Ping/Knock

[bennyrocks_79]

Ok sorry never meant for this to turn into a debate.
FYI this is the second VE sv6 i have owned and i ran the last one the same with no issues(traded at 60k).

As i have stated i and not a mechanic but i do rebuild dirt bikes for fun(two and four strokes splitting cases replacing pistonsand so forth), have been in to cars all my life and have an interest in anything mechanical .I understand the concept of Suck, Squeeze, Bang and blow of internal combustion engine.I know the octane rating is the fuels ablity to resist pre-detonation,how variable cam timing works utilising knock sensors. How it can ping and how it can advance or retard the timming to suite.Yes i run only 98ron in my motorbike and on lower octane it will somtimes ping (But mostly at high rpm), it also runs a higher compression with titanim valves with bucket shims that need adjusting regulay, it is also a race engine not built for daily commutes.

The car has NOT run on 91 its whole life it has been a mix of 91/95/98 i have every recipt for every drop of fuel that has gone into this car.(mostly the latter for 30k's since the pinking started)

I do not disagree that a higher octane fuel is better.
I do not disagree it runs cleaner.
I do not disagree that it could have been a fuel issue.
I belive i should be able to run 91 without an issue.
Also i do not disagree with what the mechanic has done by cleaning excess carbon,re flashing the ecu.
I am just a loss with this issue and from speaking to the service manage today so are they and they are waiting to soo what holden wants them to do next.

Yes there are plenty more things that can be done in relation to fault finding the issue i.e pulling heads off, checking ring gaps but as the dealer is rembersed for said warranty work from holden i and those sort of thing can be time consuming and costly i guess they will have to see what the most cost effective option would be.

P.S Correct me if i am wrong with any of my thoughts(not being sarcastic)
I belive it is getting worse and i just want it fixed

 

[TI3VOM]

91 octane is more than enough to run a car these days. (I think that's the better pump fuel in America isn't it?)
So for the dealership to suggest that you shouldn't run 91 in your car (if it's designed to be able to run on it) is just ludicrous! Don't let them use that as an excuse okay.
If I was you I would only be dealing with the head mechanic from now on.
I hope they eventually get down to the bottom of it.

 

[RiCeY]

anyhoo, back to helping the OP.....RiCeY in your opinion as Silver Certified, if this Holden workshop can get this car to stop pinging on 98....but it still pings on 91 (as previously described by OP), is this car fixed?

No, the car shouldn't ping on 91.

 

[bennyrocks_79]

Update.
Went to book it back in a few days ago service manager said he would refer it to holden and to wait a couple of days for a response.
In a nut shell i was told that holden knew of an excessive carbon build up problem on these model cars and are looking into it.Could take a couple of months to come up with a solution.

Basicly their not going to do anything!!! Was advised by the dealer to take up a case with Holden as well their tech case to see where to go from here.

 

[bennyrocks_79]

Update.
Took up a case with holden Australia went back and forth with the deal and holden for a few weeks.Deal contacted me before Christmas to book in early Jan for a few days.
Said they fixed it by doing the same thing they did last time by spraying some **** down the intake manifold.Within 5 mins of getting the car it was stilll pinging.
Will be contacting holden in the morning because now i really have the shits.

Been in eight times now with the same problem WTF do i need to do to get this fixed.

 

[greenacc]

Lol. The definition of madness [Holden] keep doing the same thing but expecting (hoping for) a different result..... surely this can of 3 bond will fix it haha.
I feel sorry for you benny. I can only suggest finding a different dealer as the one you are dealing with seem as useless as tits on a bull. Ask them what they would do if you were actually paying for this service, because all they a doing at the moment is playing the warranty game !

 

[ktseal]

Did you ever get this sorted? My SIDI SV6 wagon has similar symptoms and it's a little disconcerting when it happens. I'm not sure if it is actually pinging though or if it's just a funny noise that the engine sometimes makes.
FWIW I have an obd2 bluetooth adapter on the car and have been logging a bunch of sensors for the past few months. The knock retard value does fluctuate between around 0-6 degrees depending on engine load but I'm not sure if that's normal behaviour or not...

 

[cor3yz]

As above, the RON rating of a fuel is its resistance to pre detonation, so naturally running 98 is going to give you that bit more of allowance in advance than 91, but this vehicle was designed for 91, so I wouldn't accept anything less than it operating perfectly on the base level fuel.

Couple of thoughts,
1) have you tried E85? If that's applicable to your VE. It has a higher RON and may tell you if the advance trims are the problem.
2) is the pinging instant when you start the car? If it is, you can eliminate the cause of pre detonation caused by carbon deposits in the combustion chamber, because it wont have had time to heat up and ignite the fuel. The amount of deposit should be low if they have used a number of carbon cleansers, and you have been using alot of premium petrol.

Also, if a problem is found without pulling heads off (hypothetically, faulty knock sensor/ecu etc), you may want to argue about the damage that has potentially already taken chunks from your pistons, which will cause you more headaches down the road.

 

[cor3yz]

Also, should have looked at the date before posting. My bad.

 

[bennyrocks_79]

This is still ongoing.Booked in again on the 4th june for "more testing" It will be the 11th time it has been in for this problen