Jeep pinging problem

[ahunt01]

Hi all, long time since I've been here! I had a post on here awhile ago discussing my woes about the pinging/rattling heard in my Jeep when the RPM dropped to about 1500, about at 45 mph, under light load. No dealership could figure it out, nor could any other mechanics. I finally got the bright idea to test drive another new 2005 Wrangler automatic to see if it did it is well. Turns out it did!!! I guess all I heard was "a Jeep thing" lol .

Now I can accessorize & go trail-riding :beer:

 

[OutOfStep]

yeah my '03 sometimes pings a little as well, it especially did it when I had the stock tires on it and I shifted when the shift light instructed me to

 

[ahunt01]

You'd think that Jeep would fix that... Oh well, I'm tickled to know that it's quasi-normal lol, and not just my Jeep.

 

[OutOfStep]

Yeah its kinda wierd, I think part of it may be that the engines are so quiet now that you hear more of that kind of stuff

 

[mud4feet]

yeah my '03 sometimes pings a little as well, it especially did it when I had the stock tires on it and I shifted when the shift light instructed me to

Man, your '03 has a shift light???? I hate those things!! Mudwoman's YJ has one and I've had one on some trucks I've had in the past. I don't need any machine telling me when to shift!!!:evil:

BTW, my '03 TJ doesn't have one.......

 

[TwistedCU]

just keep clean fluids and oils in there, keep it tuned up and drive it like you stole it. It'll keep on keepin on.

 

[OutOfStep]

Yeah its horribly annoying on night runs, if I ever have to open the dash i'll remove the bulb. I just hope it doesnt open the airlock and vaccum me into space before I can get the job done.

It tries to get you to run it between like 1000 and 1500 rpm, which is fine if you're crusin down the freeway, but its not very practical for stop and go or trails.

 

[ahunt01]

Heh I know, that's the problem I have with mine. Problem is, it's an automatic, so it just shifts like poop...

 

[LadyJeepFreak]

Mud, 03 here and no shift light either!

 

[Sparky-Watts]

Heh I know, that's the problem I have with mine. Problem is, it's an automatic, so it just shifts like poop...

Heck, just manual shift that auto transmission. Used to do it in the ex-wife's Camaro and get second and third gear scratch......also used to do it in my '99 Camry 4-banger.

 

[ahunt01]

Well, I've been surfing online and reading about other pinging Jeeps. I compiled a list of possilble causes (besides it being a jeep thing).
These sound logical? Any possible additions to this list? I plan to bring it to the dealership soon and give them this list and say "go to work."

Possible problems:

-Timing advanced too far
-Cam angle sensor misadjusted
-Piston slap & noisy lifters
-Gear driven by the camshaft is bad
-Bad transfer case
-Bad spark plugs
-Bad oil pump drive gear
-Bad 02 sensor
-Bad/partially blocked cat
-Bronze bushng/retainer holding the torque shaft wears out and/or the rubber gasket tears on the end…allowing the torque shaft to travel back and forth too much causing one of the links to tap on the bracket on the tub

FIX: -installing a high flow 195 degree thermostat and boring out the thermostat housing with a die grinder, reducing the coolant temperature slightly
FIX: -new transfer case
FIX: -new spark plugs

 

[ahunt01]

I just noticed that there is a new recall out for my jeep. A TRANSMISSION CUP PLUG BRACKET. Could that cause the rattle?

 

[OutOfStep]

On a new Jeep pretty much all of the problems you have listed shouldnt be even a possibility. And the rest would probably throw codes that the dealer would have seen.

I don't think that the recall would make a pinging noise. Though I don't know what a transmission cup plug is or what sorta bracketry one might require.

 

[ahunt01]

I wonder why so many new Jeep owners are having this same problem... Maybe I'll see if I can record the sound onto a high-quality audio recorder and post it. To my knowledge everyone on Jeep message boards who have this same problem have not recorded it for others to hear. Perhaps that would help in determined if this is indeed a problem and if so what, or if it is in fact "a jeep thing."

 

[ahunt01]

Would swapping the 195 thermostat out with a 180 thermostat possibly fix the problem?

 

[Junkpile]

What is the noise? A rattle or a ping? Knock....tap....what?

I was thinking from the first post that it was just spark knock you were talking about, is this correct? Or is it some other noise?

 

[ahunt01]

Well, it's kinda hard to explain. Unless under extremely heavy loads at low speed, I can tell you that the sound appears to start at 45mph/1500 rpm (overdrive), and lasts until about 50mph. During that time period, the jeep is kind of rides rough as well...hard to explain for a noob.
As far as the sound goes, it may be spark knock. I'm not very knowledgable when it comes to vehicles. Let me try to record the sound today if possible and post it for you all. Maybe that will help.

 

[ahunt01]

Eh, I've tried dozens of times, and the Jeep is too darn noisy to record it. I am at a loss about this, and may try to replace the t-stat...I've heard of putting in a 180 t-stat fixing the problem on some jeeps.

 

[Utah_jeepster]

how about a little test here...run your jeep close to empty and drop in 5 gallons of premium gas and see if you still have a knock.

 

[ahunt01]

I'll give it a try one more time. I tried it once without success, however it could have been crappy gas, so I'll try one more time at a different station. With this awesome weather, it won't take me long to go through my current tank of gas