2003 Outback engine pinging

A slight pinging on light acceleration is normal and my Forester has done it for the last 106,000 miles. If it quits then something is wrong. All that's happening is the ECM is adjusting the timing for maximum engine efficiency. We are talking about a slight light pinging correct??

HI Ed--

Yeh, it's a pinging, not engine knock. The Subaru dealer's mechanic said to try better gas. So I tried Exxon 88 octane. Manual calls for 87 octane. Still pings. I even tried a tank of hi octane and it still pings. Gets around OK.

-Doug

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If your concerned why not run a bottle of TECHRON FUEL SYSTEM CLEANER in the gas. Be sure and get the system cleaner concentrate and NOT the weaker injector cleaner.

Thanks, I'll give it a try. I had already tried some "octane booster" to see if it reduced the pinging. No luck.

Thx, Grumps.

The local dealer in Oregon took a ride with me a couple of times over a week - late last Spring. As I had anticipated, the ping was reduced or gone in the cool, moist air of the morning, but obviously back in the warm afternoon. He pretty much came out and admitted that Subaru doesn't have much to say about the issue. Ambient outdoor temperature and seasonal gas reformulation plays a major role, as far as he knew.

I tried premium gas...with good success. Now that I've switched back to unleaded for economy reasons, the ping is back with a vengeance. I also tried the Chevron Techron additive. It seemed to work, but it's a $5 to $7 expense every 1500 to 3000 miles.

Short answer long... Subaru knows about the issue, but they don't seem to have a cookie-cutter solution. In general, they point the finger at the fuel system electronics and shrug their shoulders saying "We can't do anything about it. There is nothing we can adjust."

Thanks for the input. I have a dose of Techron working right now and will see what happens. Premium gas had no effect.

I'll cross my fingers......

Grumps