Discussion
My '97 Chimaera 500 pinks under very hard acceleration (using Superunleaded). The situation has improved using Shell Optimax but still there a little. Dealer says timing is spot on and admittedly I couldn't hear it with a mechanic driving.
Any suggestions on cause and cure please. Will this cause any damage to my engine given it is only experienced on fairly rare occasions ?
Any suggestions on cause and cure please. Will this cause any damage to my engine given it is only experienced on fairly rare occasions ?
My 1999 Griff 500 did this.
Was reading Fault code 48 - stepper motor or mechanical problem with engine. Wasn't the former and TVR Power diagnosed it as needing a new camshaft, which is not yet fitted. In the meantime the dealer has retarded the ignition so it is down on power, but not pinking.
New camshaft due to be fitted by TVR Power after their August shutdown.
Hope yours isn't this..... its expensive! (Fortunately for me its either warranty or at the expense of the dealer who sold me the car).
(Incidently, I took it to TVR Power as I was confident that the dealer would say it was just the timing. The dealer didn't let me down
- but after I got them to speak to TVR Power they agreed to the new camshaft)
Was reading Fault code 48 - stepper motor or mechanical problem with engine. Wasn't the former and TVR Power diagnosed it as needing a new camshaft, which is not yet fitted. In the meantime the dealer has retarded the ignition so it is down on power, but not pinking.
New camshaft due to be fitted by TVR Power after their August shutdown.
Hope yours isn't this..... its expensive! (Fortunately for me its either warranty or at the expense of the dealer who sold me the car).
(Incidently, I took it to TVR Power as I was confident that the dealer would say it was just the timing. The dealer didn't let me down
- but after I got them to speak to TVR Power they agreed to the new camshaft)Pinking can be caused by ignition timing issues, too high a compression, too hot air into the plenum, petrol pressure problems, ignition module and coil faults, coked up heads amongst other things. So don't jump to conclusions. As for 7 years warrenty if it is manufacturing defect... I don't think so. That's longer than the average life of many consumer goods.
Steve
Steve
I agree, I've just been unlucky with my cam - the pinking is more likely to be something more mundane.
You need someone knowledgeable that you trust to look at it. I was concerned about my dealer because a) I've been on the end of a number of problems with their workmanship and b) they would be paying for any repairs deemed necessary.
This second point made me (perhaps unfairly) think that of a number of potential 'cures', they be incentivised to opt for the cheaper one, even if it wasn't the right one.
Mine is a 1999 Griff 500 with 30k miles.
Good luck! I'll let you know what the cam replacement costs when I find out.
You need someone knowledgeable that you trust to look at it. I was concerned about my dealer because a) I've been on the end of a number of problems with their workmanship and b) they would be paying for any repairs deemed necessary.
This second point made me (perhaps unfairly) think that of a number of potential 'cures', they be incentivised to opt for the cheaper one, even if it wasn't the right one.
Mine is a 1999 Griff 500 with 30k miles.
Good luck! I'll let you know what the cam replacement costs when I find out.
If its rare it is better than frequent. If it is at high revs, it is a lot worse than at low revs under load. If it is just pinking and not pre-detonation then that is better.
Apart from that it is like buying a lottery ticket in reverse. Most of the time, nothing happens but you never know when it might. Depends a lot on how the car is driven.
If it pinks because you put ordinary unleaded in it as an emergency, providing you drive the car sensibly, there should be a very very low risk of anything going wrong.
If the car pinks frequently or at high revs then I would think about getting the car sorted out so that it doesn't.
Your call I'm afraid but I would start thinking about looking at what causes it and fixing it.
Steve
Apart from that it is like buying a lottery ticket in reverse. Most of the time, nothing happens but you never know when it might. Depends a lot on how the car is driven.
If it pinks because you put ordinary unleaded in it as an emergency, providing you drive the car sensibly, there should be a very very low risk of anything going wrong.
If the car pinks frequently or at high revs then I would think about getting the car sorted out so that it doesn't.
Your call I'm afraid but I would start thinking about looking at what causes it and fixing it.
Steve
Seven year warranty, no i wish. If a manufacturing defect is responsable for a fault on your car then the manufacturer or the person who sold you the car maybe responsable. The latest test case concerning a car was seven years after production. I had a new engine in my Rangie 4 years after because the block was porous and was a manufacturing defect so the warranty company (you know who) would not pay out. A mate has just got a seat in a MX5 after 4yrs because the seat was manufactured faulty.
I thought pinking and pre-detonation were the same thing? i.e. the fuel air mixture in the cylinder exploding at a time other than when precisely required?
Or is pinking that the spark is programmed at the wrong point in the cycle, whilst pre detonation is the fuel air mixture exploding without the spark whilst under compression?
Either way it makes a nasty ting ting ting noise that makes my cheque book fear for its life...
Or is pinking that the spark is programmed at the wrong point in the cycle, whilst pre detonation is the fuel air mixture exploding without the spark whilst under compression?
Either way it makes a nasty ting ting ting noise that makes my cheque book fear for its life...
Qube
I've had the fuel starvation thing too and it has entirely different characteristics to pinking.
The fuel starvation causes loss of power and the car struggles to accelerate. Almost as if it is intermittently cutting out.
With the high rev pinking the car accelerates fine, but makes a horrid ting, ting noise as you get up to high revs.
Andy
I've had the fuel starvation thing too and it has entirely different characteristics to pinking.
The fuel starvation causes loss of power and the car struggles to accelerate. Almost as if it is intermittently cutting out.
With the high rev pinking the car accelerates fine, but makes a horrid ting, ting noise as you get up to high revs.
Andy
quote:
Qube
I've had the fuel starvation thing too and it has entirely different characteristics to pinking.
The fuel starvation causes loss of power and the car struggles to accelerate. Almost as if it is intermittently cutting out.
With the high rev pinking the car accelerates fine, but makes a horrid ting, ting noise as you get up to high revs.
Andy
Hum haven't come across any ting ting noise yet, How high does your car rev to ?, Mine only goes to roughly 5600 rpm. My car has done 40000 miles with a slight camshaft tick which dissapears thru higher revs, Spoke to a chap at V8 developments and they are doing an uprated camshaft kit for £250.
Pinking versus detonation is kind of a sliding scale. Pinking is where the fuel self-ignites too early and you get a pinking noise as the piston is pushed hard before top dead centre (TDC)
It becomes detonation when it gets earlier and earlier, to the point where it actually blows the piston back without ever reaching TDC. More likely it'll blow a hole in the piston crown.
Not sure exactly where the line is drawn between the two though...
It becomes detonation when it gets earlier and earlier, to the point where it actually blows the piston back without ever reaching TDC. More likely it'll blow a hole in the piston crown.
Not sure exactly where the line is drawn between the two though...
quote:
Hum haven't come across any ting ting noise yet, How high does your car rev to ?, Mine only goes to roughly 5600 rpm. My car has done 40000 miles with a slight camshaft tick which dissapears thru higher revs, Spoke to a chap at V8 developments and they are doing an uprated camshaft kit for £250.
Make sure you use steel rocker arms as the alloy ones can crack and loose their seatings. Make sure that you get a preload shim kit and set the preload accordingly otherwise the cam will last only 10k miles.
If the camshaft is radically different, the engine will probably need to be rechipped to get the best from it and don't forget to tell the insurance company as it is an engine mod.
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