Hi I noticed on some of these posts people complaining about the ever-present 3.0 ping. From personal experience and tips I've gleaned from other boards, here's a 2-step program to help out a lot!

1. Replace your stock thermostat (197*) with a 180* stat for about $5.

2. On '98-02 trucks you have coolant lines running in and out of the intake. Get rid of them! Run them together to bypass the intake all together.

This yields about a 90% imporvement.

 

Hello,

Interesting suggestions. Why do you think they will help pinging in the 3.0? Is it about making the engine run at a different temperature?

 

I'm with Rock on this. I think you have a very unusual suggestion. The ping is generally a combustion issue. What about the water temp would contribute to the ping? Have you done this yourself or is this hear say? I cleaned my MAF yesterday and made significant improvement.

 

I'm always looking for opinions, suggestions, theories, hypotheses, hopes, prayers, etc. regarding pinging. I've actually seen a few different sources advocating the thermostat swap as one of the ways to attack the problem:

http://www.dakota-truck.net/UPGRADES/TSTAT/

Hypertech makes a cooler running thermostat and says this on their webpage:

From the laws of Physics, we know that cooler air is denser than warmer air, and since horsepower increases as the amount of air and fuel burned increases, cooler air makes more power. Replacing the factory thermostat with the Hypertech low-temp PowerStat will allow the engine to run cooler, making more power and reducing the engine's tendency to detonate. Detonation, usually producing audible pinging or even knocking sounds, refers to the spontaneous explosion of the unburned air/fuel mixture in the combustion chamber. Detonation violently ends the normal combustion process, reduces power, and can severely damage the engine.

But even from all that I haven't been able to figure out exactly WHY a cooler running engine reduces pinging. And I also have read that a cooler running engine has its own potential drawbacks which might even defeat the whole purpose (for example, more carbon buildup). That is why I am interested in hearing more on the subject, to see if long term it's a good thing or not.

 

Hey rock. I agree with everything in the article you posted except one thing. The engine temp and air temp should not have a meaningful correlation. Since the air is directly forced into the engine it should not have time for a 10-15 degree engine temp to have any heating affect. It sounds like sales spinning facts to me. I may be wrong and I hope I am. But I wouldn't want someone else reading this to think that it was that easy to get rid of. I too value any suggestion and idea. I am glad to have the ability to debate such things. I am truely curious as to whether or not anyone else has actually had success in this.

 

That's where it gets a little sketchy for me, too. Here is the pertinent quote from the article:

So, how will a cooler thermostat give you more power? By allowing the coolant to flow at a cooler temperature than the stock thermostat, a replacement thermostat will keep the engine temperature cooler than stock. As we all know, cooler air is more dense and will make more power. Also, by keeping the pistons, heads, cylinder walls, etc. cooler, you will reduce or eliminate "hot spots", which could prematurely ignite the fuel and cause detonation and pinging.

It seems that a direct correlation is being made b/t air temperature going in the engine and the thermostat opening up a little sooner than usual to cool the engine a few degrees. I don't see much of connection nor do I think it can be that simple, either. But I could be wrong.

As for the other point about cooler engines reducing or eliminating hot spots, again, I need some further elaboration on that b/c I can't see it as being that easy. Whatever is causing the hot spots (built up carbon maybe?) isn't going to just go away b/c the engine is running 10-15 degrees cooler, is it? If anything, I would think the risk would be for the opposite to occur....more carbon buildup with a cooler running engine, hence more hot spots, hence more chance for pinging to occur.

Can anyone else out there shed any more light on the issue?

 

Well I have done both of these personally to my'98 and they helped significantly. The lower temp stat helps keep the block cooler which I believe helps prevent hot spots in the head and prevent pinging. As for bypassing the intake water lines, you don't need them, so why not get rid of them? pre-'98's don't have them, and the composite intakes on the new 3.0's don't use them! I believe this gives you cooler incoming air which helps with the pings as well.

I have ran my truck like this for a year now with no negative side effects, but unfortunately don't know all the science behind it.

I've seen the hypertech stats advertised and they looked interesting but I just used a cheap old Stant and had good results.

 

I ran the two water lines together on my 99 3.0 FFV and it cleared up about 80% of the ping. Why would you heat the air going into your intake? Makes no sense. Anyway, It worked for me so I aint complaining.

As for the thermostat. I am not a big fan of this mod since it is too close to the temperature required to get out of cold loop. Some trucks may stick in cold loop and really run crappy.

The hot water bypass is great though, I highly recommend.

 

I do know that you definitely don't want to use a thermostat lower than 180 or you will be stuck in cold loop, but 180 is moderate. I know I didn't want my coolant at 197! That is way too hot for my blood.

 

Has anybody else tried this "hot water bypass" of the intake? Also...when you bypass the intake by removing the "in" hose and "out" house, wouldnt the "in" and "out" ports on the intake be open and exposed?

 

I plugged em with some caps.

 

Have an 01 Ranger 3.0 FFV with nearly 200k miles. Have suffered through the pings but not done any mods other than new plugs that seemed to help slightly. Last week fueled up with E85 for the first time ever (now available) on the Reagan turnpike. No more pings at all. Runs better as well, but did see a slight drop in mpg.

Thought that was interesting.

 

Dont have any ping on my 3L engine, at 300,000+ kms guess I'm lucky!
Re 180* thermostat.... the engine & EEC are set to run at 195* for this engine I believe. That means all engine clearances, fuel control & cooling parameters, lubrication, etc, are optimised for this temp. Running the engine cooler is not helping these running parameters to work efficiently. Your going to use more fuel & create more wear & carbon build up in the engine. The REAL cause is probably (could be other factors also) carbon build up & the proper cure in that case is to run decarbonising fluid in the engine or decarbon the pistons & heads mechanically. Running the engine cooler is a band aid solution & as has been mentioned will probably lead to faster build up of carbon & the problem will re-emerge at a later date!
Just my two cents,
Aeroman.