Originally Posted By: Drew99GT
You owe me a beer for that. 
Anytime you're up here I will buy you one, or if my work sends me to Denver Head Office for some reason I will look you up.
"Ping" issue Revistited- 2000 Corolla
- Thread starter panthermike
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Anytime you're up here I will buy you one, or if my work sends me to Denver Head Office for some reason I will look you up.
I pulled the plugs and took a peak.
Well, they are the correct plugs, NGK Iridium Lasers.
The tip is in good shape, and they have a whitish buildup on them. Does that mean anything?
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White build up ..as in borax with little grains? That could be coolant ..but not likely on all of them.
Mine typically have a beige tone to them ..with a "shaddow" (V) where the a:f charge blew across the insulator.
When you change go down a heat range.
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Originally Posted By: Gary Allan
White build up ..as in borax with little grains? That could be coolant ..but not likely on all of them.
Mine typically have a beige tone to them ..with a "shaddow" (V) where the a:f charge blew across the insulator.
When you change go down a heat range.
You should be able to get a colder plug... May have to call up NGK's tech line though...
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NGK PLUGS & WIRE SETS
PLUG GPSERIES BKR5EGP NGK7090 [1]
PLUG IXIRIDIUM BKR5EIX-11 NGK5464 [2]
PLUG PREMIUMPLATINUM BKR5EP-11 * [3]
PLUG PRERIUMIRIDIUM IFR5T11 ^ # [4]
PLUG STANDARD BKR5ES-11 NGK2382 [5]
PLUG VPOWER BKR5E-11 NGK6953 [6]
I can't get it to work (as in figuring it out) with the "NGK"# but the BKR's you should just have to move to a "7" (6, maybe 
) to go colder. Rather counter intuitive ..and counter to the way I would have done it "back in the day" for a regular plug.
) to go colder. Rather counter intuitive ..and counter to the way I would have done it "back in the day" for a regular plug.
Go with the coldest one they have... Toyota's run extremely lean as possible IMO and the colder plug would still offer a more than optimum combustion, but I think it would also stand a good chance at fixing your problem. 
I found out the next coldest plug; part #: 1FR6T11.
Someone on a Corolla board mentioned that a colder plug may foul out at idle and low speeds, any merit to this?
Well, I went to Checker and bought the above plugs; as per the NGK tech recommendation.
I was pleasantly surprised, they were supposed to be 7.99/plug. He said wait, new price 5.19, sweet!
I also added some octane booster w/ 89 Shell gas, to see if the ping subsides. It will be a little while before the plugs can go in.
Good Luck and keep us posted... I don't think you will have a problem with plug fouling unless you sit in traffic idling for excessive periods of time with poor quality gas. Also being in AZ your temps are high enough that you run clean burning most of the time IMO. 
UPDATE:
The tank of Shell 89 plus STP octane booster basically eliminated the ping, it pinged rarely. It came back once I went back to 87.
This morning, I changed the oil, installed the colder plugs, and THOROUGHLY cleaned the MAF sensor. I also reset the computer. The plugs had a red color to them, I'm guessing the MMO?
The ping is still there, it's a bit frusturating.
Any ideas on where I should look next. Other than the ping, the new plugs and MAF cleaning seemed to make the car run a little smoother(already ran smooth).
Disconnect both of your O2 sensors and drive around until at full operating temperature and your CEL is on... If it is eliminated or very rarely pings then I would think this (upstream 02) is your problem. It's leaning out the engine too much.
Also can you see what the timing is? Make sure it's in spec at parked idle at full operating temperature. Timing that is off (controlled by your ECU) can cause this too!
I can try the o2's, but the ping was there with the original sensors, as well as when both were replaced.
How is the timing checked on these cars?
Thanks for the reply.
Still disconnect the 02's if it gets better it could be the ECU. Disconnecting the 02's will cause it to run on factory programming and using other sensors to try and figure out the correct mixture. I forgot you replaced the 02's as mentioned above.
The timing is checked with a timing light attached to your battery, and the test lead attached to cylinder #1. Then you set the light to the timing degree as speced by Toyota (usually printed on the hood or in your owners manual) and you point it at a certain spot between the engine/transmission and look for a timing mark to line up with "0" You may have a plug covering this spot. Ask a Toyota dealer where it is if you aren't sure...
You can't get an ECU from a scrap-yard to try? This would eliminate that problem.. It really sounds like the ECU is mis-timing or putting the incorrect mixture in your engine. Either that or your VVTI Actuator is the culprit because this would advance/retard valve timing.
Would you happen to know it the VVT-i actuator is a dealer only part?
I don't know... I will do some research and see what I can turn up. I would hate for you to just replace it just because, until we know the problem.
What you could do is disconnect it. Run the car and boot it and see if the car performs the same. If it does then it's most likely bad. If it doesn't then it should be good.
I will be back in a few minutes with the answer on this part...
Cool, thanks!
Looks like a Toyota only part... Can't find it anywhere... From some of the forums I stumbled on it's pretty cheap anyways...
Thanks, I'll call Toyota when I have a chance and find out if there's a way to see if it's bad.
They have a test to see if it's bad by hooking it up to their scan tool and activating it at idle. If the cars engine starts running poorly then it's good, if there is no change it's bad or something along those lines... 10 Minute test!
Good Luck!
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