Recently took my truck to the dealer for engining knocking noise I am having when I am pulling my boat up hill. Dealer told me the problem is a carbon build up. He offered to clean it at a cost of $99.00. He also told me this was a common problem with all 5.4 engines, but Ford does not cover this under warrenty. (Truck only has 33k) Has anybody else heard of this problem?

 

Heard of it, but not experienced it. Well, at least not the carbon part of it.

I tow a #4500 TT and have 108K miles on my rig. No pinging and I only use 87 octane gas.

Only time I've pinged is if I got gas at this one Texaco/Shell station, I would ping just a tad not towing anything...... (I don't go there any more.....) All other Texaco/Shell gas was fine. I also will go to Chevron gas as well.

What gas do you use? Hope it's not ARCO......... That stuff was fine when I was a teenager and had no money and drove a '71 LTD, but I've been running Texaco/Shell/Chevron in my truck and other fuel injected vehicles for years and have never needed to add any 'additive' to clean the engine.

 

On the flip side I use a good quality gas station in my area, it's a Shell that was a Texco. I still put fuel injector cleaner in my fuel tank at every oil change of 3,000 miles. I only have 38,000 on the motor but have never had any problems with pinging on 87 otane

 

Got to your local NAPA store and get some Sea Foam for engines. I use it regularly in my 97 F-150 to reduce pinging and reduce carbon build-up. It really works. Barely any pinging when I pull my 21' Javelin F/S boat.

 

Seafoam really is effective, I run a bottle about every oil change. Don't throw that empty can in the fire when you're done, though!