3.9 pinging

Have an 04 freestar with a 3.9 that pings under very little load conditions, have tried different octanes and different brands of gas and have had a pcmupdate as well as the octane set by the service department. Any ideas?

I havent seen enough of these to be familiar with them, but sounds like an EGR valve not doing it's job..

[leblar1]

I've had the same problem. I have a 2005 Freestar. It's been in the shop numerous times for this within the last year. The first two dealers couldn't hear it. The last retarded the timing after consulting the ford hotline. Still does it.

[kkreit01]

I also have a 04 Freestar 3.9 with pinging problems. I have never taken it back because ford pushrod motors are prone to this. My Explorer 4.0 OHV also pinged. The owners manual even stated that "minor engine knock is normal/fine". Mine only pings in the summer -- under a light load. I run a can of Seafoam through it -- which helps quite a bit. Seafoam was recommended when I had my Explorer. Seafoam runs about $5, and add it to your tank every 3000-5000 miles.

[coach3099]

Another 04 Freestar Owner here.
I have the same pinging problem, and it seems to do it even under the lightest of loads. This has occured ever since I bought the van with 0 miles on it. It does it in all weather conditions. I used to own a 3.8L Windstar which did the same thing.
I'm no expert by any stretch of the imagination, but I have a feeling this may be fairly typical with the ford minivan.
I'm taking the van in for a 20,000 mile service and will mention it to them at that time to see what they say about it. It may just be more of an irritation than it is a problem (hopefully). My "soccer kids" depend on it! ;o)
Other than that I have not had any other problems with the van, and I love it.

[leblar1]

Hey guys,

Had mine brought in 4 times for the same thing to 3 different dealers. The last time they advanced the timing some. It hasn't helped.

That noise is really aggravating

[CrankyFord]

Yep, wife's Freestar has a ping! Same thing, engine pings at highway speeds (near 70 mph) under very light loads (like a very modest incline). Changing to higher octane didn't seem to eliminate the proble. Has Ford got a solution? Other than the the ping, I really like the van. The ping is so aggrivating as I still drive an old Aerostar (3.0L) and it has plenty of torque and doestn't do this even though the power plant has less HP.

[Hissing Cobra]

My 3.9 L equipped '04 Freestar pings as well and this is the 2nd Ford in a row that pings during light throttle loads. My 1993 Ford Escort that I bought new did it too. I noticed that when I changed the spark plugs on that car, it would stop pinging for awhile. When it started to ping again, I'd change the plugs and it would be good for awhile. I kept that car for 189,000 miles and 13 years before I finally sold it 1.5 years ago.

On the Freestar, it only does it every now and then. I have yet to try and replace the plugs but plan to do so when I hear it pinging again. Currently, it has 58,000 miles on it.