i have an 89 rs 2.8 AUTO O/D and it idles rough and pings when i go up hills , also stalls ocasonaly . ive replaced the cap, rotor , plugs , wires ,coil , icm and checked the fuel psi(30) and the timing (12)but still the same thing . it seems to be worse when the car is warm . im stumped any help would be the **** . thanks ,

 

I have not checked my sticker lately cuz the car is still in storage but I have recently read a lot of talk on this board about the 2.8's needing 10*. Not sure, could 2* make that much difference??? I can't really answer that one.

One thing I would check though is the computer for codes. The ESC module comes to mind. It is supposed to retard timing and get rid of the pinging. I guess, along with that, the knock sensor could be a potential culprit to??? There is a procedure in the manuals for testing the ESC module

Hope this helps, at least for raising possibilities anyway.

 

for one, your fuel pressure is too low

thats causing your pinging, because you are running lean

 

hook up your fuel pressure gauge and blip the throttle, if pressure changes under throttle variance, your fuel pressure regulator is (probably) OK


change your fuel filter, and if fuel pressure is still low, you need a new fuel pump

 

mine was doing that to, what octane gas do u run, 87 right? so did i and it pinged and sounded like your everyday cheap car,then i used 89 gas one time, it was alot better didnt ping much, then i used 93, didnt ping at all, give that a try, but also run it pretty empty, dont mix like a half tank of 87 and a half 93..lol to me that kinda defeats the purpose..might not i dont know about fuel much

 

I tend to go with 1991tealRSt-topGuy on this one. Your pressure is too low and it'll make you run lean, which will raise the cylider temp and make your A/F mixture go pop before it's supposed to. Change the filter, I bet that's the problem, and if not, it's worth it just to do anyway.

 

regardless of how well the car ran on 93 octane, your car was designed for 87, hence there is something amiss...........

 

im pretty sure my owners manual says it runs best on 89, i could be wrong though

 

just looked at the owner's manual. 87 octane it is.

 

well i run mine on 89 anyway

 

well how much psi should i be getting? btw i use 89 octane .

 

you should have 45 PSI with the key in the "on" position

 

Set the timing back to the stock 10*. When you timing is advanced and you are still running low octane gas you will get pinging. Not very good. I say either run higher octane gas or retard your timing.