First off the truck is a 2001 5.9 1500 4x4 with 102000 miles on it. I made a trip from virginia to texas with about 5k behind it. Thats when i noticed the pinging. I cant remember if running premuim effected it or not. Thats was about a year ago. Since then i have changed the water pump, plenum kit from hughes but with a felpro gasket. Ngk plugs..stock heat, 180 stat, intake gaskets, header gaskets, cleaned intake, cleaned the sensor on the back of the TB, New cap, roto, and wires with double silicon heat protection. My truck still pings! its not light either, very moderate ping. I have seafoamed it also. Which on a dirty engine i dont see how that would work. I just got done running seafoam in the gas tank, and i also did it in the oil. The pinging does stop with premuim fuel and only premuim fuel. It will ping on regular and plus.(87-89) I get 93 octane here. Im pretty sure that my pcm has been flashed to stop the pinging at one time. But when i got the truck it didnt ping at all. Not until i made that trip with all the wieght. It also only pings when im on the highway past 3rd gear. I can floor it from a stop and it will not ping. It only at highway speeds. Please someone help!

 

Sorry mgt46fast, I have a 98 Q-cab with a 360 and all I can use is the high octane. I've had the truck since new. Been told by several thats the way she goes. I'm paying 1.24 per litre for the good stuff. That would be about $4.80 for a U.S. gallon and approx. $5.63 for an imperial Canadian gallon.

This summer they say the average will be $1.40 per litre or more

cheers kayakman

 

sounds to me like its a timing problem bcause belaive it or not flooring it from a dead stop and going threw the gears the pcm actuallt retards the timing.silver dodge knows hes really good;ya i bet its the timin

 

id go with timing as well. best way to tell is hook a vaccum gauge up to the intake manifold, and tell if its holdin a low steady pressure. normal should be 14-17 inches mercury i believe.

 

timing? i thought after certain years the timing was set by the computer and you couldnt set the timing. Mine is a 2001

 

I gotta see the answer to this .. and i hope the answer he gives was backed up by using a scan tool... Last time i had the scan tool hooked up running at 2350 rpm was pulling 17-19 advance timing.. but i like the idea of it retarding it self going thru the gears....LOL !!!!

Could be the gas , o2 sensors can cause it to run lean give the pinging , try running a cooler plug , 180 degree tstat...

 

Mine does this too but I've yet to to the kegger mod or change the tstat. Also have to run preimium fuel and sometimes it pings with that. I bought a programmer and I'm hoping to be ableto retard the timing a little.

Cooler plugs should help.I hate running93 octane but it should offer you better gas milage than 87. And with the prices the way they are,20 cents more is a smaller fraction of the overall cost than when gas was $2 cheaper.

 

Did all that [sm=deadhorse.gif]. she just loves the high test stuff [sm=gears.gif]

 

Unfortunately it sounds like the cylinder heads need to be removed, cleaned and inspected because of the high probablity that you have a crack that is acting like a 'hot spot' and causing pre-ignition...probably in the back cylinders number 7 and 8.

But before going to all that work
do the TSB on the ignition wire placement
to prevent cross-fire:

http://dodgeram.info/tsb/1998/18-48-98/18-48-98-v8.htm

and if it were my truck
i would do a Chrysler Combustion Chamber Conditioner
treatment as the can from the dealer only costs $7.
I like to put one about one sixth of the can through the IAC
one sixth through the throttle body
one third through the driver side brake booster vacuum hose
and one third through the passenger side vacuum test port nipple

more info here:

http://web.archive.org/web/200205111...102000_06.html

if you do a search on my name
there is a unusual experiment I tried
with water injection from the air conditioner drain into the engine
with a second PCV valve
that did completely clear up all the pinging
by cleaning away carbon deposits
but this experiment involves some danger to your engine

 

Wow hank! That sounds like my problem exactly! (TSB wire placement)!

I'll have to look into this! I'm fouling plugs all the time and I get the converter lock/unlock shake. Over and over again when the plugs foul.

Not a really bad plenum leak either. But it does leak some.