Minor Pinging - Normal?

[Gardd]

I noticed last week that my Taurus (1999 Wagon, Duratec) pings very slightly when accelerating up inclines. Never heard it ping before last week; heard it again this afternoon.

Is slight pinging normal on occasion? I haven't noticed anything else unusual - runs fine otherwise. FYI I normally use 89 octane fuel.

[TaurusKing]

No big deal, an occasional rattle is fine and might be expected depending on conditions... how come you're not running 87 octane, save a little money, is it rattling much more on 87?? Then there may or may not be an issue.. I have a 94 with a 3 liter that rattles, I thought too much noise, compression fine, flow-tested the egr system using a voltmeter, numbers were pretty good,,, dealer told me the ping would probably never fully go away, I left it at that..

[KimMG]

A fuel system cleaner such as SeaFoam may help if there is carbon build up in the cylinders.

[Gardd]

Thanks - since I only noticed it recently, maybe there is some build-up accumulating. This Duratec is a marvellous motor that's always run like a dream, but I have to remind myself sometimes that it's about seven years old now.

I did try 87 octane last week and the ping was a bit more noticeable. It's still not anywhere near as bad as I've heard in other vehicles over the years though. With 89 octane it's reduced a bit.

We don't have SeaFoam available around here. So - for the time being I think I'll try putting a bottle of fuel system cleaner in, and take it out for an highway run. It's the weekend after all...

Any recommendations on fuel system cleaner brands e.g. Prestone, STP, and such? I've always kinda thought that they're basically all the same (no matter what they say on the label) but if you know one brand is better than another for some reason, I'd appreciate your input.

Thanks!

[way2old]

Sounds like the MAF might be getting dirty and not allowing the correct air/fuel mixture. If you can get it checked, have the hertz read and post the readings and your altitude. A lot of people have had good luck cleaning the MAF with electrical contact cleaner.

[Johnny Mullet]

Normal condition. Don't worry about it since most of these models do this. I think there is a way to set the PCM with the NGS (Ford Scanner) to minimise the ping.

[Willyum]

I think that you're wrong to look at the fuel system to cure engine "ping". Ping is a spark adjustment or cylinder carbon buildup issue. If you do mostly slow speed - low RPM driving you could have carbon build up.
Using higher octane than 87 fuel is foolish and can harm an engine system built to use 87.