Hello all just wanted to know if anyone has had engine ping at light load after driving off from a stop.. If i take off a bit hard--NO ping... I ve tried 87 89 91 93 Fuel.. I ONLY notice this ping when the car is HOT and temps outside are in the 100's as they are in the summer time here in AZ.. At night when the temps drop to the 80s no ping at all! Just wanted to swing that passed everyone.. Thanks and have a awesome day! BTW--The car has full power and idles perfect!

MARK

 

That sounds similar to my '03. It pings under light load in the 1600-2000 RPM range. (I've always run 93 octane in it - it pings continuously on anything less.) If you give it a little more gas, the pinging stops. The pinging is worst right on an upshift - when the transmission shifts from 2nd to 3rd.

I'm suspecting a heat related issue - carbon buildup, etc. Engine has to be warmed up. It seems worse when the A/C is OFF (yes, OFF). I guess the secondary radiator cooling fan that comes on only with the A/C is helping to keep things a little cooler and the pinging under control when the A/C is on. (Or maybe the ECM changes ignition timing and/or fuel metering with the extra load of the A/C compressor running.)

I'm planning on changing the spark plugs out with a cooler heat range (NGK PLFR6A-11), and running some top end cleaner through it to see if that helps.

 

Colder plugs is really the only thing to do. It's a quirk that's common, but only certain maximas. It happens on all rev up G35 sedans. Nissan tuned that one wrong.

You could decrease the ignition timing by 2* when it's summer, but I think that's stupid lol