Why is it that my engine pings no matter what with regular, off and on with midgrade and depending on where I get supreme I get that pinging in the engine? I have gone to Chevron and gotten supreme and added that Techron additive and it will go away but the next fill up it pings if I get supreme again. Im confused!

 

Check your ignition timing. It should be set to 10* BTDC.

Hope this helps.
Dr. Z

 

I just put a new timing belt on and it was perfect. Today I went and got a bottle of vavoline fuel system cleaner and then topped off the tank with mid grade. The noise is gone. I am thinking its in the kind of fuel I get. I was also told I should adjust the valves.

 

Yea, that is something I am wondering about, anybody know if 100k on my 1998 would it be a good idea to do this? And is it a home garage type of job, I have pretty good engine knowledge and I'm not afraid to give it a whirl, I just don't want to pay an arm and a leg or leave my vehicle at a the stealership or a shop for a day or so. Anybody? Not trying to jack your thread, just figured this would be a good place to ask this as it might benefit us both.

 

Thats what its here for, steal it take it away from me. JK No I wanted to hear if I was being wierd or if other guys deal with this annoying noise. Have you tried the additive and better fuel like I did?

 

Old timing belt = no ping.
New timing belt = ping.



Who did the install? Did they use a timing light with the engine at full operating temp and no accessories turned on?

 

That's what I was thinking...

Dr. Z

 

Well, to be totally troofull, I don't know if what I hear is pinging. I always use the highest octane gas available but usually go to ExxonMobil since my wife works for them and we get a 10% discount on that gas. I sometimes put in fuel injector cleaner, ususally that Outlaw stuff in the white bottle I think. mine just sounds more "rough" than anything. it doesn't run rough, it's just when I jump out with the engine running it doesn't sound as "purry" like it used to. know what I mean? I will listen to see if it more of a ping on the way home. but like I said she doesn't run rough, it just sounds like it needs lube or something. could be the vacuum noise from a busted hose, but there's no busted hose, it just kind of has that sound. it's really hard to explain a sound. :pat:

 

You'll need a special valve lifter tool, a micrometer and shims of the required thickness to adjust the valve clearances. It's a failry involved process and will require purchasing Shims from the dealer after you measure the valve clearances and calculate the thickness of the Shims needed to put the valves back to spec. A good shop manual details the procedure. It can be done by the home mechanic, but you'll need a good selection of tools, time and LOTS of patience.

Here's a page that details how to do all of this.

Hope this helps.
Dr. Z

 

Thanks, Z-man. Anybody know what the dealer charges for this procedure, and at what mileage it is recommended for the 5VZ-FE engine?

 

I dont think a valve adj is ever recommended for the 5VZ. I know on Honda's its a suggested "inspect" around 60K miles - but on those its a breeze to adjust them.

 

It is recommended at 60K and the price varies anywhere from $375-475 depending on the number of Shims needed and the amount of time it takes.

Peace!
Dr. Z

Oh, and you're welcome.

 

Crap. Something else to add to my list!

 

I hear ya on that.

Ok. Anybody know an average cost of the shims, I guess each and it probably depends on the size? this way I can calculate about when I need to take a couple days off work to spend in the garage turning "reenches."

Thanks dr. Z for the insite.

 

Have you changed your dist cap and rotor latley? If you havnt I think you should start here.

 

Ok 96, after getting off the phone with the Dong McGill stealership service goon I learned, as he sees it anyway, that the 5vz engine should not need to be checked or adjusted. Something to do with them being a shimmed setup, he got too deep and above my head so I just kept saying "yea, uh-huh, I know right {like a homie}, yea, I see what yer sayin'..." and then he says "prolly the bess thing for you to do is to bring it in here and let us check it out to see what's happening." Only then did I snap out of my trans-like yes-man state and realize that he wanted me to bring it in so they could possibly diagnose AND attempt to let me have them fix something. He said the valve clearance job would be ungodly expensive and more than likely they don't need to be adjusted ever, like you said. now I don't know what to believe.

 

...I had to adjust the valves on mine at only 40,000 miles. Interesting don't you think?

Gadget

www.GadgetOnline.com

 

but was that due to the S/C? That is interesting though. That's why I put more worth in the good people here than the stealership lacky's.

 

No, that was before the supercharger.

So, you would put more trust in a group of people that insists that you can fix a bent wheel by putting 17 new tires on it?

There are two basic inspection methods for checking the valve adjustment. First is periodic inspection that is outlined in the vehicle preventitive maintenance schedule. It is the second book that comes with your owner's manual. You know the one that you have to doccument your scheduled maintenance in to preserve your warranty. That is inspection is simply to listen for ticking and checking for a rough idle.

A better test is to physically check the valve lash with a feeler gauge to see if it is still in spec. The checking part is pretty easy. If the lash is out of spec then replacing the shims with the proper size is substantially more involved and the dealership folks will do anything to not have to do it, even if it involves misleading customers at the risk of engine damage.

Listen to them if you want, it is your truck, you decide.

Gadget

www.GadgetOnline.com

 

Does your truck have an EGR system? If so you might want to check it for proper function. You want to make sure the valve operates properly and that all the passages are free and clear.

If you do not get proper flow in the EGR system you will get ping. If this is the problem it will normall present in cruise and moderate acceleration and it should go away at full throttle. If that is what you have and you have an EGR system suspect the EGR system.

BG Products has a very nice service for cleaning the entire EGR system. The hard part is finding a shop that preforms it.

Gadget

www.GadgetOnline.com