My Pilot PINGS

[chowgirl]

I have only ever used 89 or 93 octane in my Pilot. I'm sorry, but this baby pings. I accelerate from 0 to 45 in .5 mile (I know, that's slow) and I can hear a mild ping. :cry:

Every morning I pull out onto a big street that has a subdivision with a 5 foot wall dividing that from the street, and the wall amplifies the sound so I can hear it better.

Why is this happening? What to do?
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Honda Zodia (http://www.cyclechaos.com/wiki/Honda_Zodia)

[PatrickC1026]

Do you notice any difference on the performance, like acceleartion?

I've been using regular unleaded unless I go out of town, and haven't had any pinging problem.

May be it's time to visit the dealer??

[desertpilot]

I've been using only regular gas and I don't hear any pinging (even at 100 mph :twisted: - :shock: don't do this at home kids!). :D

Premium gas are only recommended when towing a heavy trailer to avoid pinging. You should see the dealer service department or your local repair shop to check that your engine is'nt out of tune.

[chowgirl]

OK, I'll check with the dealer..thanks. sigh.

what do you think could be "out of tune"?? :?
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YZ450F (http://www.cyclechaos.com/wiki/Yamaha_YZ450F)

[PatrickC1026]

OK, I'll check with the dealer..thanks. sigh.

what do you think could be "out of tune"?? :?
Like I told you on some PM's, did you use different brands of gas? Some cars are picky about some brand names while others aren't. I mostly stick with Shell since I have a credit card with 5% rebate, but I sometimes use others such as Mobile and Chevron, never use Arco though.

[chowgirl]

we only have an Amoco/BP card (on purpose)...I did try a tank of Chevron, and 93 octane at that, then 93 again at Amoco/BP. It's just a slight ping, but I can hear it. It's only on acceleration. No performance issues.
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vaporizer wiki (http://vaporizerwiki.com)

[chowgirl]

OK I still have this problem! NO ONE else has this on slightly fast (not extreme) acceleration from a red light??
grrrrrrrrrrrr

I need a Service Bulletin for this :lol:

[thomasj2]

No pinging here and I only use regular.

[desertpilot]

OK I still have this problem! NO ONE else has this on slightly fast (not extreme) acceleration from a red light??
grrrrrrrrrrrr

I need a Service Bulletin for this :lol:

No pinging here also, I'm always using regular Chevron gas.

Are you sure you're not hearing a "vvvee" sound when you accelerate quickly? That's what I usually hear from the engine when I'm in the VTEC territory (slightly fast and extreme acceleration). You could ask other people if they hear the same thing or not.

The other thing you could do is Patrick's suggestion, try other brands of gas. If it doesn't go away, if you could find a good auto shop with a lower rate than the dealers and have it checked out. Don't let an independent shop repair it, you might have a problem with the warranty. Last resort would be going to the stealers because it's still under warranty. :(

[PatrickC1026]

Although it's a possibility, I really doubt that it's VTEC engagement. Since I didn't read the manual thoroughly, I don't know when the VTEC engages, but definitely not below 4500 RPM. You really have floor the accelerator.

chowgirl: Try it if you have never tried. You'll notice how fast your Pilot can accelerate and feel the VTEC. :)

[AZPilot]

I would take it to the dealership...Maybe the ecu is advancing your ignition timing too much for some reason or a faulty knock sensor. If the motor is pinging/detonating your should throw a check engine light...except if your knock sensor is bad. I guess the possibilities are endless. I'm sure your dealer can figure it out.

[chowgirl]

I stepped on it, wow! nice acceleration!! powerful! 8)

I will get to the dealer and see what they say. :|

This sounds like your cough if you have pneumonia..real phlemy. It's only for like 5 seconds, but it's there.

[redn22]

Ummm.... Hmmm... what can I add to this... Have you tried resetting your ECU? That is usually a common cure for most ailments... The ECU program could've gotten messed up and needs a reboot... I'm not exactly sure what the procedure is to do so, but maybe Patrick or desertpilot knows, since they both got the service manuals...

It could also be that your valves needs a premature adjustment...

Good luck, chowgirl!

[PatrickC1026]

I'm willing to scan some pages of resetting ECU, but I would recommend to go see the dealer first and let them diagnose and fix it, since it should be a warranty service.

[ebanks]

I also have the pinging problem. I mostly hear this when I am going up hill from dead stop at about 2500 to 3000 rpm in second gear. After the third service technician listened for the ping he finally aknowledged and recommended a higher grade of octane. I am going to talk with the main service guy next week and I will keep you updated.

I am not buying the octane crap.

[PatrickC1026]

^^^ I agree with you. Pilot's performance is supposed to be guarantee with just regular unleaded. It's just a BS.

[da1776]

How many miles do you drive your Pilot before shutting it off? Do you do ANY highway driving?

My Pilot doesn't "ping" but it is driven on the highway daily.

My wife drives about 10 miles to and from work daily. (I don't believe the heater gets warm in the winter). Her top speed is around 40 MPH. Everything that she drives develops a ping. I usually have to take her cars on long trips to "clean them out". I usually eliminate the ping for about 4 months until I repeat the highway process.

For what it's worth Dept.

David A

[N_Jay]

I also have the pinging problem. I mostly hear this when I am going up hill from dead stop at about 2500 to 3000 rpm in second gear. After the third service technician listened for the ping he finally aknowledged and recommended a higher grade of octane. I am going to talk with the main service guy next week and I will keep you updated.

I am not buying the octane crap.

Have you checked the throttle cable.

THere is a problem with the Pilot (and MDX) where the bracket on the drivers side for the throttle cable sits a bit too close to the body.

It makes a sound that you would swear is engine ping. Most notibly heard from a stop at about 2500 to 3000 RPM.

Real ping should happen in every gear at the same throttle position and RPM.

[chowgirl]

my top speed is about 60, and only in short spurts. I only drive around 12 miles round trip/stop and go/errand type driving. I mostly drive around 30-45, though. I never get on the interstate (no need). I still haven't gone to the dealer (I hate that) and thought I would get this checked when they do the recall.

It's only when I take off from a red light and only get up to like 45mph.

Wish I knew which cable would be the throttle cable. I only have just under 6K miles on it.

[N_Jay]

If you do a search on this or the other Pilot board, or even on an MDX board you should find a few good pictures to help.

[ebanks]

:evil:

Two visits previously when I had the transmission recall implemented they adjusted the throttle cable according to the posting on Honda's Inet website. The pinging is still the same, no different. I drive my pilot every other week, 40 miles each day. This is all interstate driving. I only purchase Shell or BP gas. I am currently awaiting a callback from my local Honda Dealer who is supposed to be calling the tech guys at Honda. I have seen other postings across the internet about a faulty knock sensors, timing adjustments, etc but am not sure what the problem may be. I only have 10,000 miles on the vehicle and it pings like the salvation army santa clause. All of this and now today I hear about the CRV's spontaneously combusting after their first oil changes. Doesn't sound good.

[Anonymous]

Honda Owner's manual says to use regular grade octane, which I believe is 87, no? If you use anything more, that's just throwing away your money. The engines in cars are designed to work on different octane levels, which is the rate at which the fuel burns. If you use a higher octane, some fuel will the left over in the cylinder after the cycle is completed, resulting in the pinging(I think). This is when you must take your car to the dealership to have the excess removed(right?).In addition, by using a higher octane, you spend more money and also get a decrease in performance(fuel economy and performance). Listen to what Honda says, USE REGULAR GRADE FUEL