Jump to content

How common is pinging with these trucks?

geoff

Recommended Posts

geoff New Member

geoff

Posted
Posted

I have a '06 Silverado with the all-aluminum 5.3L engine, 8k miles, no mods. With 87 octane it pings like crazy. 89 and up and all is fine. Is this normal for this engine? Driver manual says 87 is fine. This is unacceptable to me.

 

Thanks for any input.

svensk Senior Enthusiast

svensk

Posted
Posted

the compression is 9:1 in the 5.3. This is controversial but I think you get a slight benefit from higher octane. Another thing, is it really hot where you live?

MS3DALE Senior Enthusiast

MS3DALE

Posted
Posted

The only truck engine that calls for premium is the "LQ9" H.O. 6-Liter. But maybe try bumping up to mid-grade octane (Say 89-91) and see if that helps any.

Dans Denali Enthusiast

Dans Denali

Posted
Posted

I have had 2 5.3s and 2 6.0s and have never used anything but 87, I have never heard any of them ping.

 

Dan

Schmids5.3l Senior Enthusiast

Schmids5.3l

Posted
Posted
This should be the dealer's problem, not yours.  Have them fix it.

 

 

 

 

I fear takeing my truck to the dealer! :rolleyes: But if its pinging that bad Id ride the warranty.

 

I run 89 all the time, especially since gas is cheap. No pings, but it never had a problem with 87.

C & A s Dad Senior Enthusiast

C & A s Dad

Posted
Posted

Geoff, I will add a couple of things. First of all, if it is in warranty, I would take it back to the Dealership. If you are burning "no name" fuel, I would strongly suggest that you use one of the Top Tier Fuels. I personally run only Chevron because of their Techron Additive. Texaco now also has Techron now. There is a difference in fuels.

 

Likely, your problem is carbon build up in your combustion chamber. If you do not take it back to the dealer, I would suggest adding Techron additive to your next couple of tanks. Be sure to get the Techron concentrate not the Fuel Inj cleaner. It will cost you about $9.00 a bottle. This is a wonderful product and is one of only a few products that will truly clean the combustion chamber. This will more than likely cure your woes. If it does not, you will need to have a prof tech decarbon your upper engine. There are several brands of machines and chemicals to do this. Ours is supplied by Motorvac and I feel it is the best but BG s is also a great product.

 

You should not have to run 89, 91 or 93 to keep your engine from pinging. I run 93 because I tow with my Yukon XL and I believe it does help my power when towing. I am also averaging almost 1 MPG better fuel mileage running 93 octane. As someone stated earlier, there is a lot of opinions on this and I am not wanting to open this up.

nitro882 Enthusiast

nitro882

Posted
Posted

I dont think its normal. I have the same motor in my 06 and it runs great on 87 octane. Its all that has ever been put in since i got it, i have 15k on it now. I tow a boat pretty regularly and even then no pinging with 87 octane.

 

i would take it to the dealer and have it looked at.

ken1mod Senior Enthusiast

ken1mod

Posted
Posted

Gentlemen,

 

aren't these engines equipped with knock sensors? the computer should retard timing at the first hint of knock.

 

Even high compression premium fuel engines can run regular silently but with lower performance. I think you have a knock sensoor/computer problem.

 

Ken

C & A s Dad Senior Enthusiast

C & A s Dad

Posted
Posted

Ken, it is my understanding that the knock sensors can only retard the timing so far. If it were a sensor problem I am pretty sure it would ping on all grades of fuel.

 

I am in the Auto Parts business and we see this quite often. It is very likely carbon build up in the combustion chamber. The more carbon that builds the more the compression rises. The more the compression rises, the higher the octane needed. The carbon also acts like a glow plug in an Diesel. It will become cherry red with heat and acutally ignite the fuel before it is ready. This is the detonation or pre-ignition that he is hearing.

 

The problem is so bad that the decarbon process has become a major source of income for many repair facilities. If it is not too bad, it can be done wtih products like Techron. Some people will use Seafaom Deep Creep sprayed through the intake and although this may be a little "iffy" it is reported to work.

 

I am sure there are several conditions that can cause carbon build up, but I am convinced (just my opinion) the biggest culprit is poor quality fuel. We have the choice to save a few pennies and buy Wally World gas or we can buy a Top Tier fuel. Valvoline produced a great article in their past Driving Matters newsletter that discussed this.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Latest Articles

  • Posts

    • asilverblazer
      Slate Electric Truck

      By asilverblazer · Posted

      I like the idea.  I would pick diesel if I had a choice. I need pictures though.
    • newdude
      Help purchasing a touch screen digitizer

      By newdude · Posted

      I've installed cheap eBay new aftermarket digitizers before.  They work.  Did a bunch of Cadillac CUE (aka Cadillac's MyLink) for someone years ago.  They all worked fine after the repair.    That number 22740886, that is a component part # for GM.  You can use it to search, but its not something that's obtainable at the dealer level.     So pretty much any of these will work - 2015 Colorado Digitizer for sale | eBay
    • asilverblazer
      give me some tips to make my truck look better

      By asilverblazer · Posted

      Black bumper and the later years Z-71 style color matched grille.
    • fondupot
      Exhaust heat while towing!

      By fondupot · Posted

      You can install tailpipes that direct the exhaust sideways vs the OEM one that goes straight back. There are several on the market, do you own research. HOWEVER, you need to make sure the Venturi vents are still intact, otherwise it will throw a engine code. There is a sensor somewhere that detects back pressure on the exhaust. And if it doesn't collect the correct metrics, it will throw the truck into limp mode. 
    • Atlas
      Wow I'm in a pickle. (Broke down truck) and a story.

      By Atlas · Posted

      "Teardown" is complete. Head surfaces are clean and ready, new intake is prepped and ready. Coolant drained and water pump is removed, radiator is removed, new hoses and pump are ready.   The replacement intake is also from a '95 (with I think 260k, the odometer said). Noticeably less pitting where it covers the rear coolant passages. I'm not sure if that's a tribute to more frequent use, more frequent coolant changes/upkeep, or if the intake was machined at some point. But it appears I found a good one.   My coolant hoses were original, and the lower hose still retained the factory spring inside. It's not really rusty, but it's got deposits all over it. Unsure if I should re-install it (will thoroughly clean it first). Someone said hose technology has gotten better since 1995 (has it?) and I don't need the spring. I think modern EPDM is what made those hoses last from 1995-2026, so it's a question of how much suction can the water pump really pull, and will it collapse the hose without a spring?   I'm stopped and waiting for parts, however.   When I first brought the truck home, the fan was intermittently hitting the radiator shroud. I could see someone had monkeyed with the shroud (put a bunch of cardboard as a spacer between the upper/lower shroud halves. Someone said the motor mounts have likely failed and the engine has sagged. I wasn't sure I believed that. The engine is really solid in its mounts: To remove the old intake I *just* nearly permanently welded to the heads with freshly cured RTV and gasket snot two weeks ago, I literally had to use the arms on my lift and a chain with a bolt attached to the intake to pull it loose. It almost picked the front of the truck off the ground before ....scuuuuuuuuuuup.... I could actually hear the gaskets tearing and it broke loose and the whole truck settled back down. Motor barely moved.   SO, those parts I'm waiting on... The lower radiator mounts/bushings had completely failed. The radiator needs to be insulated from the rad support, and the bushings help the rad stand at the correct height. The plastic "baffle" was also destroyed at some point. Someone had attached the shroud to it incorrectly, overlapping a joint that should have been underlapped, creating another suspect issue potentially causing things to hit the fan. Broken tabs, side is busted off, and it's perma-formed/bent where it was jimmied incorrectly.   The baffle? Unobtainum. Long since discontinued from GM, of course. Aftermarket/capa/chinese? Also unobtanium. In GM's infinite wisdom, it appears there are at least two different variations whether the Blazer is 2 or 4 door, and I can't yet tell if they shared the same part with the S-pickups. Plan B, if I can't find a viable used one, will be to create a bracket to re-assemble the critical joint I need to seal a gap with the shroud. But that will bug me, it won't be...perfect.   The water pump bolts appear to have been installed with...plumber's putty. I guess, sure, if it works...? I've found a few "backyard fixes" like that. Someone's been here before....   If I can't find someone to jam bamboo under my fingernails to fill my free time this week I think I'll install the driver's power window motor and replace the rear door speaker that's inop. I've got a genuine GM "9.5" ohm working replacement. Why GM used a non-standard resistance....nevermind. Of course they did, you can get more sound from a cheap factory amp that way.   And the saga goes on...

  • GM-Trucks.com Clubs

  • Popular Contributors

×
×
  • Create New...