This a pretty common problem with all 2.5 and 3.0 ford V6's. It happens to the Ranger, Mazda, Taurus, and Contour. What happens is the EGR sensor (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) circulates dirty exhaust back into the manifold to lower emissions and it causes nasty carbon buildup in there. This causes bad airflow and higher temperatures which results in preignition.

You need to pull your upper&lower intake manifolds and clean all of the carbon buildup out of them. Clean the gunk out of the EGR sensor & IAC sensor. After that an oil to air separater in the line that brings exhaust gas back into the intake through the EGR should keep the problem from happening as much. You just have to remember to empty it every service!

I'm not saying this is THE problem, but it usually helps alot to do this.

I hope this helps.

 

Finally emptied a tank and got a chance to fill up with midgrade. No pinging whatsoever. It was very cool out so I guess tomorrow I can tell for sure. Maybe I'll be surprised with better gas mileage and then I can just live with feeding it midgrade gas.

 

Since I added the new MAF and O2 sensors a new set of plugs factory spec for my 99 3.0 mazda aka ford engine the pinging has gone away while using the 87 octane although it probably will not be a permant fix it cost me more than I wanted to spend the new MAF alone was $280

 

Thanks for all the info about pinging. My 2k 3.0 has pinged since it was a month old. I just figured it was a cheap truck. At about 42000 miles i got a check engine light. Autozone said it was a lean condition in both banks. I live in Denver, and it comes on about the same place on the freeway when I head up the mountain. I reset the light by disconnecting the neg terminal for 15 sec. This doesn't lose the clock or radio settings. I normally get pinging in cool to cold weather and light throttle just after start=up. I also get it under high throttle. I hate to have to run premium in a truck. My old air cooled Porsche doesn't even need high test. I will try the MAF. Thanks for the help.

 

i just bought a 2000 ranger extra cab. its got 27000 miles on it and i'm starting to hear the pinging in the higher rpm range when i accelerate to pass on the hwy. team ford (our local dealership) told me to use higher octane gas. tries 87,89,92 and even 100 octane racing fuel ,pinging remains!!!! ford then told me i was driving the truck to hard. i was insulted!!! i live in las vegas and for the most part its pretty flat here not many steep grades or anything.my truck does have a shell on it so it is pulling a small load all the time. I've noticed that in most cases its probably a maf sensor or something related.my concern is this, if i replace it with a ford sensor am i going to have this problem in another 30000 miles. is there an aftermarket one thats better i would rather give my business to someone other than ford at this point!!! any help would be awesome thanks

 

I have a granitelli MAF I bought from Performance Products. It still pings, but it does have more grunt. I haven't tried cleaning it. I may clean it tonight. I'll let you know

 

I cleaned the MAF with contact cleaner. After two tanks of gas I must say that it is running better. The pinging is gone. I still get the check engine light above 8000 feet.

 

I am bummed about all this pinging discussion. When I got my truck it was pinging so I put 93 octane in it, since this is what I use in all my other vehicles for performance reasons, and the pinging went way down. Then i read the owners manual and discovered that it says to use 87 octane, in fact it says that using higher octane fuel may dirty the engine??? So obeying the Ford people, i put 87 back in, and PING PING PING. So now I am considering cleaning the MAF and the Throttle body after reading all of the post that claim that MAY help the pinging to a degree. I have never cleaned a MAF or Throttle body before. I read the post that explain how to do it, but I am still worried i might f*** something up by messing with it. I bought a Haynes last night and the only info I could find on the throttle body was how to remove the whole thing to clean it. If anyone has a link to a walkthrough on this procedure I would appreciate it. The link to cleaning the MAF was excellent and I am confident on that, but I am worried about this throttle body thing. Anyway, I am excited about learning more and I have removed three old hobbies in my life in order to make room for TOOLS, PARTS, and MANUAL Purchases. If I give it my all and it still pings with 87, then I will go to 93, I just wonder about the manual saying not to.

 

The worst case of pinging I ever had was a 1984 Ranger with the 2.3 4-cyl. engine. Turned out to be the EGR valve. According to Click and Clack on NPR, if the EGR has a weak spring, it doesn't do its job correctly. Wish I had known that when I owned the truck!

Same with the '77 Mercury Marquis I owned that only did it occasionally

Bob

 

Honestly guys, this bums me out too. I have an 01' Ranger 3.0 EDGE and yes, I had the pinging problem too. I had a 91 Ranger 3.0 before that and it too pinged. What the owner's manual says isn't always true. I use 93 octane and don't have any problems with MAF, or O2 sensor, or anything of the sort. My check engine light hasn't come on at all in 50k miles. I get MUCH improved power range and gas mileage, and the truck has MUCH better throttle response. My throttle body has NEVER been cleaned, and I took it apart when I installed my K&N and it was VERY clean - 25k miles ago! And although 93 is expensive, there are several chains of gas stations that offer 93 at midgrade prices on every Friday! I always do that, and I guarantee I've not spent as much as any of you guys who went and bought new MAF's in probably over 150 tanks of gas since I started using 93.

I would suggest that you look more at the vehicle than you do the owner's manual. It's a good guide, but I can tell you from experience, they are NOT the bibles for your vehicles. My fiancee's car's camshaft sensor was damaged when the dealer filled the crankcase up too full because of the owner's manual's specs. It said the engine was a 4.5qt engine, when it was actually only a 3.5qt. She drove around with a quart too much oil, and that led to some other problems (this was before we met!). So consequently, I check things for myself rather than listening soley to specifications in an owner's manual.

These are merely suggestions, but please don't start criticizing Ford's 3.0 based on one experience that is easily fixed by something as simple as octane. They are WONDERFUL engines!!!

Sam78