Why do Toyota's Ping???
 

I have have owned 4 of Toyota's so far and they have all pinged, and I can't figure out why.

I have had an '84 Corolla with a little 1.6L 4cyl, and it would ping constantly, but lasted 250K, then I had a '90 Celica with a 2.2L, same deal, then moved to a '88 pickup with the 3VZE, and it would ping worse than the other two, and just recently got a '91 4Runner with the 3VZE, and same deal, pings like crazy.

My father has an '02 Tacoma and same exact thing, it pings all over.

This is with 87 Octane fuel.....do I really need to be running 89 or higher, does Toyota run a higher compression ratio???

I tried 89 in my 4Runner and the pinging decreased but it was still there.

What is the deal??

87 is the octane for all those vehicles you mentioned only a few of the higher end turbo sports cars need the 91.
It might be an issue with the quality/additive package of motor fuel in your area. or it could be that the mech. working on your vehicles has'nt got a clue [no offence if this is you lol].
I run 87 in mine all the time 360000+ and no problems with ping.

my 88 runner, 91 p'up and 89 celica (3sfe engine) do not ping at all. possibly the timing is a bit too advanced on yours'? depending on how severe the pinging and under what conditions it occurs, it may not affect the engine

try changing brands of fuel. just because the octane may be the same, they may not be the same. octane rating is an average of two numbers RON (research octane number) and MON (motor octane number). so one fuel can have a higher RON and lower MON and average the same as a lower RON / higher MON. more info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octane_rating

could just be noisy valves. That sounded a lot like pinging on my first 4runner.

i have a taco and it does the same thing...its just the valves, nothing to worry about

I don't know where you are but elevation may play a role in this. You may have less dense air if you're so far above sea level and it throws off the air/fuel ratio.

I have owned about a dozen Yotas, varying engines and models.
They ALL sounded the same whether they were new or used, I tried all brands and octanes of gas available here, although I always suspected its all the same anyways.
I've tried additives and checked everything......never made any difference and the always ran good otherwise.:bigok:

Valves huh, what part of them makes them noisy, actually slapping against the seats when they close, or the lifters? It sounds exactly the same between the 02 Taco and the '91 Runner, is that a known Toyota thing, never heard it on any other vehicle, at least not like this.

I tried using 89 Octane in the Runner, and I thought it decreased slightly, but it was still there.....of course that could have been in my imagination.

I guess the only way to rule out ping is to try 93 and see what happens, but I really shouldn't have to use 93 in a 3VZE or the Taco.

The Taco has done it since it was brand new, I took it to Toyota when it was under warranty and they couldn't find anything wrong with it, but they never mentioned anything about the valves.

fastkevman, you say you've had a doezen yotas and they all "pinged", or have had that noise that sounds like pinging? Well that makes me feel better, but I still hate that sound, but if it's not actually pinging then it's alright, I just hate the thought of my brand new pistons banging around in the cylinder.

Does Toyota actually do their own rebuilds at the dealer or are the sent out to a shop? Just a question that has been in my head?

Thanks.

the rocker arms are supposed to be adjusted every 50000 miles. they are what contacts the valve and makes them go down. as they start to wear they need to be adjusted back to stock clearance.

Yeah but the Taco has done it since it was brand new and the Runner was rebuilt by Toyota 8K miles ago.

Haven't hydraulic lifters done away with the rocker adjustments?

I commuted A LOT to different jobs.
Heres my list, with what vehicle it was, what it had and the mileage when purchased.
'86 Corolla / 4cyl auto / 200K
'86 4Runner / 4cyl auto / 140K
'87 Nova (Corolla) / 4cyl auto / 100K approx.
'88 Nova (Corolla) / 4cyl auto / 100K rebuilt by me
'93 Geo Prism (Corolla) / 4cyl 5spd / 80K
'93 Pickup / 6cyl 5spd / 60K----current ride
'95 Corolla / 4cyl auto / 120K rebuilt
'95 4Runner / 6cyl auto / 30K
'97 Corolla / 4cyl auto / bought new
'98 Tacoma / 6cyl 5spd / 34K
'01 Tacoma / 6cyl 5spd / bought new
'01 Camry / 6cyl auto / bought new
'02 RAV4 / 4cyl auto / bought new
I'm not counting a mud truck and two "enduro" style cellicas we toyed around with but, yes they sounded the same.

what is the pinging like?.. are you sure it is pinging? you may just be hearing the fuel injectors making that ticking noise.. which is normal.

Maybe you should try and get an audio of your pinging issue, so we could listen and see whats up...

Most likely if you have that many Toyota's pinging, something is wrong with the Yota;s and tune-ups like spark plugs, or maybe its a valve tick.

If you mean my list....I would find it hard to believe that 4 brand new cars had the same "problem".

I don't consider it a major issue, to me its more of a ticking sound, not pinging.

If it is more of a ticking sound it is the valves nothing tho really worry about just annoying is all. I use a product called Engine Restorer about every 3rd change and it seems to quiet things down a lot. FWIW

The Toyota dealers in my area(SoCal) DO NOT actually rebuild engines themselves...they'll swap heads and the like......they install ATK or similar(lousy) rebuilt units. I have an ATK 22RE with about 60K miles and I have serious doubts as to whether or not it'll make 70K. This after replacing front crank seal and other various surgeries. Be sure and ask where they're getting the engine from. You have been warned!!!

My '95 pinged since the day I drove it off the lot back when it was brand new. For about 200,000 miles premium was enough to stop it but then the radiator got a hole in it and it pinged even then until I fixed it and put on a new water pump. Now it's running fine -- as long as I put the $4.20 a gallon premium in it.

Maybe its you just hitting the rev limiter:)

Never heard a ping...but I do hear ticking...lol

Pinging is a predetonation problem. If you tried 89 octane and it seemed to not ping so much, than the ignition timing is too advanced. I have seen a lot of pinging Toyotas in my line of work. Most of the time the timing is not right. Sometimes it is more complicated than the timing. Sometimes carbon builds up in the combustion chambers effectively making them smaller and the compression ratio goes up enough to where even if the timing is within spec, it will still ping. Try a decarbonizing fuel additive like BG 44K (http://www.bgprod.com/products/fuelair.html) every now and then and make sure the timing is set properly and it shouldn't ping. As far as an 02 Tacoma pinging, it is highly unlikely. The OBDII computer is sophistocated enough to electronicly control the ignition timing. If an 02 actually did ping, the computer would see it as a knock and turn the engine light on.