'01 Tacoma 3.4L, 4x4, 5-speed, extra cab, 57K miles:
I'm getting that pre-ignition pinging when I'm accelerating in 3rd through
5th gear. As the rpm's get up around 2300 the pinging stops. This only really happens when the engine is hot.I'm running Shell 87 octane. Pretty sure this is the recommended octane rating.
At the moment I'm just contemplating changing fuel brands or maybe going to
89 octane to see if this makes any difference. But I'm really not interested in masking a problem with higher octane fuel as a long term solution.Anyone else have this pinging problem? This can't be normal, right?
If the higher octane makes the problem go away my next step would be to try to clean any carbon build-up on the valves and pistons with one of those carbon cleaning systems.
I'm also looking into a possible problem with the knock sensors. The Toyota manual says to check the sensor with a continuity test between the terminal and the body but you have to pull the sensors to do this which requires you to remove the intake manifold (according to the manual). I really don't want to tear the engine down this far just to find that the sensors are fine.
Looking forward to some knowledgeable help. Thanks.