2015 V6 Spark Knock/Pinging

For those having this issue...what type of fuel are you running and what are your driving habits?

I run only Shell 87 and I drive about 2/3 highway and 1/3 city. My rig is a '15 built in May '15 in Mexico with 20k on the clock. As I mentioned earlier....never a knock or ping.

Just wondering if lots of stop and go city driving or a lower quality fuel or both could be leading to some sort of build up.

 

So I drove all afternoon without hearing a single spark knock. I turned the radio down and AC fan to off on several stops and corners to listen. Nothing but the normal sound of an engine. It was 93 degrees today when I was driving and I filled up with a fresh tank of BP 87 octane.

It is extremely obvious that the timing given by the ECU is way way more conservative. I would say I lost between 5 and 10% power/torque. Yes, I know that's 11 to 22 hp. Whatever was done it worked well to stop the knock. Last night when I drove it was 80 degrees at around 7:30 pm when I drove the truck and it felt like it always has as far as power. Somehow the knock sensor feedback is doing its job now and pulling timing when needed.

For all those with this problem, don't give up and don't let up if it's under warranty.

Don't let anyone tell you spark knock is normal.

I retract my statement below

and replace it with

They know it's fucked up and they fixed it with a known only to them solution. Also they do seem to provide good service at my dealer if you insist on it.

 

The master tech said all my cylinders had an equal amount of acceptable carbon in the chambers. In my particular case carbon build up was not the problem. I still say it was a software/knock sensor issue.

To answer your question, I have run mostly 87 octane and do 3/4 interstate and 3/16 city and 1/16 idling.

 

I feel like an Android phone....no update.

 

I think that there is a difference between no update and an unofficial update.

Officially I was told that there was no TSB/updated software for my truck.

I believe that some tweaking was done to the engine management system. There is no way in hell that the "carbon flushing" alone pulled all that timing from the engine. If the solution is a software flash and it is made official, as in a TSB, I'm betting that they have a calculated cost/loss associated with it (I know, I'm assuming a lot). It would be far more cost effective for Toyota and associated dealers to send away those who are less familiar with how an engine should operate with the tactics previously mentioned in this thread. Those like me that persist past the "It could be your dash rattling" bullshit end up seeing a master tech who applies a fix. That exact fix may be a reflash, fooling the ECU or a sensor into pulling the timing.

I have driven this truck for thousands of miles and I know that they have done something more than take a little soot off of the pistons.

 

Is the power loss very noticeable ?

 

I would love to take mine in but at this point I'm not even sure what to ask them to do.

 

The Master Tech called me yesterday to follow up with his work. I told him there was no knock at all and that they hit it out of the park with the fix. I specifically asked did they do anything with the engine management and he said that there was nothing that he could adjust even if he wanted to. I believe him (I know what I said a couple of posts up). I don't understand what was gunked up but it wasn't allowing the enigine management to operate correctly.

He told me the process they used was from something developed for the Lexus IS250 and IS350. He said when they came out with direct injection for these cars, that a lot of spark knock was reported. In summary there is a kit that is made for this process that contains a combustion chamber carbon remover solvent that sits there for twenty minutes or so to disolve the gunk. There is another solvent that is used while the engine is running that slowly is pulled in by the vaccum of the intake and that this cleans the intake tract and the back of the intake valve. He said that this second part was done twice for my truck.


He repeated that for my truck that there was not an abnormal amount of carbon in the chamber to begin with. That means my fix was something gunked up in the intake by process of elimination right?

I told him about the power loss. He said that the ECU is relearning and that if I wanted to I could remove both cables from the battery and touch the together for twenty minutes and that would reset the ecu by draining all the capacitors. We all know it doesn't take that long to drain a capacitor but I would still do what he said if you plan on trying this. I have not done it yet.

This guy knows his shit and I told him I wish I could have spoken to him right from the start.

 

Sounds like I need to take a ride to your state. Not sure if they know what to do here.

 

Been a while , so is your Tacoma still pinging Charles ?

 

Replace all Spark Plugs with Top of the Line NGK Irridiums and also run Top Tier Mid Grade or High Octane Fuel once in awhile ! No Ping or Knock !

 

Since the dealer ran essentially what is the "sea foam treatment" the knock subsided until this week. I can hear it again coming back softly during acceleration. Time for some more magic juice because the damn computer can't correct itself a little. If it says 87 you should be able to run 87 without knocking. Plenty of vehicles don't knock.

We just got a 2002 jeep WJ for $1600. It has the 4.7 V8 and 170k miles. It's a beast and doesn't knock. But the 30 some thousand dollar Tacoma does.........Fuck it, it's mine now, I've chopped and cut to fit 34's. At least the knobs on the tires drown out the pinging once you get going. I'm at a diner now waiting for my new SEMA 17x8 wheels to be mounted. Getting rid of the front wheel spacers is going to be great.

I will try those fancy plugs next time around and see what they do. Thanks

 

Sorry to hear it man. Be sure to keep updating this thread as you continue your battle... Keep fighting the good fight!

 

Hello guys,

I have been reading around several post since I have the same issue with my 2014 Tacoma with only 36k on it.

Yesterday I took to my local dealership and asked about the knocking noise. He said "Yes, your model is known for that, we are more than happy to try to update your ECU." So I had them change my spark plugs and update my ECU.

Finally no more knocking noise!

I live in NC so I walked out paying around $105 dollars just for the spark plugs because I didn't have the time to change them myself.

Hope this helps!

Kyle Land

 

Thanks for that Kyle. From what I understand the 2015 model has "different" programming and they have not released a flash for that. It would be nice if they did and I could do the same. Sitting at 54k miles now and the knock has returned big time.

I am glad for your fix and know how aggravating that must have been to hear your new truck pinging through the gears.

 

Try giving the dealership a shot, maybe it has a recall on the same issue the 2012-2014 models do and they didn't tell you. From my understanding the 2012-2014 ECU issue is a recall but they won't do anything UNLESS you tell them about it.

Hope this helps.

Open to any questions.

Kyle Land

 

We have these knock issues on old turbo Mitsubishi motors. You can run the richest afr and low timing but still get knock. Seafoaming the pistons to remove most carbon would fix most of it.

Ive been tuning cars for many years and a stock n/a car with no power adders is almost impossible to get knock issues on 91+ octane.

Now we run e85 and knock is non existent even running 30+ psi of boost and over 20* me timing.

What gets me is why so much carbon on a new motor. My 1990 400+whp Talon had clean pistons and never been seafoamed.

 

Interesting....my '15 never knocks or pings. I run Shell 87 E10. Just recently did the 30k mile service. I went with NGK G-Power plugs. No knock with those either.

 

I have an update for you guys on my knocking... on my last oil change I went full synthetic purely because I will
be towing a travel trailer and the knock disappeared. This was back in Feb. The weather is getting warmer for us
and the knock is starting to come back but very mildly. We'll see how it goes when we get into the summer.

 

Mine started pinging at about 78k miles. It only happened when the engine was under a heavy load below 1500rpm. I would just downshift and it would stop. I haven't been to the dealer to see about the update.

I ran a full can of Sea Foam spray into the intake a couple weeks ago and it went away immediately. It's been fine ever since.

I'll post again if it comes back.