Hey guys, sorry it took so long for me to give you an update on the situation of my truck at work. For those of you that don't remember, or didn't see my last post, our truck has been pinging since it was about 2 weeks old. We had it to the dealer that we purchased the truck from about 6 times with no fix. Finally, they told us that there simply wasn't anything that they could do to fix the truck. They explained that Ford has a problem..a problem with the computers on these trucks, and that a new one was in development. Until a new comp. was introduced..nothing could be done. I never bought that line..i thought it was total BS from the beginning. Our vinyl bench seat was also tearing apart at the seams on the driver's side. That dealer told us that he could do nothing..that they cannot repair seats after a year from the date of purchase. Finally i got tired of the runaround Quality Ford in Dandridge, Tn was giving us, so i made an appointment for the truck at Morristown Ford in Morristown, Tn. We took the truck up there on a thursday afternoon, and the service advisor came out and inspected the seat..said there would be no problem getting it repaired under warranty. They also agreed to replace the molding on driver's side door sill that would never stay on. We left the truck there that day and got a call back from them friday afternoon saying they had ordered some parts for the pinging problem, door sill molding, and a new seat cover for the truck. They gave us the option of picking up the truck then, or leaving it for them to work on next week. We opted to pick it up, being as we needed it until early th next thursday. So i made another appointment for the next thursday, and they told us we could pick it up friday the day after. Here's a summary of what they did, and if the fixes were a success.

1. Engine Ping: Peform engine diagnosis with WDS data logger..test ingition system...test fuel pressure ...road test and monitor pinpoint test...replaced mass airflow sensor...replaced ingnition coil...and cleaned carbon from engine...reset octane adjust..retest and road test

2. customer states the driver's side door molding will not stay on....replace both moldings

3. seat bottom cover on driver's side at rear corner is tearing at the seams...sublet repair

Well, after this service visit, our seat is fixed and looks great. We got the new moldings installed and they are staying on. However, the damn truck continues to ping. They told me when we picked it up..that they hoped that this would solve the problem. The mechanic also told me USE 87 OCTANE AND NOTHING ELSE. I've done what they told me to do..and run about 2 tankfulls of it through since we've had it up there, and i notice no change what so ever in the ping by having those repairs done. I called them back this afternoon from work and they told me to bring the truck back again on thursday so they could look at it again. Honestly, i don't see this thing getting fixed..they guys are friendly and are trying but nothing is getting done. Our warranty is up June 26th, and i want something done about this. I'm gonna give them one more shot, and if it doesn't work i am gonna try to speak to a zone manager. This is really a bother for us having to take this thing back and forth..15 miles one way to the dealer...we've got other things we need to be doing besides this.Sorry for the long post guys..but i needed to vent.

Tim

 

Did you clean the MAF with a Windex soaked Q-tip?

 

Lemon Law!! A co worker of mine had a P.O.S. 2000 3.0L V6 Ranger that pinged on 87 octane fuel. He brought it in to the dealer 3 times for the same problem and the engine still pings. He called Ford and filled out the paperwork, he now has a brand new 2001 4.0L Ranger that doesn't ping. A slight to moderate ping on regular gas is a characteristic of the 3.0L Vulcan Engine, at least that is what the service manager told him. Ford couldn't refuse because in the owners manual it specifies the required fuel as being 87 octane. Good Luck.

 

paperman,
did you have a 4.2 or a 4.6? my 98' 4.6 has pinged since i got it in october of last year. someone on this sight recommended cleaning the dpfe sensor bc he had success ending pinging after cleaning his. i followed his advice and my pinging is finally gone, but i will not say yet that this was for certain the solution. i say this bc i live in an area in ohio where gas additives change from winter to summer. after doing extensive tests, the dealer told me that it was the fuel i was using. not buying the story, i took it upon myself to solve the problem. in the time that it took me to clean the sensor, the computer to readjust, and the old tank of gas to run out, fuels may have changed for the summer. it's easy to do, and definitely worth the effort. now that the timing is back where it ought to be, i have more power than ever. better mileage too.

good luck.

 

What is the dpfe sensor?

 

This link should provide the details you are looking for.

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1998 F-150 XLT, Ext Cab, 4.6/auto, 3.55 R, FlowMaster 40 Series w/ dual 3" chrome tips, CraneCams 8.5mm FireWire spark plug wires

 

It always helps to include the link:

pinging fix

After several tankfuls of gas from different stations, I am still "ping free", so I feel that cleaning the sensor did the trick. I think the sensor gets plugged up with exhaust residue and doesn't provide accurate data to the ECU.



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1998 F-150 XLT, Ext Cab, 4.6/auto, 3.55 R, FlowMaster 40 Series w/ dual 3" chrome tips, CraneCams 8.5mm FireWire spark plug wires

 

white elephant:
Our truck has the 4.2 V6, and it's a 4x4 automatic. We've tried different grades and brands of gas, but nothing works. The pinging isn't quite as bad on 89...a little better on 93, but 93 never fully gets rid of it. It seems like the longer the truck runs, the worse the pinging gets. I'm giving the dealer one more chance to fix it..if not i'm talking to a zone rep., this is getting so old it's not funny. They told me when i picked the truck up the last time...never to run anything but 87 octane in the truck. I told the mechanic that the truck will not run off of 87..he more or less looked at me like i was stupid. I went ahead and did like he said and i see no improvement. He also blamed it on the brand of gas we were running. I told him that our 95 one ton Chevy box truck (automatic 350 V8) runs fine off the fuel from that station. Matter of fact we run 87 in it without a problem, and we put 93 in the F-150 and still have moderate pinging. He told me that how our other truck reacted to that brand of gas had no bearing on the F-150. "They're geared different," he said. That's true the box truck is geared lower, but i don't buy that line either..one truck has a problem..the other doesn't.

Dennis,
No i didn't clean the Mass Airflow Sensor, the guys at the ford dealer went ahead and installed the new one..even that did no good.

Well guys, we drop the truck off at the dealer thursday at 1 pm. I'll update you as soon as i hear anything more.