Carnival 2004 Pinging

[zylax]

Hi Guys, I have a Carnival 2004, which has now been pinging on and off for the last couple of years. When i first complained to kia they blamed the fuel, but i do not purchase my fuel from one outlet, they then told me to run it on 95 octane, but it still pinged but not as loud, It has been back to kia that many times its not funny any more, they claim that all the sensors are reading ok, and that they have no idea on how to fix the problem. Even there complaints department, who claim to have spoken to there korean manufacture, claim that this is common and not to worry about it.

[cpapashley]

Originally Posted by zylax

Hi Guys, I have a Carnival 2004, which has now been pinging on and off for the last couple of years. When i first complained to kia they blamed the fuel, but i do not purchase my fuel from one outlet, they then told me to run it on 95 octane, but it still pinged but not as loud, It has been back to kia that many times its not funny any more, they claim that all the sensors are reading ok, and that they have no idea on how to fix the problem. Even there complaints department, who claim to have spoken to there korean manufacture, claim that this is common and not to worry about it.

That sounds all wrong. Pinging means there is something wrong with predetonation in the combustion chamber. i agree that it can be due to the quality of the fuel, but as you say that has been examined already. It sounds to me like there is something wrong in the timing of the engine spark. Has it happened since new? you say the last couple of years so I presume that is so.

With warranty running out, this definitely needs to be attended to. Does the vehicle rev out to redline ok? what about km travelled by the vehicle? If it is leaning out I wonder if there is a blockage in an injector or a faulty fuel pump/fuel regulator. Have all these things been checked? They should be made to fix the problem, as misfires will not only ruin your engine but also your catalytic converter.

[Esses]

Agreed. The ONLY times our '05 has pinged was back when our local "Woollies" servo was using cheap, crappy Singaporean ULP. A switch to Shell or Caltex fixed that straight away. This is definitely NOT a common problem. Sounds like you're in the "Too Hard Basket". Good luck with it.

[zylax]

Hi again, the warranty has recently run out, the car has only done 60k and yes ive had the problem from new. some days it dosn't ping but on others it dose. The worst i have heard it is on a very hot days, it sound like a jar full of marbles when you try to accelerate. most of the other time you can just notice it. And as usual all i seam to get is the run around from kingswood kia service department.

[cpapashley]

Originally Posted by zylax

Hi again, the warranty has recently run out, the car has only done 60k and yes ive had the problem from new. some days it dosn't ping but on others it dose. The worst i have heard it is on a very hot days, it sound like a jar full of marbles when you try to accelerate. most of the other time you can just notice it. And as usual all i seam to get is the run around from kingswood kia service department.

OK, have you got the service dockets that state the problem and the process they went through?? The warranty period is not valid if there is a specific problem recorded and still unresolved. Which this sounds a lot like.

I think there must be another dealer close to you in sydney. Make an appointment with the service manager, sit down with him and go through the times you have asked for it to be checked and the result. ie. Still not fixed. If there is no joy tell him you will go to another dealer as they seem unable to fix the problem.

There are so many possiblities from the timing belt maybe put on wrong, to a vacuum leak, to wrong details on the ecu to problem with fuel delivery.

KIA are able to check the car out and watch what is going on with it while it is being driven. I would have thought the check engine light would have come on with a misfire, but obviously the knock sensor is able to retard the timing sufficiently to stop that from happening for too long. The fact it is worse on hot days could mean either fuel or air problems, rather than spark.

So I guess the ones to ask the manager seeing it has been there from new is

1. Have they thoroughly checked the injectors for blockage

2. Is the fuel regulator to specification and fuel pressure ok.

3. Is there a leak in the intake somewhere after the MAF.

4. Is the MAF just plain faulty.

All this should have been done already by them, but ask them to confirm what actions have been taken to remedy the situation, and this as I said should all be performed under their warranty as they have not yet fixed a warranty issue that was documented during the warranty period.

Let us know how it goes.