d16y7 Pinging under load

[Chris]

Hey there,

I need some help with an issue I have been trying to solve for quiet some time now after a head gasket replacement a few years back.

98 honda civic lx- D16Y7 w/t AT 267000 miles. HG replacement @ 190000

The civic would ping under load whether it be going up slight inclines or pushing the throttle ever so slightly to pass someone on the free way. I’ve been searching for vacuum leaks with no avail( used up plenty of cans of carb cleaner). I checked both my mechanical timing and ignition timing(with the service wire jumped as well) countless times and they both checked out perfect. I also adjusted the valves a few times as well. The parts i replace were just maintenance parts (plugs, wires, cap and rotor) the major being a resurfaced head, head gasket, and exhaust/ intake manifold gaskets. I dont want to just throw parts at it until i have a solid diagnosis of whats actually going on. Depending on how i accelerate it would ping after reaching 2500 rpms and stop around 4000 rpms.

It passed smog, it runs great, gets great gas mileage, no check engines lights. It just wont stop pinging no matter what I do haha. Anyways if there is any tips or advice you fellas can give me, that would be great

Chris

Topic

[college man]

If all the timing marks line up.Then your not off.
You may be able to get a thinner head gasket.But no
guarantee on the outcome. you either need the 91 octane
or try an octane additive with the 89 octane.see if that
helps.

[Chris]

so an update, on the way home from work it started pinging again. is my compression really that high? Im at a loss right now fellas. is there something im missing lol. goodness gracious.

thanks for all of ur guys’ tips. if there is something else im missing let me know please
i have no idea where to check. thanks fellas
chris

[Chris]

this is why i think its a vac leak somewhere or my distributor is advancing the timeing too early as i accelerate. Every now and again when i restart my car at operating temp, it would idle high as if it where cold (1800 rpm) for a good couple minutes. Then it would pop once and idle back to normal. i know this engine has controlled vacuum leaks via the evap solinoid and iacv. It doesnt happen too often as a matter of fact i can count how many times it did it on my hand but its just random and only happened after the hg . It doesnt ping at WOT even with 87 octane. if the cause was due to higher comprssion i think it would ping all through out the power band and my motor would have blown along time ago.

This is something i need to retrieve live data for but i dont have the capable scanner to do so. if this issue helps put a clue in whats going on i really appreciate it

Thanks guys for all the help and tips. To be honest, I would have never learned as much as i did if this problem never existed so in a sense im thankful. have u guys had any similar experieces with issue that you just cant seem to solve?

Chris

[Chris]

I fogot to mention that the sound it makes is the sound of rice randomly dropping on foil. It also doesnt ping when cold.

Could weak spark cause the same issue not igniting the fuel completeley allowing the uningnited mixter to detonate randomly?

forgive me for sounding desperate

[IAD_TDI]

When you are looking for vacuum leaks. Also look for stuck parts in the throttle body. Had this happen in a F150. Just had to clean the throttle body and it ran much better. If I remember right there are couple of ports that opens/close up on AC on/off and a vacuum line.

[Kevin Criswell]

The only way to find out if your compression is the issue is to run a compression test.

[Chris]

again guys thanks for the responses.

The compression test is still on hold ( life, school and work happens, my wife is more important than a whole day with my car 😛 and i love that she is very forgiving), but will come eventually.

One thing i recall honda heads having are three to four little tabs that will let you know how much can be removed from the head without thowing off compression and timing enough to cause any issues. hopefully eric can correct my if im wrong. if my memory serves me those tabs on the head i received where untouched. lf there is anything other than higher compression that would cause my pinging issue please let me know

thank you

Chris

[Bluesnut]

How are the NOX emissions? Just wondering if there’s an EGR system fault as that can cause pinging and it’s possible to have an EGR problem with no codes being set.
Clogged EGR passages are not uncommon with high miles, rich running, oil consumption, etc.

Are you dead certain this is pinging and not a rattle related to the valve train, piston slap, etc?

[Chris]

There is no egr system on this engine. The only engine of that year that has an EGR system is the vx or the d16y5.

Im certain its pinging or detonation. When it does occur at partial throttle under load it sounds like rice randomly falling on foil. Its erratic, random, popping like. Valve train noise is systematic tapping that signifies a need for a valve adjustment. I had this car long enough to know the difference for I dealt with both noises. The first time it pinged way before the head gasket it was due to the valves being way out of adjustment and the ignition timing being a little too advanced. A new timing belt, ignition timing, and valve adjustment solved that issue. After that job it was a brand new motor. I wish i can say that about the head gasket job. I tried several valve adjustments, another timing belt, ignition timing adjustments with no avail 🙁 . I learned alot through the process however :cheer:

Thanks for the reply, im trying so hard to think back on what i did.

Chris

[Drew]

I have a d16y7 that was from a junkyard and was a tooth off when i got it from where the previous owner decked the head so much it threw the timing mark a hair off, it ran really rich……burned your eyes and nose, and you couldnt get it to rev past 3500 rpms at idle and 4000 under load.

[mckrishes]

I recently bought a 1998 Honda Civic LX and I had the exact same issue as you did. Pinging under load and erratic idling. I was reviewing the maintenance record and I noticed that the timing belt service was done along with spark plugs, rotor, dist. cap and timing adjusted and set. The service was done at a Honda dealership. I decided to check the timing once again because of a previous experience I had with the dealer. The Honda dealer told me that the ignition timing does not need to be set or adjusted because it is computer controlled. Watching Eric’s ignition timing video and reading the manual state’s otherwise. So I checked the timing and it was off by several degrees. I followed the exact same procedure shown in the video. I took the computer out of the loop and set the timing manually. Afterwards everything was perfect. With these vehicles you have to take the computer out of the loop to set the timing, otherwise it won’t work out right.

[video width=425 height=344 type=youtube]sGzxCCaxDjI[/video]

[Author]

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