for everyones info. decided to give an outline of my 4.6 99 model failure at 29,000 miles so you can be aware of signs. At 6k i had a tapping at cold start that would go away after 1 or 2 seconds intermittently. I attributed this to oil flow to upper valve area issues that were characteristic of our trucks after reading this board. I started the truck and it blew blue smoke and missed for 5 to 10 seconds on two occasions. trips to dealership could not replicate either problem, no codes. at 15k, started pinging, steadily got worse. premium gas helped a little, but would never elimate. after 4 trips on the pinging, maf replacement, decarboning, ect. still pinging at start from a stop and up hills at around 1500 rpm. dealer decides its a knock, not a ping, states new engine ordered. 3 days later, I get in the truck, it misses from the get-go. Eventually, it shudders, barely able to accelerate. drove to dealership, shuddering and lurching, now they have it until new eng. comes in and Im driving the wonderful dodge stratus as a rental (at thier expense, of course.) moral of story: pinging may be knocking. dont dally on getting to the dealership, dont assume it will go away, dont accept crappy excuses for the ping. document, document, document. mine is a ROMEO 4.6, not a windsor, either.
Not sure about keeping this heap. kind of upsetting, as I love the way the truck rides and looks, but the reliability has been a problem for me. Good luck to all of you with pinging, and remember, a ping just might be a knock!!!