gavine

From the day I bought my RL, the engine has knocked and pinged. I tried different brands of gas and I always use premium. It still knocks and pings. It's not incredibly noticeable, but I can definitely hear it (and sometimes feel it).

Does anyone else ever notice their RL knocking and pinging?

I wonder if my knock sensor is bad. In theory, the sensor should retard the timing to stop this, even if I were to use regular gas so if mine is pinging, the sensor isn't doing it's job, right?

I'd hate to take it to the dealer for such a minor issue but if I'm the only one with the problem, then I might be more inclined to bring it in. I'm sure they'll drive the car, say they didn't notice it and send me home.

robarsan

Rattle-squeak-knock & ping free here

Personally, I wouldn't hesitate to bring it to the attention of the dealer. If you hear and feel it, when it's time to sell or trade the vehicle, someone else will notice it also. The reason for buying premium gas is for the anit-knock properites. You need to have it checked out and fixed IMO.

LukeaTron

I would think the dealer should have a vested interest in fixing the problem seeing how if left unchecked they'll be on the hook for a new motor. Or at least Acura will be.

I would definitely get it looked at and be very persistent about it being fixed. I agree that it's likely the knock sensor(s?) at fault. No modern car should ever be pinging unless it's been heavily worked up.

kirbyflorida

Take it to the dealer, something is NOT right.

Should never ping or knock on premium gas.

robarsan

One morning I accidentally filled the tank with regular gas instead of premium and still heard no knocking, so I would also agree that you have a defective sensor.

Here's an excerpt from an article I was reading:

"I go back and forth, and I'm hard-pressed to notice" whether there's regular or premium in the tank, says Jeff Jetter, principal chemist at Honda Research and Development Americas. He drives an Acura designed for premium.

If the price of gas keeps going up, I may start using regular every other fill-up.

neuronbob

OK, other posters, please don't turn this into a "if you can't pay for premium, why are you in an RL" thread.....just being proactive....

And to gavine.....dealer time. Sounds like a bad knock sensor.

dwest1023

Definitely, get it check out. Its not good for the long term reliability of the engine.

larrynimmo

our engines are true high performance engines with extreme compression ratios that with normal timing would require premium fuel, and yet would ping some under hard use. My 1969 Corvette used Sunoco 360 premium and it still pinged...but it wouldn't wait for anyone. please realize that extreme pinging ruins engines. I had a boat engine with a Vortex v-6 and we burned a hole in a piston. (it ran great until that point) but the pinging was prenounced.

knock sensors retard the timing on engines to cut down on the effects of multiple ingitions. Other reasons for knocking include improper fuel ratios and carbon build up in the head.

gavine

I agree 100%. Your 1969 Corvette probably had fairly high compression but was designed with leaded fuel in mind. Of course, this was way before electronic ignition so there were no knock sensors.

I agree that the RL's high compression can cause predetonation with low octane fuel but with high octane and knock sensors, it shouldn't ping which is why I think I might have a bad knock sensor.

I only have 6K miles so I doubt I have carbon build-up already...at least I hope not enough to cause pinging.

TampaRLX-SH

I've never heard a ping from my RL. So I would agree with the other posters about the knock sensor. Layer on ULEV2 and something may not be in harmony. I am surprised no codes were adivsed if it pings consistently. Perhaps the onboard diagnostics are not that robust?

LukeaTron

If the knock sensor were bad and it wasn't pinging bad enough to register as a misfire, how would the ECU ever know about it?

robarsan

The ECU should detect first that the knock sensor circuit wasn't functioning and drop a code for that.

getakey

I have noticed pinging at low speed (car is probably in 2nd gear at less than 2000 rpm) going up steep hill.

LukeaTron

Should is the key word there.

The secondary O2 sensor is largely there to confirm the primary is working and yet we've seen plenty of cases where the primary is giving an incorrect reading and the ECU doesn't catch it (typically resulting in running extremely rich). It could be that the sensor is working just well enough not to trip any of the ECU's checks.


Off topic: That's a really nice avatar picture.

robarsan

Thanks for the avatar comment.

Sounds like you have a history with this issue, and what you said makes sense. It is bothersome though that the OP didn't get any code dropped whether it be a misfire, knock sensor, bad O2 sensor...anything.
Unlike my Audi, the engine light came on so many times, I'm surprised it didn't burn out

gavine

Glad to know I'm not the only one. I have to reiterate that it's subtle so I would think most people wouldn't even notice it but it's definitely there in my car.

When I hear it, I immediately back off on the throttle so perhaps the ECU ignores it because I never let it happen long enough. Also, sometimes it'll ping at low RPM but then the torque converter unlocks which is almost like a downshift and the pinging stops so I can't make it happen very long even if I want to. If it was a manual transmission, I'd be able to duplicate the pinging for the technician every time.

LukeaTron

Personally, no, but it's come up bunch of times on the TL an CL forums and to a lesser extent on the TSX forum.

The knock sensor is essentially a microphone. I wonder if there's any way to "hear" what it's "hearing", i.e., read it's output.

gavine

I just read-through the entire TL forum discussion on this topic (took me a week). It is very widespread on the TL-S (same 3.5 engine as the RL) and there are a lot of very unhappy owners over there.

It's hard to believe it's so prevalent there but not with the RL, especially since I'm experiencing it. I wonder if we all have it but most just don't notice it. Please take a look ->

https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...0&page=1&pp=40

Warning...it's 21 pages of discussion.

I'm actually thinking about trading my RL in for something else. I love the car otherwise but I hate "walking on eggshells" while driving and I don't want to fiddle with xylene to boost the octane to 97. That's just crazy. Also, I didn't realize when first experiencing the pinging how hurtful it is to the engine which is why I've put-off bringing it up for so long.

I haven't brought it to the dealer yet, mainly because I don't want to go through what all of those TL-S owners went through (denial by the dealer). I suppose I could ask to have the knock sensor checked to see what that does but I anticipate the sensor is fine and that the prognosis will be the same as the TL-S.

I'm 40 years old and this is only my 3rd car ever (1st car for 12 years, 2nd car for 10 years) so it'll be very disappointing to get rid of a car after only 18 months of ownership.

neuronbob

I'd still take it to the dealer. It's worth a try.

robarsan

You say you can definitely hear it, so I would think the dealer would have a hard time arguing that nothing is wrong.

I don't think this sympton is widespread as you suggest it may be. I drive to work each morning with the stereo off (my RL think tank), to plan out my work strategy for the day. If there were any pings or knocks, I would hear them. The car is tomb silent.

Take he car to the dealer as suggested, and demand they fix the problem.

phee

iTrader: (5)

if you guys are having pinging like the TL-s, you should definitely bring it in to the dealer. The more we can prove that this is widespread, the better the chances of having it fixed become. i dont have an RL guys, but could the reason some of you guys may not hear the pinging is because the RL has more sound deadening material in the cabin??? Considering you guys share the engine with the Tl-s, this could be a serious recall or class action lawsuit..

lpe387tt

No knocks or pings here. Super silent. I wouldn't hesitate on taking it into the dealer for an explanation.

Good luck!!!!!

kirbyflorida

No issues, 17,000 miles, like new.

gavine

I used Lukoil premium last week for the first time and the pinging is gone. This particular station was $0.30 more per gallon then everywhere else. I'm starting to think that the other stations in my area are doping their premium down to make extra profit. I know there are fines if they get caught but with the cost of gas right now, it might be worth the gamble.

I'm going to continue using Lukoil in hopes that the pinging stops for good. Maybe it's just a coincidence and whatever was causing the problem fixed itself but I'm not willing to chance it.

Lukoil it is from now on.....the car is running fantastically well on it.

gavine

I was told by a colleague that 350 NJ gas stations were caught in violation last week. Now I'm starting to understand. Here's a link to the article ->

http://nightclubcity.com/forum/showthread.php?t=173339

I feel better now that I know it's probably the gas and not my car.....but it makes me want to get a car that is designed for regular gas so I don't have to worry about getting ripped-off on the octane.

neuronbob

My car was also picky on gas when I got my mods. I was originally using BP, but after the mods, the engine started hiccuping intermittently. I tried a second tank from the same station and had similar trouble. Changed over to my local Shell station and haven't had any problems since. It's a little out of my way and costs a little more, but I'd rather have no difficulty.

gavine

My brother-in-law's Mustang GT has been sputtering for a while and he's been planning on taking it to the shop but he used different gas on his last fill-up and it stopped sputtering. He had been buying gas at one specific station for a while.

I just called my county's Consumer Affairs Division of Weights and Measures to report a couple of stations that I've used that cause the pinging. Hopefully they'll get fined and/or shut-down.

LukeaTron

Glad to hear you resolved your problem. Not so glad to hear there are so many shady people out there (though hardly surprised).

bobwied

I've actually had a similar pinging problem, but it usually only occurs when the car's been sitting in the sun for a long time on a hot day. The pinging goes away after driving cautiously for a few miles. I've tried all the major brands of gas, and only use Supreme. I've been procrastinating, but will probably schedule a trip to the dealer during the next hot spell.

gavine

I've put-off going to the dealer so please share your experience with us......

LukeaTron

Hmm, the sitting in the sun is a curious precursor. I don't even have a guess as to how that could be related to the pinging. Weird.

phee

iTrader: (5)

sitting in the sun=hotter oil=better flow=better coverage=less pinging

gavine

Here's what the owner's manual from the 2009 Nissan Maxima says about pinging ->

"Octane rating tips:
Using unleaded gasoline with an octane
rating lower than recommended can cause
persistent, heavy “spark knock.” (“Spark
knock” is a metallic rapping noise.) If severe,
this can lead to engine damage. If you
detect a persistent heavy spark knock even
when using gasoline of the stated octane
rating, or if you hear steady spark knock
while holding a steady speed on level
roads, have a NISSAN dealer correct the
condition. Failure to correct the condition
is misuse of the vehicle, for which NISSAN
is not responsible.
Incorrect ignition timing may result in spark
knock, after-run and/or overheating, which may
cause excessive fuel consumption or engine
damage. If any of the above symptoms are encountered,
have your vehicle checked at a
NISSAN dealer.
However, now and then you may notice
light spark knock for a short time while
accelerating or driving up hills. This is not a
cause for concern, because you get the
greatest fuel benefit when there is light
spark knock for a short time under heavy
engine load."

rlerman

I had been putting 89 octane in my car for the past 2k miles and was getting good gas mileage and I didn't think I was hearing any pinging (I think of pinging in the old days when the car would keep running after you turned it off.) However, when I first start my car and I immediately have to go up a hill, I do have some hesitation until the car warms up and what might be pinging (engine just sounds a little high pitched). This weekend, I put Sunoco 93 octane in it for the first time and it was smooth as silk going up that hill today and I notice a little better acceleration overall. I also notice that my MPG are running a little higher based on the trip computer. Heading to work, I usually get about 24.2-24.5, but today I was getting about 25.4. Don't know if it's the gas, but it's the only thing that's different. Difference between 89 and 93 octane in my area is only $.10/gallon or about $1.8 per tank, not a hardship and I'll continue to use it.