So I am getting some pretty steddy pinging from the motor at low seeds in 3rd gear climbing a hill or at high speed in OD starting to climb a hill. I'm using the 87tune, plugs are a year old, wires new but standard sizeMM. Pulled the plugs to take a peak, they all look like this. #8 on left and #1 one right.


any ideas?

 

Have you checked the plenum?

 

Yess.

 

Probably spark knock due to improper spark plug wire arrangement. I used to get this when towing up hills or letting the truck lug hard in OD up a hill. http://dodgeram.info/tsb/1998/18-48-98/18-48-98-v8.htm

 

Plugs look pretty good. Maybe a tad dark. Might try running some seafoam thru the brake booster vacuum line.

 

Or try some 89 octane. Burns a little slower.

 

i use to have the same pinging, i started using 89 octane and once a month use 93 octane and i no longer have any pinging.

 

So didnt have much time the last week to post but...
Update:
Here there is only 85 87 and 91. So I ran the 91 pinging gone. I found a nice little leak on my t-stat housing... so new gasket and new upper radiator hose. also added an MSD Coil and Streetfire 8mm wires. Running the Towing tune on 91 right now with no issue...

 

Hi, just dropped into my old neighbourhood. I use to own a 1998 quad cab 360 v8. I ran the engine all the 14 years I owned it, Whether I was towing our 5th wheel or not, the ran the engine 91 octane. I had to do the re-routing of spark plug wires before there was a TSB. Original wires took out two computers, went with high performance wires and re-routed the wires from advise of a dodge mechanic solved the arcing and burning out a fuel injector and back feeding into the computer. Plenum gasket replaced and other things.
I found out too that NGK plugs for the 98 worked very well. FR5-1 - some use FR6, let me tell you I tried a lot of spark plugs-- of course Champion ---Champion truck plug were a lot better for towing. Bosch - yuck - had not luck only good for a short time and so on.

http://www.ngksparkplugs.ca/results-...0&aaia=1014529

 

Try running 91 octane gas for a while, I bet that will fix your problem. I have to run 91 octane in my 08 dodge ram and my 2000 dodge ram, because the lower grades of gas here are so bad that it causes my trucks to run like crap. The ethanol they put in the gas really lowers the quality of the gas, and really effects the gas mileage and performance of our trucks.