NEW 2009 Euro Luxury Auto Pinging

**BigBen** · 28-11-2012 09:19 PM

ok this is how I stop my car from pinging. It may be controversial but who gives a flying f*ck.

To squeeze out the extra power and fuel economy Honda USA uses a 0w-20 oil as a factory fill. In Australia Honda uses 5w-30 as a factory fill.
The Honda service dept said the pinging was normal which was a total copout.

People think that using a thicker oil give better protection than a thinner oil which is infact incorrect. It MAY be so in a enduro racing environment where you are at redline all the time. In real world driving thinner is better. In normal driving conditions you'll be luckly if you can hold redline for 10 seconds.

What you want is the thinnest oil possible for your engine protection. A thinner oil flows better than a thicker oil. Thinner oil reduces friction, thicker oil increase fiction and friction generates extra heat. Oil in an engine acts as lubricate as well as a coolant to reduce / remove heat from the pistons. If you know people who build engines, especially motorcycle engines, they all have oil injectors under the pistons to cool the pistons down. MV Agusta F4, BMW S1000RR engines pumps out 200hp out of a 1litre motor and these engines don’t ping. Oil is used to cool engine components down.

Using a thinner oil reduces component drag, from friction, oil pump works more efficiently which / does reduce the engine temperature. If everything else is equal a cooler engine reduces the chances of pinging compare to an engine that is running hotter.

Remember the temperature gauge you see is actually the temperature of the coolant not the engine oil temperature. People think that because we live in a very hot country we should use a thicker oil. Which is bullcrap. The radiator / thermostat regulates the engine temperature not the temperature outside.

The engine temperature once warmed up should be the same in subzero temperatures as well as 50deg C temperatures.

My theory is that using a thinner oil which is factory filled in the USA, should solve my pinging problem.

I had some 0w-20 Amsoil that I use in our Toyota Prius and I thought what the hell, give it a go. So I dumped the factory filled 5w-30 oil and put the 0w-20 Amsoil. Drove around for 20 minutes in stop go traffic to build up heat and try to make the car ping. I turn on the aircon to add more load on the engine and the engine didn’t ping.

You can give it a try, it will only cost you $100 and 1/2 hour of your time to change the oil. If you think the oil is too thin, the drain it and put 5w-30 back in there.

I’ve been using the 0w-20 for over 16,000km and no pinging.

This is only my findings and observation, I take no responsibility if your engine blows up etc. BTW I've driven from Seattle to Las Vegas via Death Valley (hottest place in the world) to visit friends and the car I was driving didn't blow up or left me stranded. I didn't have to change the engine oil for a thicker oil because I am going to Death Valley. Yes the car was filled with 0w-20 which is normal in the US for majority of cars there.

http://www.honda.com/newsandviews/ar...spx?id=6212-en

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAYkigNbzgs

**SPQR** · 03-12-2012 12:56 AM

Originally Posted by BigBen

...After the pinging has been solved, I played around with the tyre pressures - now running 38psi all round and this really transform the car. No more spongy ride. Even at 38PSI the stock suspension handles the bumps without bottoming out. Handles off camber corners really well at spirited driving.

I've used higher tyre pressures in my cars for years; although I prefer a pressure differential front to rear. I usually run my car with 38-40psi front and 32-34psi rear: It sharpens turn-in into corners.

I think your later post about using a thinner oil and it being better for engines is spot-on (although each has to make up their own mind). I've done this in some of my previous cars.

I've not purchased a CU2 because of the ongoing pinging issue. I don't think that Acura USA uses a thinner oil in the TSX because it's generally colder there simply because it's not true. Southern California has more cars than the whole of Australia and it has a mild climate. Yes, there are colder places but surely Acura wouldn't fill their cars with different oils because they could end up anywhere in the USA.

In any case, the Acura TSX is made in the same Japanese factory as our Honda Accord Euro version. Why would they prefill with a different oil for Australia? Our climate range in not much different to that of the USA.

**psykotech** · 03-12-2012 11:38 AM

Having a Honda Australia technician and a service inspector take a look at the car this Friday.

I'm hoping they'll be able to resolve it one way or another.

**praja6** · 05-12-2012 10:58 PM

Guys, Does the Honda Feo ultra Fully Synthatic oil, is it thin oil or thick oil.. thanks

**Fredoops** · 05-12-2012 11:27 PM

Originally Posted by praja6

Guys, Does the Honda Feo ultra Fully Synthatic oil, is it thin oil or thick oil.. thanks

Group 3 synthetic
5w-30

Thin-ish.

**praja6** · 06-12-2012 07:23 PM

Ah ok. this may be correct with Bigben.. Mine is euro Cu2 My10 jan 2010 made auto... I was fully aware of the ping issue when i bought the car. I don't know its the ping sound, i heard twice, the sound was like if someone throw small stones on top of the tin roof. Thatt time AC was on and it was winter time June early morning.

That time the oil was the original oil filled from factory. Since the 1st 6months service i ask the dealer to use Honda Feo Ultra fully synthatic oil. Eventhough my car is low milage, they charged me extra 40 for fully syntatic oil.. After the 1st 6months service(so far i changed with fully synthatic oil 3 times), i never heard the ping or any rattling sound in my car. I always use BP ultimate...

May be people using Fully synthatic oil may be an answer for the ping issue, i am just guessing.. People with ping issue can mention here what type of oil they are using..

thanks

Originally Posted by Fredoops

Group 3 synthetic
5w-30

Thin-ish.

**Fredoops** · 06-12-2012 10:14 PM

imma take a stab here to say those who are getting pining from newwe models are using Xw-40 grade semi synthetic oil or thicker.

Factory is 0w-20 since 2011 iirc

**BigBen** · 07-12-2012 08:15 PM

Originally Posted by Fredoops

imma take a stab here to say those who are getting pining from newwe models are using Xw-40 grade semi synthetic oil or thicker.

Factory is 0w-20 since 2011 iirc

Nah, factory fill is still 5w-30 Mobil 1 as 0w-20 is still hard to get in Australia.

**BigBen** · 07-12-2012 08:17 PM

pinging sound like a faint rattle from a bottle of spray paint.

**EKVTIR-T** · 07-12-2012 08:30 PM

Pinging/knocking is detonation,how can varying oil grade create that...

**Fredoops** · 08-12-2012 11:25 AM

Originally Posted by EKVTIR-T

Pinging/knocking is detonation,how can varying oil grade create that...

One theory (and this is just a theory)..

Its a surface ignition of sort as opposed to a spark knock, since it's not happening all the time when the engine is on.

With the higher tolerance level in the K24 used in the CU2 (which was designed to use 0w-20 engine oil bare in mind) means theres possibility that the thick oil may not reach and coat certain areas effectively, which could lead to the the creation of "hot spots" causing surface ignition when fuel hits it.

**psykotech** · 13-12-2012 04:25 PM

I've been sent an official letter from Honda Australia, signed by Ken Sheppard (customer relations specialist) which states:

As you are aware your vehicle was inspected and driven with you by Technical Representatives of Honda Australia. At this inspection there was no evidence of abnormal sounds from the engine of your vehicle. It was determined that the sounds causing your concern are consistent for this engine under certain operating conditions.

So according to Honda, the engine is operating in spec and pinging is completely normal.