Got reflash... still pinging...on 94

Waltsacura · 08-18-2003, 10:31 PM

took delivery end of june, had pinging from the get go, ran Sunoco 94 and itpinged away down low. Tried adding 5 gal of 100 unleaded octane. Pinging stopped for a couple days... then came back. Drove gently for the first 1000 miles. Got the reflash at around 750 miles a few weeks ago. Now I have ~2300 miles, still pings AFTER the reflash running nothing other than sunoco 94. This is damn annoying. I Love this car...it's awesome...except for this stupid ping. (plus the fact that I can't set the shift light from the lame 4500 RPM level I had it set at during break in, but that's quite minor). Is there a possibility they thought they reflashed my ECU but didn't? What can I do? Anyone else having this happen?

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RichQY · 08-18-2003, 11:03 PM

omg!!!

mine pinged from the get go

there might be different EcU s then.

cuz many people said they only ping on WOT. 4-5 K rpm

mine pings in 3K rpm and on non heatsoaked mild uphill runs

RichQY · 08-18-2003, 11:03 PM

i took delivery in late July........

spool1536 · 08-18-2003, 11:05 PM

Not sure if this is really a big help, but I have NOT had good results with Sunoco 94. I've done much better with Amoco/BP 93.

calworld · 08-18-2003, 11:27 PM

I ping ping ping too...so freaking annoying GOD DAMN IT
Don't want my engine to break down...!!!
Anyway, I may be trading in for MY2005

Waltsacura · 08-18-2003, 11:58 PM

The dealership put Texaco 93 when I took delivery and it was pinging on that too.

XT6Wagon · 08-19-2003, 01:13 AM

You know, maybe something is actualy wrong with just YOUR car, and you or your dealer needs to look into it.

They should look over all the vac lines and intake hose connections to make sure there isn't a leak. They should check the plugs for damage and correct gap. Etc.

I don't get ANY detonation on 91 in 100+ temps. I don't get detonation when I ran 19psi till the boost cut bit me in the... I don't get detonation when I use the A/C right till just before I launch for a autoX run, then run 17psi on my nice and no where near cool I/C.

happasaiyan · 08-19-2003, 06:50 AM

yeah, something just seems funny. my car never pings, and with some of the 95* + 80% humidity days weve had here, you would think after sitting in traffic for an hour, the car would ping. nope. there has to be some underlying problem here...or something theyre not telling us.

honestly, it sounds like your car was NOT reflashed. how long did they have your car?

robmarch · 08-19-2003, 07:57 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Waltsacura
(plus the fact that I can't set the shift light from the lame 4500 RPM level I had it set at during break in, but that's quite minor). Is there a possibility they thought they reflashed my ECU but didn't? What can I do? Anyone else having this happen?

1. yes, it's possible you weren't reflashed.

2. why can't you reset your shift light? are you following the procedure in the owners' manual? If this isn't working, maybe you have a bad ECU.

dlowman · 08-19-2003, 09:10 AM

I had the reflash and havent had a single ping since.

Waltsacura · 08-19-2003, 12:30 PM

The car was in for the reflash for a little less than a week. They sent ECU out on Tuesday and it was back in my car on Friday.

Yes I know how to set the shift light... i set it to 4500 originally remember? i had it set on 4K for a bit and that was damn annoying so I went to move it up to 4500 and it wouldn;t werk. I tried again later and I got it to werk... but now no matter how many times i try it won;t acknowledge that I'm trying to change it.

How the hell could a vaccume hose or spark plug have anything to do with my problem? It's undoubtedly the ECU. I had the ECU replaced on my 01RS too... I think Subaru ECU's hate me.

I'll try and run some different fuel and see what that does.

It isn't doing it nearly a much as it was before the flash and sometimes it's worse than others.

i know that some people have Sti's that don;t ping... and I know others have had pinging that was corrrected by the Reflash... I want to know how many people are in the same boat as me.

I'm waiting for my mechanic to give me a call... I'll keep everyone posted as what happens.

XT6Wagon · 08-19-2003, 12:45 PM

Ok, if you don't know how the mechanical condition of the motor can cause issues with pinging... you don't need to be poking around under the hood trying to fix it.

just when you take it back in request that they check the sparkplug gap, check the vac hoses, and all the connections from the MAF to the TB.

robmarch · 08-19-2003, 12:56 PM

Didn't mean to upset you, just making sure you were the one that set it originally.

sounds like multiple things are wrong with the ECU. This is a point I'd emphasize to your service writer, so they can get you a new one.

Have a good one.

Mrsir · 08-19-2003, 02:21 PM

I use Mobil 93 octane and i have had 0 pinging issues to date (2400 miles)

Waltsacura · 08-19-2003, 04:06 PM

XT6Wagon: having grown up in a automotive/collision repair shop that specialized in subarus since I was a fetus I think I have a decent idea of what things are under my hood. I just don't understand how hoses or spark plug gaps have much to do with detonation, especially considering how things have changed with different things I have done. And I'm quite sure with the wonderful electronic systems in our cars the MAF sensor being unpluged from the throttle body would throw a CE light or at least a code. This seems to me like an ECU thing, and I'm not overly inclined to go grasping at straws. I guess it's possible though and I did ask for opinions.

robmarch: Not upset in any way shape or form, sorry if I came across harsh, but I knew someone was going to say that.

Talked to my mechanic, he said no one else has had this happen after the reflash (go figure) . Gonna take it in and have him look at the shift light thing soon, hopefully we can take it out for a little ride and I can have him listen to the det. (but if it prolly won't do it when he's with me... and it will start up again once I drive home, that's usually how it werks). For now I guess I'll just turn my radio up till the problem "goes away"

XT6Wagon · 08-19-2003, 06:58 PM

Proves my point. Sure you can replace stuff, but you seem to have NO IDEA WHY stuff works.

Just trust me that if you are having a knock problem still its very likely NOT to be the ECU since the reflash didn't do jack.

Just do me a favor and check the plugs and for any vac leaks.

Porter · 08-19-2003, 07:24 PM

Everyone who has had the reflash from our dealer has remarked that there is a noticeable change in how the car drives, that it's now a much more linear response. If you didn't notice a difference in drivability and "feel", there's a chance the reflash wasn't actually loaded on your ECM. PM me if you want more info on how to follow up or verify this.

z · 08-19-2003, 11:29 PM

disconnect the negative on the battery and that should reset the ecu.

maybe your local refinery is passing off 91 as 93 or 94 thinking no one will know the difference. have you gotten gas anywhere besides the immediate area? because your whole area probably gets their gas from the same refinery.

I've ran shell 93 and Sunoco 94 and had no problems (yet, hopefully never)
I just got my car last week so hopefully it won't start pinging later like many.
only 350 miles so far but i've definately opened it up a bunch of times to see if i've got the pings. so far so good.
good luck.
z

peczenij · 08-19-2003, 11:54 PM

When flashing EEPROMs, you first write the new data (program).
After that, you must save the data to save it (write to EEPROM).
If they missed that step, the program they installed into yours would have been lost after they disconnected it from the bench power source... An easy mistake. The dealer should be able to read which version/configuration you have. Good luck!

Waltsacura · 08-20-2003, 11:47 AM

I've tried many gas stations locally and some from here to Western NY.

I'm nearly certain that down at SOA they were reflashing the ECU's after they installed them in Sti's... not on a bench. Not that this makes any difference.

I have been trying to hear pinging the last couple days and haven't heard a thing. I hate electronic werk.

peczenij:
Good call on reading what version the ECU is at the dealership... that is on my list for when I get up to the dealer later this week, thanx

staticx313 · 08-20-2003, 08:04 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by XT6Wagon
I don't get ANY detonation on 91 in 100+ temps. I don't get detonation when I ran 19psi till the boost cut bit me in the... I don't get detonation when I use the A/C right till just before I launch for a autoX run, then run 17psi on my nice and no where near cool I/C.

I was giong to pm you about this, but your box is full. Are you running 19psi on 91 gas without a problem? Dang thats exciting, I cant wait to bump up the boost when I get an eBC or MBC or something. How are you doing this btw? are you using a MBc? EBC? or ECU? or what? Thanks!

Robert~

XT6Wagon · 08-20-2003, 09:08 PM

The local stations here have 92 octane and it was 75 out when I did that run. 17 psi is the max you can run for extended time. The ECU will tolerate more than 17psi only for a couple of seconds. Which is nice as that way if you get a little spike before it settles down into trailing boost you can still use 17psi for the start of the trailling. I use the Greddy E-01 EBC which is nice as it can use many different units including PSI for its display and autotune. Bad part is that the Autotune doesn't work given the car's boost trailing, and there is no gearbased boost tuning so you have to settle for low boost in the lower gears and from a dead stop and high boost on the highway pulls and high gears (5th and 6th).

staticx313 · 08-20-2003, 09:29 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by XT6Wagon
The local stations here have 92 octane and it was 75 out when I did that run. 17 psi is the max you can run for extended time. The ECU will tolerate more than 17psi only for a couple of seconds. Which is nice as that way if you get a little spike before it settles down into trailing boost you can still use 17psi for the start of the trailling. I use the Greddy E-01 EBC which is nice as it can use many different units including PSI for its display and autotune. Bad part is that the Autotune doesn't work given the car's boost trailing, and there is no gearbased boost tuning so you have to settle for low boost in the lower gears and from a dead stop and high boost on the highway pulls and high gears (5th and 6th).

thank you. How much do you think the system can handle if runing racing fuel? (toulene\Xylene - 95-97, Race gas 100+, etc) thanks!

Robert~

XT6Wagon · 08-20-2003, 09:34 PM

I'd wait to see what the tuners like. The ECU may or may not be pulling timing at those levels. If its not then race gas will not do anything. Also it may be that this turbo will be very tricky to get just right as the STi does have a big motor and that might be pulling it too far off the efficency island.

08-18-2003, 10:31 PM	#1
Waltsacura Scooby Newbie Member#: 813 Join Date: Jan 2000 Chapter/Region: Tri-State Location: Philadelphia, PA 19440 Vehicle: 07 Outback Silver	Got reflash... still pinging...on 94 took delivery end of june, had pinging from the get go, ran Sunoco 94 and itpinged away down low. Tried adding 5 gal of 100 unleaded octane. Pinging stopped for a couple days... then came back. Drove gently for the first 1000 miles. Got the reflash at around 750 miles a few weeks ago. Now I have ~2300 miles, still pings AFTER the reflash running nothing other than sunoco 94. This is damn annoying. I Love this car...it's awesome...except for this stupid ping. (plus the fact that I can't set the shift light from the lame 4500 RPM level I had it set at during break in, but that's quite minor). Is there a possibility they thought they reflashed my ECU but didn't? What can I do? Anyone else having this happen? * Registered users of the site do not see these ads.

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08-18-2003, 11:03 PM	#2
RichQY Scooby Specialist Member#: 31948 Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: SoCal Vehicle: 2004 STi Aspen White	omg!!! mine pinged from the get go there might be different EcU s then. cuz many people said they only ping on WOT. 4-5 K rpm mine pings in 3K rpm and on non heatsoaked mild uphill runs

08-18-2003, 11:05 PM	#4
spool1536 Scooby Newbie Member#: 39724 Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: East Coast Vehicle: 04 WRX STI Silver	Not sure if this is really a big help, but I have NOT had good results with Sunoco 94. I've done much better with Amoco/BP 93.

08-18-2003, 11:27 PM	#5
calworld Scooby Specialist Member#: 5711 Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Bentonville, AR Vehicle: 2004 STI WRB	I ping ping ping too...so freaking annoying GOD DAMN IT Don't want my engine to break down...!!! Anyway, I may be trading in for MY2005

08-18-2003, 11:58 PM	#6
Waltsacura Scooby Newbie Member#: 813 Join Date: Jan 2000 Chapter/Region: Tri-State Location: Philadelphia, PA 19440 Vehicle: 07 Outback Silver	The dealership put Texaco 93 when I took delivery and it was pinging on that too.

08-19-2003, 01:13 AM	#7
XT6Wagon Scooby Specialist Member#: 524 Join Date: Nov 1999 Location: WA Vehicle: 04 STi White	You know, maybe something is actualy wrong with just YOUR car, and you or your dealer needs to look into it. They should look over all the vac lines and intake hose connections to make sure there isn't a leak. They should check the plugs for damage and correct gap. Etc. I don't get ANY detonation on 91 in 100+ temps. I don't get detonation when I ran 19psi till the boost cut bit me in the... I don't get detonation when I use the A/C right till just before I launch for a autoX run, then run 17psi on my nice and no where near cool I/C.

08-19-2003, 06:50 AM	#8
happasaiyan Scooby Specialist Member#: 37731 Join Date: Jun 2003 Chapter/Region: MWSOC Location: Rolling Meadows, IL Vehicle: '07 TL-S 6MT '07 RDX-T	yeah, something just seems funny. my car never pings, and with some of the 95* + 80% humidity days weve had here, you would think after sitting in traffic for an hour, the car would ping. nope. there has to be some underlying problem here...or something theyre not telling us. honestly, it sounds like your car was NOT reflashed. how long did they have your car?

08-19-2003, 09:10 AM	#10
dlowman Scooby Specialist Member#: 22998 Join Date: Aug 2002 Vehicle: 2004 WRX STi GT35R 572 whp 93/meth	I had the reflash and havent had a single ping since.

08-19-2003, 12:30 PM	#11
Waltsacura Scooby Newbie Member#: 813 Join Date: Jan 2000 Chapter/Region: Tri-State Location: Philadelphia, PA 19440 Vehicle: 07 Outback Silver	The car was in for the reflash for a little less than a week. They sent ECU out on Tuesday and it was back in my car on Friday. Yes I know how to set the shift light... i set it to 4500 originally remember? i had it set on 4K for a bit and that was damn annoying so I went to move it up to 4500 and it wouldn;t werk. I tried again later and I got it to werk... but now no matter how many times i try it won;t acknowledge that I'm trying to change it. How the hell could a vaccume hose or spark plug have anything to do with my problem? It's undoubtedly the ECU. I had the ECU replaced on my 01RS too... I think Subaru ECU's hate me. I'll try and run some different fuel and see what that does. It isn't doing it nearly a much as it was before the flash and sometimes it's worse than others. i know that some people have Sti's that don;t ping... and I know others have had pinging that was corrrected by the Reflash... I want to know how many people are in the same boat as me. I'm waiting for my mechanic to give me a call... I'll keep everyone posted as what happens.

08-19-2003, 12:45 PM	#12
XT6Wagon Scooby Specialist Member#: 524 Join Date: Nov 1999 Location: WA Vehicle: 04 STi White	Ok, if you don't know how the mechanical condition of the motor can cause issues with pinging... you don't need to be poking around under the hood trying to fix it. just when you take it back in request that they check the sparkplug gap, check the vac hoses, and all the connections from the MAF to the TB.

08-19-2003, 12:56 PM	#13
robmarch Scooby Specialist Member#: 18713 Join Date: May 2002 Chapter/Region: MAIC Location: Time is the Enemy Vehicle: 06 CRV 04 STi	Didn't mean to upset you, just making sure you were the one that set it originally. sounds like multiple things are wrong with the ECU. This is a point I'd emphasize to your service writer, so they can get you a new one. Have a good one.

08-19-2003, 02:21 PM	#14
Mrsir Scooby Newbie Member#: 12720 Join Date: Nov 2001 Chapter/Region: SWIC Location: Not Maine anymore! Vehicle: 2008 Porsche Cayman S - Red	I use Mobil 93 octane and i have had 0 pinging issues to date (2400 miles)

08-19-2003, 04:06 PM	#15
Waltsacura Scooby Newbie Member#: 813 Join Date: Jan 2000 Chapter/Region: Tri-State Location: Philadelphia, PA 19440 Vehicle: 07 Outback Silver	XT6Wagon: having grown up in a automotive/collision repair shop that specialized in subarus since I was a fetus I think I have a decent idea of what things are under my hood. I just don't understand how hoses or spark plug gaps have much to do with detonation, especially considering how things have changed with different things I have done. And I'm quite sure with the wonderful electronic systems in our cars the MAF sensor being unpluged from the throttle body would throw a CE light or at least a code. This seems to me like an ECU thing, and I'm not overly inclined to go grasping at straws. I guess it's possible though and I did ask for opinions. robmarch: Not upset in any way shape or form, sorry if I came across harsh, but I knew someone was going to say that. Talked to my mechanic, he said no one else has had this happen after the reflash (go figure) . Gonna take it in and have him look at the shift light thing soon, hopefully we can take it out for a little ride and I can have him listen to the det. (but if it prolly won't do it when he's with me... and it will start up again once I drive home, that's usually how it werks). For now I guess I'll just turn my radio up till the problem "goes away"

08-19-2003, 06:58 PM	#16
XT6Wagon Scooby Specialist Member#: 524 Join Date: Nov 1999 Location: WA Vehicle: 04 STi White	Proves my point. Sure you can replace stuff, but you seem to have NO IDEA WHY stuff works. Just trust me that if you are having a knock problem still its very likely NOT to be the ECU since the reflash didn't do jack. Just do me a favor and check the plugs and for any vac leaks.

08-19-2003, 07:24 PM	#17
Porter NASIOC Supporter Member#: 486 Join Date: Nov 1999 Chapter/Region: MAIC Location: Roanoke, VA Vehicle: 2004 Forester XT bug spattered	Everyone who has had the reflash from our dealer has remarked that there is a noticeable change in how the car drives, that it's now a much more linear response. If you didn't notice a difference in drivability and "feel", there's a chance the reflash wasn't actually loaded on your ECM. PM me if you want more info on how to follow up or verify this.

08-19-2003, 11:29 PM	#18
z Scooby Specialist Member#: 41762 Join Date: Aug 2003 Chapter/Region: International Location: House of Pancakes Vehicle: 04 STi CT-DE-FL rinse+repeat	disconnect the negative on the battery and that should reset the ecu. maybe your local refinery is passing off 91 as 93 or 94 thinking no one will know the difference. have you gotten gas anywhere besides the immediate area? because your whole area probably gets their gas from the same refinery. I've ran shell 93 and Sunoco 94 and had no problems (yet, hopefully never) I just got my car last week so hopefully it won't start pinging later like many. only 350 miles so far but i've definately opened it up a bunch of times to see if i've got the pings. so far so good. good luck. z

08-19-2003, 11:54 PM	#19
peczenij Scooby Newbie Member#: 16791 Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Pennsylvania Vehicle: 2004 WRX STi WRBlue	When flashing EEPROMs, you first write the new data (program). After that, you must save the data to save it (write to EEPROM). If they missed that step, the program they installed into yours would have been lost after they disconnected it from the bench power source... An easy mistake. The dealer should be able to read which version/configuration you have. Good luck!

08-20-2003, 11:47 AM	#20
Waltsacura Scooby Newbie Member#: 813 Join Date: Jan 2000 Chapter/Region: Tri-State Location: Philadelphia, PA 19440 Vehicle: 07 Outback Silver	I've tried many gas stations locally and some from here to Western NY. I'm nearly certain that down at SOA they were reflashing the ECU's after they installed them in Sti's... not on a bench. Not that this makes any difference. I have been trying to hear pinging the last couple days and haven't heard a thing. I hate electronic werk. peczenij: Good call on reading what version the ECU is at the dealership... that is on my list for when I get up to the dealer later this week, thanx

08-20-2003, 09:08 PM	#22
XT6Wagon Scooby Specialist Member#: 524 Join Date: Nov 1999 Location: WA Vehicle: 04 STi White	The local stations here have 92 octane and it was 75 out when I did that run. 17 psi is the max you can run for extended time. The ECU will tolerate more than 17psi only for a couple of seconds. Which is nice as that way if you get a little spike before it settles down into trailing boost you can still use 17psi for the start of the trailling. I use the Greddy E-01 EBC which is nice as it can use many different units including PSI for its display and autotune. Bad part is that the Autotune doesn't work given the car's boost trailing, and there is no gearbased boost tuning so you have to settle for low boost in the lower gears and from a dead stop and high boost on the highway pulls and high gears (5th and 6th).

08-20-2003, 09:34 PM	#24
XT6Wagon Scooby Specialist Member#: 524 Join Date: Nov 1999 Location: WA Vehicle: 04 STi White	I'd wait to see what the tuners like. The ECU may or may not be pulling timing at those levels. If its not then race gas will not do anything. Also it may be that this turbo will be very tricky to get just right as the STi does have a big motor and that might be pulling it too far off the efficency island.