So...my '07 seems to be pinging more and more. It really likes to do it when it's gets lugged down a bit in 5th, say 40ish MPH. You can feel it run a bit rough while it's pinging. Keep the RPMs up and it doesn't seem to happen.

The old girl has 140,000ish miles on it and other then the timing chain the engine is stock, even with it's original plugs (yeah, they should probably be replaced).

Has anyone run into this and are there any usual culprits to start with (carbon, knock sensor etc)?

Thanks,

K

Since you're already 35,000 miles overdue for spark plugs, why not replace them and see what happens? You might fix your problem.

smj999smj wrote:Since you're already 35,000 miles overdue for spark plugs, why not replace them and see what happens? You might fix your problem.

That's what I was thinking as well.

Maybe it's not so much spark knock but incomplete combustion.

Boy those are expensive plugs!

Thanks,

K

I've had some slight pinging on/off when lugging as you described. I drive in a very hilly area and notice it sometimes before it downshifts. It's happened since the vehicle was new but it got more noticeable in the last year or so, probably around 120k miles. I changed spark plugs at 100k miles and didn't notice any change. About six months ago I decided to just run premium fuel all the time and there's no ping. Mpg is up a digit as well which pretty much pays for the additional cost of premium. It also has considerably more power with premium so that's an upside.

skinny2 wrote:I've had some slight pinging on/off when lugging as you described. I drive in a very hilly area and notice it sometimes before it downshifts. It's happened since the vehicle was new but it got more noticeable in the last year or so, probably around 120k miles. I changed spark plugs at 100k miles and didn't notice any change. About six months ago I decided to just run premium fuel all the time and there's no ping. Mpg is up a digit as well which pretty much pays for the additional cost of premium. It also has considerably more power with premium so that's an upside.

We've never run the higher octane gas in this car, I guess the knock sensor found the right place timing wise and it's worked. That being said I should try some premium and see what happens.

I guess it could be the knock sensor as well. I quick google seems to indicate that it's pretty buried though.

K

kopeck wrote: We've never run the higher octane gas in this car, I guess the knock sensor found the right place timing wise and it's worked. That being said I should try some premium and see what happens.

I guess it could be the knock sensor as well. I quick google seems to indicate that it's pretty buried though.

K

I've run premium when towing in the past but that's about it. It definitely has more power when you getting up into the rpms. I've wondered if maybe the knock sensor has just lost some sensitivity and isn't adjusting as well as it should.

Either way, a spark plug change is definitely in order for you before anything else. Although to be honest, my plugs looked perfectly fine and there was no change in performance/economy after.

When I had my 06 4Runner I started getting ping on hills running 87 fuel at around 80,000 miles. A spark plug change seemed to take care of it.

i doubt it's the knock sensor, especially if you don't have a code. They seem to be pretty reliable on these engines. You hear a lot about knock sensor replacement on the older Pathfinders with the VG engines, but I think a lot of those are replaced/relocated because some think that it is the cause of their knock sensor code when it is actually something else. A little "pinging" during heavy acceleration or load for a second is considered normal until the ECM adjusts to the knock sensor readings, but more than that might be a concern. The plugs are expensive, but they do last 105,000 miles. The 05-07 models came equipped with NGK laser platinums and then Nissan switched to the NGK OE Iridiums in 2008, which are quite a bit more expensive. If cost is an issue, you can install the slightly less expensive, laser platinums in the 08-and-later model years and you won't notice any drop in performance. The laser platinums are also easier to find at your local store than the OE Iridiums. Both are 105,000 mile plugs. The Iridium IX and G-platinums will also work, but they are 60,000 mile plugs. Since two of the right side plugs are a bit of a pain to replace, I'd rather just pay the little extra and not have to deal with them for another 105k.

I just ordered the plugs and went with the Iridium IX. It's what I could get my hands on so that's where I went. I guess the IX are suppose to perform a tab better but not last quite as long as the lasers. Pretty much what was said above.

I drove the Pathfinder a bit over the weekend and the pinging seems to improve after the car is thoroughly warmed up. I'm not really sure what to think of the temp gauge in these things, it registers running temp with in a minute or two of a cold start.

I have a '79 Chevy C10 that pings when cold too. Timings on just don't put it under load quickly...

K

They'll work, but they are not as good as the laser platinums. The G-plats and IX's are single platinum and iridium plugs, respectively. The laser platinums and OE Iridiums are double platinum and double iridium plugs, respectively. You probably won't notice any performance difference; you'll just have to service them around 60,000 miles instead of 105,000.