I can't take the pinging in my ears! Make it go away!!

[Huzband]

Let's get the usual stuff out da way first. All tune-up procedures have been done meticulously. By me, so I know it was done right. I have a Techlusion, & have gone through just about every conceivable configuration with that. And I always use Premium gas from a high volume, name brand dealer.

Here's the problem. When accelerating in any gear, solo or two-up, as the revs pass 5 grand, it starts to detonate hard, causing me to roll off the throttle. Makes it pretty tuff to pass trucks sometimes, as I have had to stay on it a few times. If I'm carrying a load & two-up, it'll start to ping around 4500.

It's mighty frustrating to never be able to get above 6 grand, and not use all that available power.

I'd sure appreciate some clues as to possible remedies.

[andmoon]

How many miles?

I have heard of carbon buildup being a cause.

Is it only one side or both?

Don

[smiller]

Need more info... miles? Has the bike always done this, or did the problem develop slowly, or did it come on suddenly?

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

My bike was just starting to develop a pinging problem as I approached 40K miles. At 41K, I put the GS tubes in, and ohmygod did it ping bad at first. I tried a bunch of cleaners - Techron, Motocraft, BG 44K - nothing seemed to work. Finally took engine apart, scraped deposits from head and piston. Things were fine for about 10K mile, then it started to come back. Disassembled, saw more deposits - but this time, I measured and found everything was in spec, and no damage was being done, so I put it back together and started using earplugs.

 

Seriously. Earplugs, a little willful ignorance, and regular beatings (the Smoky Mountains are great for this), and the ping gradually went away and never came back. 113K miles now, and all is well. Honestly, I haven't noticed any pinging the last couple of years.

 

OK, the other thing that helped was deliberately keeping the oil level at or near the bottom of the inspection window. If you're keeping the oil level at or near the TOP of the window, it's likely that you're getting oil blown out of the crankcase and into the airbox, where it gets ingested into the intake, where it causes pinging by directly influencing combustion chemistry, and also results in combustion chamber deposits (which can exacerbate pinging even further).

 

How's the oil consumption?

[Bob Palin]

I too had pinging with my 1150RT as described, I fixed it with regular "Italian Tuneups" or "beatings" as Mitch put it. Run it Hard, WFO, up to the redline (2nd gear, I use a hill but you probably don't have any) then chop the throttle and slow all the way down, repeat 5 times. The bike absolutely loves this, mine instantly runs better. I think the theory is that this heats up the combustion chamber to the max and burns off the carbon deposits. I also use Techron for a couple of tanks before each oil change, can't prove that works but it doesn't cost too much. I also keep the oil level on the lower end.

 

edit, oh yes, 112,000 miles, runs as well as ever, never pings any more.

[Huzband]

It's got 24.6k on it, of which I've logged about 8.5k. It's always done it, even before the Techlusion was added. Since I don't know the history prior to my purchase, I can only assume(there's that word again)it was only ridden to church on Sundays by a little old lady from Pasadena.

 

Think I'll follow Mitch & Bobs advice, & wring the snot out of it for a while, especially in the mtns while at El Paseo.

P.S., I too, keep the oil in the lower half of the glass.

As for hills, we have a new fly-over joining I-295 & I-95, but I don't think it qualifies.

[T__]

Let's get the usual stuff out da way first. All tune-up procedures have been done meticulously. By me, so I know it was done right. I have a Techlusion, & have gone through just about every conceivable configuration with that. And I always use Premium gas from a high volume, name brand dealer.

Here's the problem. When accelerating in any gear, solo or two-up, as the revs pass 5 grand, it starts to detonate hard, causing me to roll off the throttle. Makes it pretty tuff to pass trucks sometimes, as I have had to stay on it a few times. If I'm carrying a load & two-up, it'll start to ping around 4500.

It's mighty frustrating to never be able to get above 6 grand, and not use all that available power.

I'd sure appreciate some clues as to possible remedies.

 

Huzband, just a thought here but have you checked your ignition timing? Maybe that is advanced a little (especially if it had a pulse generator replaced at one time)..

 

Seeing as you have a Teclusion,, try turning the RED pot up some more (that adds fuel above 4500 RPM's).. If you just have burst spark knock try a little higher setting on the yellow pot (that adds fuel on initial throttle up)..

 

Twisty

[smiller]

I would agree, double and triple check the ignition timing. If that is definitely OK and everything else checks out then it might be time to pull the heads and check for carbon or even perhaps a bit of metal flashing left on a piston or in the combusion chamber during original manufacture. In any event if it is pinging so badly that it is constant above 5k rpm and happens all of the time then something is definitely not normal, and above the level that I would comfortably ignore. You can try some Techron and an Italian Tuneup but if that doesn't work then... fix it.

[Huzband]

Twisty, I thought about the timing, but I've read on this forum that messing with it is really not a good idea. I'd sure do it if it were as simple as it was in the old days.

 

As for adjusting the pots on the Techlusion, I've had them full on, with no change, except gas mileage was in the terlet. But at least it didn't surge any more.

[smiller]

I thought about the timing, but I've read on this forum that messing with it is really not a good idea.

I think that advice applies more to people whose bikes aren't pinging like crazy...

 

It's not a very difficult task to check and, if necessary, adjust the timing to specs.

[Huzband]

I'll give it a shot this week-end. Thanks smiller.