Thread: 98 Grand Prix GTP Pinging going up hills

Well I own a GTP and know these things have coils but back in the day when it was distributors and points pinging was from the timing when you was advancing until it pinged then turned back to retard it. How many miles are on your car? Do you get on it at all? have you ever checked the timing chain for stretch or the dampener? Like I said before not sure but pinging to me is a timing issue if your timing is off do to wear it would ping and possibly overheat under heavy load as it is working harder and having a timing issue.

Or could be your pinging cause of timing under heavy load and your overheating do to thermostat not opening all the way up when it's needed under that load. You dont see it in town cause your on level roads for the most part so thermostat does not have to open up all the way and you don't have the hard uphill load on the engine.

Originally Posted by sdogg201

Well I own a GTP and know these things have coils but back in the day when it was distributors and points pinging was from the timing when you was advancing until it pinged then turned back to retard it. How many miles are on your car? Do you get on it at all? have you ever checked the timing chain for stretch or the dampener? Like I said before not sure but pinging to me is a timing issue if your timing is off do to wear it would ping and possibly overheat under heavy load as it is working harder and having a timing issue.

Oh, jeez, I hadn't thought of this. How often have you changed your oil? You said you've owned this car since new - have you taken care of the oil? Because the timing chain is one of the first components of an engine to complain about a lifetime of poopy oil. What I don't know is if a stretchy chain will advance or retard the timing. Someone else will have to chime in on that one.

Still primarily a coolant issue, though.

Just to clarify, Denver is 5280 ft. The top of the pass 11000ft that I used to fly up. Let say we start about 5600ft (near Golden CO.), I'm not even make 6200ft up the pass before it ping and then overheats. I really appreciate everyones help! It not like I haven't had it to a mechanic, I have like three times for this.

ak

Originally Posted by awk409ak

Just to clarify, Denver is 5280 ft. The top of the pass 11000ft that I used to fly up. Let say we start about 5600ft (near Golden CO.), I'm not even make 6200ft up the pass before it ping and then overheats. I really appreciate everyones help! It not like I haven't had it to a mechanic, I have like three times for this.

ak

".... but no one's checked the thermostat, so I'll start with that next."

Originally Posted by awk409ak

Just to clarify, Denver is 5280 ft. The top of the pass 11000ft that I used to fly up. Let say we start about 5600ft (near Golden CO.), I'm not even make 6200ft up the pass before it ping and then overheats. I really appreciate everyones help! It not like I haven't had it to a mechanic, I have like three times for this.

ak

like I said IF and im saying IF it was timing the only way to determine its a loose/stretch chain or bad dampener is a visual inspection. only other way would be hooking it up driving it up the hill and seeing what the timing is doing to see if it actually is faulting enough to make it ping under that load you would have to recreate that condition. The over heating I believe is a separate issue. If it's pinging first then timing if it's pinging after overheating then I would go with what scotty said. The loss of power that you have noticed seems to be would be timing in this case.