you posted the exact same "solution" in two threads
this one which is probably pinging
and one where the symptoms clearly point to a timing chain rattle

 

Cute, everyone bickering like school girls again.

so is the solution to this new/colder range spark plugs and some better gas??? The 2000rpm pinging just started on me last week and I certainly need new plugs. I usually use 89 or 91 octane gas.

 

If any of you Maxima pingers need to get rid of ALL pinging once and for all, build a homemade hydrogen generating system for your car (www.water4gas.com). This not only gets rid of all pinging, but it also makes more horsepower and saves 10-50% gas. This is the future technology for the automotive industry that was kept secret for the past 80 years. Gasoline will become obsolete according to scientists. You also need to do some electronic tweaking with either the o2, MAF or MAP sensor to help them work with the hydrogen cell for max fuel economy. I built and installed my own HHO system and I currently get 38/47 MPG city/hwy in my 5.5 Gen Max. Amazing stuff..wish I had known about this wayyyy earlier.

 

screw premium fuel, I never use it and it never pings. If I have to pay an extra buck a gallon I'll go get a TL-S

 

 

why do you drive a 6 speed 255 hp $40K car and not a 4 cylinder automatic Altima?

 

I think you answered your own question...because it's a 6 speed 255 hp $33K car and not a 4 cylinder automatic Altima.

The Altima Se-R doesn't require premium fuel.... I don't get nissans ridiculous reasoning for using premium...it's just their fruitless efforts to emulate BMW and Mercedes

 

A fully loades Max in Canada is about $40K
SER does require premium for optimal performance actually. ALso most of these cars will ping if you use regular.
Ridiculous reasoning for using premium? WEll it's because it's considered to be a higher compression engine and by design it needs premium or if it senses regular it retards timing and cuts on your performance.
And It's the Infinity that tries to emulate BMW and Mercedes not Nissan. Done through such methods of adding many features and higher quality materials than in Nissans.

 

Both VQ's (SE-R / 5.5 gen) have the same CR. It's the 1st gen VQ35 Altimas that had 10.0 vs 10.3. Even then, premium should be considered and used.

Infiniti > infinity

 

what does pinging sound like? do you usually hear it with windows open or closed?

 

Funny my car is doing the same thing( 04 SE) up a hill is horriable. Took it to the dealer and they said my Air fuel was running real lean 130 and should be at 95. They tried the idle relearn and that did not work. Took it back three times and still no fix. I'm gonna swap out the MAF and see if that fixes it. But you just changed your plugs??? I only have 50k on the car and only use 93oct gas.

 

i'm more interested in how to tell if it si pinging? if i have my windows closed i cant hear the noise at all, but if i have windows open and driving against walls or parked car i hear it. engine pinging is from inside the valves correct? so if i have windows closed i should hear it?

 

No you wont hear it with the windows up. I can hear it every time I drive up my hill to go home, The wife heard it last night and said what the hell is that mad loud!!!. If I can't fix this with my new MAF I'm trading it in for a 08 G35 lease

 

can some1 please clarify this for me please. can engine pinging be heard with the windows rolled up or if they are rolled up it cant be heeard?

 

My 2002 only pings when the AC is on. Every blue moon it might ping a bit when its not but it mostly does it when the ACs on. I havent changed the plugs yet but Ive used Premium (Shell V-Power) since I got it several years ago.

 

I hear it ONLY when the windows are up..

 

hum I wonder if my max pings I can never tell going up hill my exhaust is loud a hell so it drowns out all engine noise? its nice and quiet at idle no knock or ping then just nice smooth hum

 

I can only really hear it with the windows down windows up its really hard to hear.. I'm not sure if I can, But I did try.

 

i use premium fuel and i swapped the spark plugs with NGK Iridiums, but i still have the noise =(...any ideas?

 

I am also getting a ping, from seconds after the car starts. Way frustrating, it is getting worse gradually. I always... use 91 oct prem. I replaced the plugs to NGK iridiums 4, did a coolant flush, a oil change(last week)... made it happen more.. (helped not ping so much under high temp highway runs) but it is driving me crazy... It seems to be coming from close to where the oil cap is located. (timing chain rattle? ) i dont think so..... but..... suggestions?

 

I had the same problem and have been running Platinum 4 plugs, high octane fuel and octane boost and still did it. I changed my Coil Packs to the new grey dot version for $509 shipped from Dave B. and it resolved that problem. Now I use nothing but the lowest octane and it does great.

 

I confirmed this today from a very experienced mechanic source from a Nissan dealership. The common engine ping heard between 1700-2000rpm under load will be imminent with the earlier 4th and 5th Gen. Maximas and 2002-2004 Altima 3.5 with the Multi-port fuel injection system(MPFI). This older style fuel injection causes some of the pinging under load because the injectors are fired in batches, instead of individually.That means that some extra gas is spurted onto some valves when they are closed, resulting in gas wastage, and when those flooded valves open on the next intake cycle, they let in that unwanted extra gas and there's pre-detonation in those cylinders. In the newer 6th Gen Maximas and 2005-up Altimas 3.5, they have the newer Sequential Fuel Injection(SFI) system, where each injector has it's own individual control circuit and each only injects the gas into the cylinder when the valves open, resulting in a balanced air/fuel ratio and zero pre-detonation. So the ping cure for the earlier Maximas and Altimas is to covert your MPFI systems to SFI.

 

Do what I do turn up the tunes and all the sounds go away. Quick fix to something that I have figured out just will not go away....

 

GTNumber1,

Your experienced mechanic is wrong. Look at the service manual for our cars, they are SFI, not multiport...

 

I have tried colder plugs, seemed to help for a little while but it is back and seems worse now. I have to replace the rear VC due to a leak so I'm going back to standard plugs at that time. Also, just ordered a fuel filter and will try that as someone suggested it helped them.

This is very annoying and ONLY happens during with light throttle. A good excuse for spirited driving I guess.

 

Try lowering your antifreeze percentage in the coolant mix to around 25%Antifreeze/75% water. Most people have their mix over 50%. More antifreeze in the coolant results in higher cylinder head temps, which causes detonation. Antifreeze(glycol) is a poor heat transfer agent. More water results in better heat transfer and lower temps, therefore, pinging will be reduced. Each percent of antifreeze equals 1 degree rise in cylinder head temp. In addition, add Redline Waterwetter to help reduce the surface tension of the coolant,further helping with ping reduction, hence,the ECU will keep the timing advanced for more power and better gas mileage

 

My 2000 Max used to get intermittent pinging, even on Sunoco 94.
I changed one of the o2 sensors, it would still ping sometimes, then changed the MAF and I haven't heard it ping since.

 

To all my fellow maxima owners the pinging sound everybody here complaint about is caused by Rear Monifold Heat Shield.my knowledge about this particular issue is based on my personal xperience linked to all my past owned maximas 86 94 98 my present 2003se.appears that this is a common problem in maximas bcause my 86 94 nd 2003se developed this pinging sound gradually until becomes really embarrasing but every single time i change the heat shield the problem dissapered.local muffler shop charge $400-500 for this kind of labor.

 

My 1995 max had this light ping at 30-35 MPH when going up a slight incline, even with 93 octane.

When i first got my 2000 I30 it had it too, only worse. After replacing the original MAF, installing a Berk intake, and replacing the original coils at around 20K miles, the ping went away. Have never heard it since, but not sure exactly what cured it since I change all those things at the same time! Sure glad its gone thought!!

 

was it like a loud humming noise? thats what i get going up an incline or accelerating. At idle i can hear the pings.....

 

INteresting observations, and remedies....

But i'll be damned if I'm going to spend the $$$ on replacing the coils AND/OR the MAF just to get rid of an annoying ping!!!

That's $1000 worth of Ping!

Maybe I'll check that heat shield one day, and perhaps change the fuel filter -- but no way I'm spending that kind of dough for a minor annoyance.

It IS normal...maybe not good for the overall health of the engine -- but certainly normal for our cars to exhibit this symptom.

At this point...I'm driving it till it drops!

gr