Cedar

'89 automatic 2wd pickup, 22re

Seems like a very common problem, read lots of posts on it. IMO it should be a common method of repair.

Pings upon load, lessened with use of high octane fuel.

Upper end done 100K, machined head may be increasing compression, causing preignition=pinging. Not certain, though.

Heard it might be carbon buildup, so ran water through brake booster to steam clean carbon but didn't seem very effective.

Heard might be timing, adjusted, no effect.

Heard might be plugs with wrong gap. Haven't checked yet.

Possiblity of plugged cat causing back pressure. Not checked yet.

Okay, perhaps an ignorant question but does anybody have a 22re that doesn't ping? Just thought I'd ask to get it out there.

I'm almost convinced it's just normal sounds that 22re's make in general but I get suspicious of explanations like that. However, don't tell me that if that's not it.

Just getting frustrated and annoyed with this small sound. I hate stuff that is or sounds broken, regardless of the actual status, so maybe I'm overreacting. I don't think I'm alone, though.

Pretty much everything done had zero effect. Really I'm looking for someone who has fixed this problem before or come to a conclusion that puts the mind at ease. I honestly don't even know if the pinging causes damage or if I'm looking in the right places. It seems like such a consistent, common idea, I am very nearly convinced that it's normal.

Thanks ahead of time.

Dirt Driver

Mine doesn't ping and never has. Neither have any other 22REs I've ridden behind.

Is your knock sensor circuit intact? How did you set the timing?

Bassmastry101

iTrader: (1)

Is there any way you can shoot a video of the ping? Have you checked your valve adjustment?

All 22rs are going to have a slight valve tick..I've learned to cope with it with a loud exhaust and the volume knob.

94yotafan

my 3.0L (94 pickup dlx) made a similar noise and it was jsut my injectors, theyre just that loud, i cleaned them out and still made the noise. could be worse, could ahve a chain based 4 cylinder... wanna talk about a noisey motor. dear god...

Cedar

Alright, so I'm a little new at this stuff, so forgive me if I sound like a novice.

I guess I should clarify that I didn't set the timing myself, it was my mechanic. I think he set it to the recommended number on the sticker under the hood. Shouldn't be advanced or retarded.

Where can I find the knock sensor, what does it look like, what does it do, and how do I know if it's intact?

Thanks Again

Cedar

Could the chain based 4 cylinder be my engine? Is the noise produced by it just loud, or does it sound like pinging?

Mine only pings when under load (like going up hills with just me weighing it down )

Cedar

Dirt driver, you're getting 28 mpg out of your 22re?!
Mine usually gets about 19, maybe low 20s. I do live in a hilly area, and mine's an 89, compared with your 94, but that seems drastic. I guess the pinging might be sucking more fuel than I thought.

94yotafan

if its a 4cyl hes getting 28, the chain noise from those motors is ungodly loud, not a pinging, but if its the v6 it could jsut be the injectors, it sounds like a loud tapping noise that increases the higher the rpms? well the more you hit the gas? if it is they fuel rod has these little bucket lookign things that get moved by another rod and over the years they get deformed and start makign a tapping sounmds. my brand new 4.0L 2012 taco makes a tapping sounds whatever it is, its part of there design i guess and they last forever

Cedar

Mines's a 4cyl, so I guess It's not the injectors. What does the chain noise sound like so I can distinguish it from pinging? Also, if mine's getting a lot worse milage (19ish), I think it's actually a pinging.

Dirt Driver

The timing has to be set while a jumper is installed between two terminals in the diagnostic port to shut off the computer-commanded advance. Only after that is done can the base timing be set correctly. Neither of us know if your mechanic did that.

The timing chain in a 22RE makes little or no noise until the guides have fallen apart and the chain is slapping against the timing cover. Let it do that long enough and it saws into a coolant passage, makes a milkshake out of the oil and possibly takes the bottom-end bearings out in the process.

The 22RE valvetrain is often a bit noisy even when clearances are correct, but that noise is not dependent on load or octane like pinging typically is and it usually gets quieter as the engine warms up.

Keith B.

Pinging is pretty distinct from injector click and timing chain rattle. Sometimes the exhaust manifold produces a steady faint rattle-like sound on acceleration, but it's also clearly not pinging.
I had a ATK brand rebuilt 22RE that pinged under load with 91 octane gas, and pinged all the time with 87 octane. The next rebuilt engine--this time built by an actual local shop and not by a factory filled with workers that don't give a s--t--doesn't ping at all... ever. No explanation for you, but I've been there.

snobdds

Ungodly loud huh? Hardley.

Cedar

Actually, I watched him do it and he did short the two terminals correctly. I guess I'm just one of the weird people who watches and takes and interest in how my car is being fixed. He's a really honest mechanic, a family friend. Also very competent.

Is it common for the guides to fall apart? How can I check the condition of mine, and where can I find it? Or is it buried in the engine to the point that an amateur like me with few tools would rather not risk removing a lot of stuff and breaking something?

Cedar

Okay, so my pinging really might have been a result of the rebuild at 100,000.
Is it really worth it to use high octane gas to lessen the pinging, or does it do pretty much the same damage anyways? I guess I shouldn't assume. Is there damage done as a result of the pinging? Also, if I can use 87 and it only pings sometimes, if I drive it gently to the point that it doesn't ping, does that offer pretty much the same protection? I don't really need to move fast up hills or anything and don't have a lead foot.

My mechanic had explained that with the rebuilt motor, they machine the head, increasing the compression ratio, which causes pre-ignition. It makes sense but I don't want to assume that is it, or the only problem.

Cedar

Here's a video of the sound. It's very quiet, so might need to turn up your speakers to hear the pinging. When I first heard it, it just sounded like rattling to me but two knowledgeable people told me it's pinging after hearing it in person.
It is most audible when I step on the gas more heavily up the first, steep hill.

There are a few other sounds but ignore them: squeaky steering wheel, keys making a tapping on the dashboard, and normal engine sounds.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyLIK...ature=youtu.be

abecedarian

If you're talking about the noises made towards the end of the vid, which coincide with what sounds like you relaxing on the gas pedal, that sounds more like "little end" knock- piston wrist pins.

But I won't commit to that.

Cedar

I mean, it's a REALLY quiet noise in the video. If you still think that's it, how might I go about fixing it?i I it, and got this site

http://www.digest.net/alfa/archive/v8/msg11302.html

Looked it up on YouTube and saw a few examples. Most of them were eminently audible at idle, whereas mine is not. Maybe mine is just a slight wrist pin knock, so it takes some pushing to make it audible?

Dirt Driver

I have listened to the video several times with speakers and noise-cancelling headphones and honestly, there isn't anything that I could identify as pinging.

Bishard

Don't think I've ever heard a 22r without a slight pinging or tick. Radio up.

abecedarian

Let's start easy:
pull the spark plugs and post a picture of them, preferably laid out 1-4.