hey guy's live in australia got a 305 tbi camaro 89 auto

not many people know about these cars here so i thought you guy's could help

itd just clocked 100,000 miles (all stock )and has started pinging unde light load

i've already set the timing to 0* as per specs & changed the plugs and tried the old water down the throttle body trick

is there anything i should check or are there any common problems that they suffer from ?

any help would be apreciated thanks guy's

 

check for proper operation of the egr valve. you need apply vacuum to the valve directly at idle and note any change with idle speed/sound. if no change then possible that diaphram has ruptured and loss of applied vacuum would be showing on vac pump guage, or the egr passages in the intake/heads could be clogged. you haven't by chance installed headers have you? you may need to install the lower backpressure one. can't remember the application right off hand that allows more flow. You could even have a fuel pressure issue. does it "fall on its face" at wide open throttle or just ping under light load.

and welcome to TGO

 

Mine has had at least a small amount of pinging pretty much since I bought it in March '06. More at times than others. I had my IAT sensor out of place for a while sue to my dual snorkel air cleaner and I'm that had to due with some of it.
Instead of water, try a top engine cleaner like GM's top engine cleaner or Seafoam. Make sure you are also using quality gasoline. If nothing else maybe run slightly more octane, but be sure you are using at least 87... I'm not sure what you guys have down under.
What did you gap your plugs at? I'm not even sure if that matters but when I recently replaced mine I gapped them slightly larger and it has pinged less since then. I think I gapped them at .040".

 

So, say if I just installed a Low Backpressure Exhaust system, and left the Stock EGR alone. I would have problems with pinging/falling on its face at WOT?

 

I doubt it. I have headers and a 3" cat-back with no cat. Not much back pressure. My EGR works fine and my performance is great.

 

Just so you guys know, the stock ecm listens and hears knock way before you could ever hear it. So if knock is getting bad enough for your to hear then there is probably something wrong with your knock sensor or it's just something rattling under the car.

 

This may sound Retarded. Ive never changed a Knock sensor... Thats not the retarded part. Will Coolant or oil come out when changing a knock sensor?

 

KS is screwed into block drain hole - it is always in contact with coolant per-see. Get a bucket handy.

//RF

 

no ive had some vehicles be sensative to proper low speed egr flow with some header packages. some egr valve applications are more sensative than others to higher or lower threshold opening vacuums and some others have preasure differential valves inside them to help start egr flow. as i stated i dont remember how to decipher the marks on the different valves. the lt1 valves for example come in 6 different "flavors"

any changes aussie?