Welcome aboard Ben!

I am sorry that I don't have any advice for you at this point, as the VMF is still and endless resource getting me through my first project! I just wanted to welcome you wto the VMF!

I am confident someone here will be able to point you in the right direction!

Best of luck!
Glenn

 

Pinging sounds like more of a rattle. Kinda like somebody threw a handful of ball bearings on top of your pistons, and is most noticable under a load. So, if you were running down the road and stepped down on the accelerator, and heard the dreaded rattle, that's pinging. If it just makes a noise when on cruise and doesn't get a whole lot worse under a load, it's something else.

If you had continued advancing the timing when you went for a ride with your trusty 1/2" wrench, you'd know what pinging sounded like. Suggest you continue with that project until you hear a definite rattle, then back off until you can't make it rattle under a load. That's the only way you really know where you are when timing by ear. It gives a reference point, otherwise you are just guessing, and that's not a good thing.

Have you checked all your header bolts? Have Fun!

 

IMHO, exhaust leaks and pinging sound extremely different. An exhuaust leak will sound more like a tap, where as pinging will sound more high pitched, almost like your banging little spoons together.

Also, the pinging will generally be across all cylinders and an exhaust leak is usually on only one side, and often only on one cylinder. In other words, the the exhaust leak will generally be a steady individual sound, where as the pinging will sound like 20 midgets in your engine going bonkers banging those spoons.

Man, sounds are very difficult to describe in cyber space! *LOL*

BTW, Welcome to the VMF!

 

I'd guess its pinging, but thats just a guess. I think of ticking when I think header leak and rattle for pinging if thats of any help.
Just curious, but shouldn't your displacement be just over 294 c.i. for a 0.040" overbore 289? Is your crank offset ground the 0.020, if so why?

 

Thanks for all the quick responses guys. From what you've described its just the headers leaking and paranoia. I'll try advancing it until I hear pinging. Any yes I checked the header bolts, there is a leak in one of the welds on the headers. I need new ones, but I'm trying to save up a bit for some nice jethot coated ones.

About the crank, I don't know. I'm still new to mechanics and slowly learning. When it was rebuilt, the machine shop told me that the crank was .020 over, not a "stroker," but the same concept. At least thats what I thought they said. They didn't speak English very well, maybe I misunderstood. Could there be another explanation for this?

 

When you hear pinging you know you have just heard pinging.

 

Man, sounds are very difficult to describe in cyber space!

Describe, yes. Post as .WAVs, no.

There *has* to be a site somewhere with good, clear sound files of typical car malfunction sounds. If not, we should put one together.

Has anyone ever asked bob about some extensions to the VMF? A gallery, a tech section, etc.? Take a look at the Odyssey Club web site for an example of some nifty stuff that could be added. A general tech section would be a nice place to put all the recurring question/answer issues, well-detailed, with pics etc.

If bob isn't inclined, maybe I could open a subpage on one of my sites for "Mustang Tech."

 

Oh okay, if its just .020 over its just means that the main journals were a little worn and so they were ground down little and you have slightly thicker bearings to compensate. This would not affect your engine displacement since the istance between centerline of the main journals and the centerline of your rod journals is still the same and therefore your stroke is unaffected. In a stroker the rod journals (centerlines) are extended out to increase your stroke.

 

Hmm...
I have never heard of a crank being 0.020 OVER; shouldn't that be 0.020 UNDER?
As previously stated this will not affect your displacement.

 

Oops, ya got me!

 

Generally, an exhaust leak will be most obvious at very low speeds or at idle by producing a distinctive and regular "Tick,tick,tick". At highway speeds an exhaust leak, unless it's major" will tend to get lost in the other mechanical sounds. Pinging will occur under acceleration load and will not be audible at idle or when just cruising. It'll be more irregular and sound like a bunch of small bolts rattling around in your engine. Sometimes you won't be able to hear pinging unless you have something like a highway divider or cement wall to bounce the sound back. That just happened to me. I had been using 91 octane in my 302 since its rebuild about two years ago. Lately, with the price of premium well over $2.50 in sunny California, I switched to 87 octane. I couldn't detect any pinging so I continued to use the stuff. I was accelerating onto a freeway last weekend and part of the approach is a single lane overpass. As I crossed the overpass I could hear the distinct "tinkle" of my car pinging bouncing back off the concrete walls on each side. Back to the high priced spread!
BTW, why not pull that cracked header and have it welded up? Then you'd know for sure if the noise was the exhaust leak or pinging.

 

Yeah, they probably said that the crank is .020 under and I just couldn't understand what was said. Oh well. Yeah I was playing with it today and it isn't pinging. Thanks for everybody's help. A link or extension with common automotive sounds would be really cool.