Behavioral Pinging

[Snakeyes_Tx]

Thought a new thread was in order. This is where I get ping. During the heat of the day everything is fine. Now that it's getting cold outside, and adding the fact that I have the heater going, it pings only in cold weather... say, 55 or less outside. It takes forever for the beast to warm up but once it does the pinging goes away. I can't change thermostats because in the summer this motor runs a little on the hot side, so I'm stuck with both ends.. hot running in the summer and cold running in the winter... where's the comfortable median??

[64Trvlr]

Snake
It's winter put a 180-195 thermostat in it and then see how it works. You need the thermostat it was designed to run with. By letting it take forever to warm up you're letting gas run down the cyl's into the pan to mix with your oil. If you don't believe the oil is contaminated send it off for analysis it will come back with gas in it. And as gas doesn't lube very well it will cut the life of your engine. So my advice is to change the thermostat for the correct one and change the oil and filter.
:cool:

[Michael]

I agree traveler... Snake what temp thermostat are you running? I am in Fort Worth. I am getting same temps. I did notice that the po had a 180 deg thermostat in mine. I put the 195 deg stock on in and many of my problems went away. I still get some ping but mine is the opposite. It only does it when it is warm.

[Snakeyes_Tx]

Funny you should mention that.. I live down in Houston... and my 86 J-20 had a 160 and a flex fan and I *never* had ping. I put everything into that truck do, and there was no funky tricks, it was a stock manifold, original EGR, 2150 2-barrel, but 10:1 pistons, RV cam, and 3-angle grind on the heads.

For some reason this motor in my 83 seems to cycle heat in the winter WAY more efficiently than the 86's new motor did. Kinda strange because it's the same kind of pump. I've got an extra 160 here, I'll try to switch it with a 195 and see what happens even though I'm not thrilled about tearing into this tired motor.

[64Trvlr]

Snake
Are you switching the 195 for the 160 or the 160 for the 195?
:cool:

[Snakeyes_Tx]

I have a 160 that I think I can trade for the 195.

[64Trvlr]

Snake
I just gotta ask you. Why are you going the wrong way with the thermostat? The reason the engine is taking forever to warm up is the 160 thermostat, it opens too soon and never lets the engine warm up. A 195 lets the engine warm up and then opens and closes to keep it warm and all that mass of sensors and vacume lines will work as they're supposed to and your heater will work. You should also have less pinging too.
:cool:

[Snakeyes_Tx]

I know man! :D I had the 160 from the old truck that I never changed out. Tomorrow I'm gonna go switch it for the 195. I swear though, if I have to change this one out in the summer for a 160 to keep this thing running cool, I'm gonna "defecate felines" (put that in the literal slang term and you'll know what I mean) Teehee. tongue.gif

[64Trvlr]

Snake
I'm glad to hear you're going with the 195. If you have overheating problems when it warms up in the spring it's not the thermostats fault. There is something else wrong. If that happens let me know and I'll see if I can hlp you figure it out.
:cool:

[Michael]

Snake-
You should not have any overheating problems unless something else is wrong. I run the 195 here in Fort Worth..It get just as hot here as it does there. I run a steady 200 deg when it is 108 out. And sitting in traffic I do around 220. Running down the highway it stays around 180-195. Which I think is okay considering the circumstances. I do have all my cooling components new also. That may help me a little. Good luck..The 195 should do the trick.

[jeepbob]

A 160 thermostat is too cold even for the summer if you are overheating you have something else wrong *(I think I heard this somewhere before). You prolly have a bad timing chain also which is why you have crank the timing up to get any power and then you get pinging.