I purchased my TLS 5 month ago.....I took it to the dealer 4 times already. They tried to fix the pinging noise. Every time I went there they told me different explanations... And by the last visit, they just said: "Its normal, that is what TLS does....it pings.
So I started a legal processes based on California Lemon Law, and they declined.....so not cool!
Do you know if this is really a characteristic of the TLS or just some of them pings?

 

You're the second person to mention that Acura admitted that the TL-S is "supposed to ping". Sad, very sad.

We took a survey here, and 40% of the respondents said their TL-S pinged at least a little bit.

Yeah, I don't think bad ECU mapping qualifies it as a lemon. So we are all stuck with these pingers until Acura decides to issue a TSB.

 

No gasoline internal combustion engine is supposed to ping.....ever. This pisses me off that they would say this even though I don't have an "S". I hope mine never has to go in for any real troubleshooting.

 

It has been cool here in FL last week and the pinging was less than usual. Today it has been around 85 degree. So the normal pinging is back. Acura is probably delaying this issue until winter pass. Cold denser air will most likely lessens any pinging.
The guy that had his car fix they had to clean out carbon deposits, which to me was not neccessary, especially on a brand new car. Any car that pings is having a lean a/f ratio. Causing the combustion chamber to be hotter and thus burning off any excess carbon deposit. A simple ecu reflash is all thats needed. But acura rather replace an engine.

 

I doubt Acura would rather replace an engine than do a reflash.

The cynic in me thinks that they won't reflash because they're betting that most TL-S engines won't fail catastrophically during the warranty period.

 

Got almost 2K on mine. Still need to verify if it is all the random stuff in my car making noise but I am starting to hear some chatter from the engine area.

Usually happens when I pull off from a stop sign and accelerate a bit harder than usual. But after I hear it I can never duplicate that noise.

 

This happens to me sometimes, too. It seems to depend on the weather as well.

 

This is how it starts out. Now that you've herd it, you will notice it more depending on your driving habits. I can get mine to ping almost every time if I want. Just depends on how you work the gas pedal. Hopefully we will have a fix soon as this is so frustrating.

 

Does anyone think a CAI or intercooler would be helpful, since it seems cooler air might help cut down on preignition/knock? Perhaps even those throttle body and block spacers would help? I am getting desperate.

 

Good question. I was wondering the same thing.

 

My dealer told me that another driver put one on his and reduced it some but did not go away.

 

I have an AEM CAI on my 08 TL-S and I havent heard any pinging after 1600 miles. But that's not to say it never existed on my car.

 

I called Acura corporate and left a message asking when the TSB would be issued. It has been several days, no response.

 

I really doubt it... if the CAI is not well designed, like making the air more turbulent near the MAF sensor, hence the chance of running the air/fuel mix leaner; you could worsen the pinging problem. Most CAI is useless without heavy tuning of the engine. There was not advantages with most CAIs when I modded my WRX. An intercooler cannnot make the intake air cooler than it is outside of the engine bay, and I doubt it that the air is that hotter with the OEM air intake.

Since it is a problem created by Acura, I will not try to fix it myself. I have an extented warranty so if my engine blow, there will not be any kind of aftermarket piece of equipment on my car for Acura to blame it on.

 

You are right about the CAI potentially making the air more turbulent for the MAF meter and causing erratic bahavior. I ran into this on my other car. Unfortunately our TLs are speed density and don't have MAFs. I wish they did but that is one of the reasons I've decided to keep my mods to cold air, K&N, and cat delete.

 

That makes a lot of sense. That is one of the reasons I have not touched my car. I don't want to be blamed if the engine is damaged by their bad ECU.

 

ok here is my input....

i have an 08 TL-s for about 3 months... and i dont get a 'pinging', but i get a HORRIBLE chatter coming from the drivers dash... mostly when the car is in park, and the engine is running. Using the climate control seems to 'anger' the noise.

I have brought it to Acura 3 times, and every single f*ing time i go there, it wont make the noise, and as soon as i leave, it does it again.. it seems to be a chatter, creaking noise... comes from the engine bay near the master cylinder and the drivers dash...

the noise has been there since day 1... i have since added a CAI, and it didnt seem to make the noise worse, but over time, the noise has gotten progressively worse (only when it wants too)

i feel bad busting the guys @ acura's balls, but this nosie is driving me f*ing crazy !! ive never heard anything like it, not on my 06 TL, my friends TL's, or the loaners i get...

i am giving up hope, but i dont want this problem to expand later when i have modified the engine, and acura tell's me its because of my mods....

WTF should i do ? its starting to really annoy me

 

So why did you post here?

 

maybe i am confused on what a ping vs. chatter sounds like. The thread title stated chatter, so i assumed this is where my problem belongs. It could be considered a knocking sound as well, but im not sure about a 'pinging' noise.

describing noises is a hard thing to do.

 

^^
I agree - hard to describe.

But I suspect we've got different problems. This "pinging" or "knocking" is not necessarily descriptive of the sound so much as the "common name" for Pre-Detonation in the cylinder.

As a matter of fact, when I said "knock" or "spark knock" to Acura Client Services, she didn't know what I meant - but she knew "pinging".

It easiest to hear under moderate acceleration and generally between 2500 and 3000 rpm. In some cases a loose heat sheild will make a similar noise, but once that's ruled out, there's not much left except pre-detonation.

With the recent cooler weather, I haven't noticed the pinging as much lately.

 

heatsheilds have a distinct rattling to them that i am familiar with. my problem seems to be something else.. i guess ill have to keep trying to pin point it

 

Blackura: I know its hard to believe that our new cars are pinging, but it is. Simple, it sounds like a loose chain or dropping thumb tack sound.

Know anyone with an old car? Crank that distrubutor all the to advanced timing on the distributor and drive up a hill. It will sound the same as our Type-S.
I've been pumping 87 octane cause im sick of this car and oh my, it sound like a beat up Hyundai. I''l keep it like that til the motor seized then ill throw it in Acura's face.
The timing map is soo messed up that it will not detune itself to accept 87, let alone 93 that Ive been pumping in the first place.

 

definitely not the sound i am getting. i assumed pinging would have a light metal clinking sound..

mine is a chattering, grinding creaking noise. acura cant help me.. so im turning to a.z.

 

MY CAR PINGS!!!!!!! WHEN I GO TO THE DEALER IT WONT DO IT!!!!!!!! HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sorry for the Caps but im pissed

 

If you have an appointment, keep it running while you're waiting for the tech to drive it. You want to keep as much heat in the motor as you can. Your other alternative is to run 89 octane but if the dealer puts 91 and it somehow goes away it might look bad on you.

 

Make sure you call Acura corporate and tell them you have a pinger.

 

BTW, I called them again and asked them if/when a TSB would be issued for the pinging problem. It has been several weeks, and so far no call back.

 

The owners manual states that 91 or higher octane is required for the TL-S and that you may hear knocking if you use lower octane gas. So if it is pinging with regular 87 octane gas, it may still be operating within specs.

"Type S
Fuel Recommendation
Your vehicle is designed to operate
on premium unleaded gasoline with
pump octane of 91 or higher. If this
octane grade is unavailable, regular
unleaded gasoline with a pump
octane of 87 or higher may be used
temporarily. The use of regular
unleaded gasoline can cause metallic
knocking noises in the engine and
will result in decreased engine
performance. The long-term use of
regular-grade gasoline can lead to
engine damage."


If you repeatedly run 87 octane and damage your engine, it may not be covered by warranty. I don't know if Acura could determine what type of gas you have been running.

Of course if the TL-S is pinging with 91 octane or better, that is a legitimate problem as previously discussed in this thread.

 

I run Exxon Supreme 93 only...and still it knocks.

 

Well it finally cooled down in South Florida and the first time my TL-S felt some colder weather.

Well I starting hearing a new sound today. Between 3k and 4k rpm under 50-60% accelerating I was getting something that I was praying to god was not what is mentioned on this thread. Even after reading this though everything I am not sure that is what I have. Could the colder denser air coming through the intake be causing pinging after the car has been so used to the hot humid air for so long.

the sound is metalic and rough sounding, and I can only hear it when my windows are up, and only in 2nd and 3rd gear, when the windows are down their is too much noise. ummmm sounds kinda like a chain being dragged accross the cement.

 

We can't get 91 here. It's either 89 or 93.

From DAY ONE, nothing but 93 has been in our TL-S tank.

 

Sounds about right: 2nd and 3rd gear, moderate acceleration, lower/mid revs.

The best way I can describe the sound is as a fairly soft metallic clatter. Almost like tapping spoons together under the hood.

The sound seems to come from the engine compartment, somewhere just above my right foot.







I've gotta make my follow up call next week. That'll be 6 weeks since my dealer visit and opening the case with Acura.

 

[QUOTE=Bearcat94]Sounds about right: 2nd and 3rd gear, moderate acceleration, lower/mid revs.

The best way I can describe the sound is as a fairly soft metallic clatter. Almost like tapping spoons together under the hood.

The sound seems to come from the engine compartment, somewhere just above my right foot.


so very depressing, sound may have been there entire time, this is the first week i didnt use ac and just noticed it. Only 1800 miles and dont plan on going in til first oil change

They really need to give all the ECU mapping info to Hondata and pay them to make a Re-Flash for our cars and then give it to us for FREE !!!!!

 

The best way to hear the ping is at a stop light, have your window down and make sure there's a car right next to you or the tech. Drive off with the other car beside you-"Partial throttle only." The knock sound will echo back from the other car and it will be heard loud and clear. Usually I have my tinted windows up, Im too embarrased of the noise haha .

 

Other ways are narrow bridges, storage bldgs, any audio reflective surface which amplifies the noises we are all having difficulty describing.

My TL-S noises sound like marbles in the motor. Not anything like the chatter of an exhaust or heat shield related noise though. Still on the lookout for a sweet NSX to replace the TL-S.

 

We have some few days with temperature here in Quebec(Canada) below the freezing point, and my car still pings as usual...

By the way, a 2007 Honda Accord 3.5L V6 from a friend of mine also pings. He is a motorcycle technician so he knows how to recognize detonation.

So it seems that is normal for cars from Honda-Acura to have detonation...

 

So if I planned on getting a CAI and pulley should I hold off for some time to see if anything ever gets done about this problem?

 

I am.

 

I don't think it happens more often with Hondas than other makes. But it definitely does happen more often with the TL-S.

 

Hi, guys... I was doing some searching on the web for why I heard "valve chatter" (or so I thought) in my fairly new TL-S (2007 with just over 10K miles) and stumbled on this thread. Believe it or not, I actually noticed it in my car with the windows up and the radio on - it was that loud! After reading this thread (and just recently getting cool enough in Texas to keep the windows down), I tried the mild acceleration thing next to a building with the windows down and was thoroughly embarrassed that my nice car sounded so, well, crappy.

Well, "I Hate Cars" has mentioned a few times that if it goes away with high-octane fuel, it's definitely pre-detonation. I have no idea where to get high-octane fuel (and I'm really just too lazy to find out), but I figured a half-ass way to go about it was to get a $5 bottle of octane booster. I didn't really expect much from $5, but it was seriously like night and day. I've been trying for the past few days to reproduce any sort of pinging/knocking sound and simply can't. At all. Blew me away.

So, does anybody have any recommendations for good octane booster? Or are they all the same? Cause whether I should have to or not, I'm using octane booster in my car until a TSB is issued. If for no other reason than I like the sound of the engine now...