Mainly just an update, in case people try searching for either of these problems in the future...

I posted a while back about a spark knock problem with my truck... tapping between 1800-2400rpm when you were giving it medium throttle in high gear. Unloaded it was barely noticable, but there. Towing a trailer on a hill, it sounded horrible.

I had heard that someone's dealer had suggested uploading an updated program into the truck computer, and it worked. I asked my dealer to try that, even though he said that it would change anything.

Outcome... It worked. No spark knock at all... and my gas milage has improved from 15-16mpg, to 18-19mpg. Same driving habbits, and everything else equal. 83 octane, still a stock drive train.

Hope this helps someone,
Don

 

Yeah I had an update done to my computer back in February and my mileage improved by about 2 mpg. Of course I had to have Doug reprogram my tuner. But he did that for free and I only paid for the shipping.

 

so if you go to the dealer what do you tell them? i dont have a warranty so im sure that the price would be outrageous

 

I believe he is referring to the TSB for spark knock on 2004 4.0L SOHC's.

 

I actually asked them if there was a TSB for Spark knock and they said that, while there was, it didn't always fix the spark knock.... I then just asked him to try it and update the computer with the newest version and he agreed. So I don't know if they are one in the same or not. I do know that the program I had uploaded is the one that comes in the '05s.

Not sure what the price would be if your out of warrenty... I know that to have my speedo re-calabrated after I get my 33s will probably be $50-$75. Making me think more about Doug's tuner.

 

The Service Bulletin for 2004 Ranger 4.0L detonation at 1800~2500 RPM is TSB# 05-5-9. This is a known problem and the fix is a reflash of the PCM.

 

hmmm, never had that problem

 

Many TSBs have VIN ranges. Maybe yours was outside of the affected vehicle group. Or maybe the production stackup on your truck does not produce detonation running on the original calibration. Or maybe that 7-speaker option is drowning it out.

 

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo so what could my pinging be?

 

Detonation is much more common with 3.0L's than with your 4.0L.

Some possible causes:

Poor quality fuel
Dirty injectors
Low fuel pressure (Clogged fuel filter?)
Carbon buildup in the combustion chambers
Leak beween MAF and throttle body
Manifold vacuum leak (part throttle detonation)
Lack of EGR flow (part throttle detonation)
Dirty MAF sensor element

Anything else that makes the engine run lean or overly hot

 

I have a horrid noise coming from my engine.. I was thinking it was the dam timing chain noise again.. I already had my timing chain replaced at 20000 miles..now at 60000 it does it again.

2000-2800rpm light to medium load. medium throttle. Hot or cold.
I do have an apten chip with 91,87 performance and stock.
It does it Worst in 87performance, bad in 91performance, about the same in stock.

(2002 4.0)
Rand

 

kinda late here but about how much did this cost you?

 

the 4.0 OHV from what i have heard has been known to knock.

Im glad i read this tho, a good friend of mine has an 04, im going to tell him to go in and see if he can have his updated.

 

This would have been under warranty so it was free.

 

If they issue a TSB, it should be free even if your not under warranty as far as I know.

 

so i guess it shoulb be worth a try than

 

A TSB is not a recall. It is an informational bulletin supplied to Ford dealers about a possible problem and a repair based on a TSB should be free to the customer during the warranty period. Even though a manufacturer is not required to do so, Ford will sometimes decide to extend coverage for some specified amount of time/miles beyond the original warranty period. This is often called a service campaign.

A recall is different. It usually covers all vehicles within a certain group (model, production date, equipment, etc.) for a specific defect affecting safety, emissions, legal compliance, etc. The manufacturer must attempt to send notification to all owners of the affected vehicles.

 

Interesting. There was a TSB for the Marquis and my Ford dealer repaired it free of charge (I don't remember what it was for though, was some time ago) and it was a good 1 or 2 years after the warranty had expired. Maybe he just did us a favor since it was in for other work?

 

i apologize for bringing this old one up but...

Yesterday i was pulling two jet skis and i went to pull around a guy on a bike, i have an automatic but i figured that i was in about 3rd gear. When i went to give it gas enough to go around i heard this terrible knocking/rattling noise from the motor. The motor got up to about 3000 rpms. After that i smelt something wierd, i have no idea what it was. So after i dropped the jet skis i went back out and drove. Now with no load it makes this same noise at about 3500 to 4500 rpms. Could this be spark knock? Or is it something more serious?

 

it sounds like it. But the higher the rpms on my truck the less sound it makes because of more power being fed to it

 

so what the heck do i do to fix it?

 

Theres alot of different things to try and fix it. Like trying the above post. Putting better gas in it. Checking your maf (can get dirtty).

 

Alright ill try that.....is it hurting my motor?

 

Spark Knock is not good. This is the pinging or rattling noise sometimes heard during acceleration that indicates detonation is occurring inside the engine

• Detonation:
An unwanted explosion of the air/fuel mixture in the combustion chamber caused by excess heat and compression, advanced timing, or an overly lean mixture. Detonation, or "knock", greatly increases the mechanical and thermal stresses on the engine. Also referred to as "ping".


Spark knock can be caused by a variety of things including using low octane fuel, over-advanced ignition timing, too much compression (often due to a buildup of carbon in the combustion chamber), by an inoperative EGR valve, and/or by too much heat. If switching to a higher octane fuel doesn't cure the problem, the cause should be investigated because prolonged or heavy knocking can damage the engine.

 

The thing is is that i was running my truck on the 93 torque program with my tuner. So i already had high octance gas in it. The only thing i think i can hope for is bad gas.