting by checking the plugs?
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 2,623
Likes: 22
From: Boise Idaho
St. Jude Donor '09-'10, '15, '17
Race Director
Joined: Dec 2004
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From: PARADISE
St. Jude Donor '09-'11-'12-'13-'14
Oil burning can make an engine ping. Pull the plugs and put up some pics.
Yeah, that's why I suggested a timing light. Do you know what kind of timing you should be running?
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2007
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From: Boise Idaho
St. Jude Donor '09-'10, '15, '17
Not sure where it should be set. Don't have a light, but I could buy one tomorrow if necessary.
Race Director
Joined: Dec 2004
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From: PARADISE
St. Jude Donor '09-'11-'12-'13-'14
Another useful tool is a vacuum gauge. You can learn a ton about an engine just looking at the vacuum it produces. Here's a link: http://www.gregsengine.com/using-a-vacuum-gauge.html
If you're going to fiddle with these old cars you need some of those low tech tools to play with.
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2009
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From: anchorage ak
Sure, pick one up and learn to use it. Is the engine stock? If so, find the correct numbers here(just ask) or fish around online.
Another useful tool is a vacuum gauge. You can learn a ton about an engine just looking at the vacuum it produces. Here's a link: http://www.gregsengine.com/using-a-vacuum-gauge.html
If you're going to fiddle with these old cars you need some of those low tech tools to play with.
Another useful tool is a vacuum gauge. You can learn a ton about an engine just looking at the vacuum it produces. Here's a link: http://www.gregsengine.com/using-a-vacuum-gauge.html
If you're going to fiddle with these old cars you need some of those low tech tools to play with.
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 2,623
Likes: 22
From: Boise Idaho
St. Jude Donor '09-'10, '15, '17
Sure, pick one up and learn to use it. Is the engine stock? If so, find the correct numbers here(just ask) or fish around online.
Another useful tool is a vacuum gauge. You can learn a ton about an engine just looking at the vacuum it produces. Here's link: http://www.gregsengine.com/using-a-vacuum-gauge.html
If you're going to fiddle with these old cars you need some of those low tech tools to play with.
Another useful tool is a vacuum gauge. You can learn a ton about an engine just looking at the vacuum it produces. Here's link: http://www.gregsengine.com/using-a-vacuum-gauge.html
If you're going to fiddle with these old cars you need some of those low tech tools to play with.
I've used vacuum and timing gauges, but its been quite a while. I can still do light stuff, but no longer have the patience or energy for bigger projects. In fact I may have to switch to a C6 before long
Thanks for your help tonight!
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Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 2,623
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From: Boise Idaho
St. Jude Donor '09-'10, '15, '17
Orielly's has a pretty good timing light with a tach for around $100. Does it seem to stay idled higher when you come to a stop? Another easy check is to pull the vacuum advance and plug the carb port, with the engine at idle use a vacuum pump and actuate the vacuum advance to see if the idle rises and the timing changes, if it don't you vacuum advance mechanism could be stuck in the advance position.
Last edited by TMU; Aug 28, 2015 at 12:05 AM.
Race Director
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 10,332
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From: PARADISE
St. Jude Donor '09-'11-'12-'13-'14
Yes I need some tools. Engine is not stock, but don't have any information on the internals at all.
I've used vacuum and timing gauges, but its been quite a while. I can still do light stuff, but no longer have the patience or energy for bigger projects. In fact I may have to switch to a C6 before long
Thanks for your help tonight!
I've used vacuum and timing gauges, but its been quite a while. I can still do light stuff, but no longer have the patience or energy for bigger projects. In fact I may have to switch to a C6 before long
Thanks for your help tonight!
) folks on here to help you out anytime. Bluedawg knows his stuff.Why not go all the way with a C7?
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2007
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From: Boise Idaho
St. Jude Donor '09-'10, '15, '17
Race Director
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 10,332
Likes: 63
From: PARADISE
St. Jude Donor '09-'11-'12-'13-'14
It took me awhile to even like the C6. I have a 64 and a C5 and still like the C5 lines, but then, I'm old. I think the C7 appeals to the younger folks. Lotsa gingerbread.
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 3,736
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From: anchorage ak
I don't know, but you might be able to suck on the hose to see if the idle rpm increases, or use a set of needle nose vice grips and choke the line off while its still attached to the carb to see if the idle rpm decreses when you do. Another thing to check out is pull the cap and rotor, inspect the springs on the mechanical advance maybe one came off or is broke, but you'd think that would keep it idling higher than normal when you let off the accelerator, check the action of the weights to verify if they retract, lub the mechanical advance mechanism with wd40 or another lybricant before you put it back together, make sure the distributor isn't loose.if you can borrow a bore scope, look in the spark plug holes to see if you have carbon built up on the Pistons that would create a hot spot, you would need to look at each one. Does the engine want to diesel when you shut it off? Does it seem to start differently?
Last edited by bluedawg; Aug 28, 2015 at 03:03 AM.
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 2,623
Likes: 22
From: Boise Idaho
St. Jude Donor '09-'10, '15, '17
I don't know, but you might be able to sick on the hose, or use a set of needle nose vice grips and choke the line off to see if the idle goes down when you do. Another thing to check out is pull the cap and rotor, inspect the springs on the mechanical advance maybe one came off or is broke, but you'd think that would keep it idling higher than normal, lub the mechanical advance mechanism with wd40 be fore you put it back together, make sure the distributor isn't loose.
Thanks dawg!
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 2,632
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From: Great Plains Iowa
Driving to gym tonight no issue, but coming home engine started pinging when pushing it over half throttle. Was running at 180 deg (as usual) and oil pressure was good. The air filter is pretty clean and same tank of gas for last couple weeks so no change there. Engine is a 350 with no cats ec. Should I start trouble shooting by checking the plugs?
Are you certain it was pinging?
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 2,623
Likes: 22
From: Boise Idaho
St. Jude Donor '09-'10, '15, '17
Pulled the cap off the accel dist and found its electronic. Cap and rotor looked good and dist was not loose. The hose to the erg was loose at the valve so I put a clamp on it. Drove the car and for the most part no pinging. There may have been some pinging when lugging it up a hill and then flooring it, but not as noticeable as last night.
I am wondering if there could be a small vacuum leak somewhere that caused the pinging. Would a vacuum gauge be useful as I don't know the cam specs or how much vacuum it should have.
Also pulled a couple plugs so far and they clean and light gray. They are AC r45ts, should I go one step colder and get some r44ts?
Oh BKbroiler- I have had the same gas for a couple weeks so think that's probably not the issue.
I am wondering if there could be a small vacuum leak somewhere that caused the pinging. Would a vacuum gauge be useful as I don't know the cam specs or how much vacuum it should have.
Also pulled a couple plugs so far and they clean and light gray. They are AC r45ts, should I go one step colder and get some r44ts?
Oh BKbroiler- I have had the same gas for a couple weeks so think that's probably not the issue.
Team Owner
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From: In limbo
St. Jude Donor '13-'15, '17 thru '22
Engine not pinging, then later on the same tank of gas, engine is pinging screams vacuum leak to me. Vacuum systems are tight just before they develop a leak, then you don't get the advance that you need. Yes, it COULD be a number of other things, but a sudden propensity to ping is most likely caused by something in the vacuum system losing its seal.
Testing vacuum now will be helpful, but especially for a non-stock engine, having a baseline would be even more helpful. Failing that, I would go all Eagle Eyes on the vacuum advance hoses to see if something looks dry rotted, loose, or had worked itself off of its connection, and go from there.
Testing vacuum now will be helpful, but especially for a non-stock engine, having a baseline would be even more helpful. Failing that, I would go all Eagle Eyes on the vacuum advance hoses to see if something looks dry rotted, loose, or had worked itself off of its connection, and go from there.