Toyota Tacoma

wgary1

My truck is 1998 Tacoma XTRA cab with the 2.4 litre 4 cyl engine, 5-SP transmission. I have a pinging problem when I attempt to use regular (87 or 89 octane) gas. The dealer's say it is a problem with all Tacoma 4 cylinders because of the close tolerances in the engine. They said with low octane gas, the carbon buildup causes the pinging. Is anyone else experiencing this problem? My truck has about 29000 miles on it, but it has been doing this since it was new. By the way, I have tried different brands of gas and I get the same results. Thanks for any advice. This is a great truck, but it's a little irritating having to buy premium gas when the owners manual says to use regular.

countsmackula1

Your dealer is pulling your chain...trust me. I had an '89 with the 2.4 and it did the same thing . It is in the nature of any large-bore(over 2 liters) 4-cylinder to run a litle rough and ping ever so slightly compared to six and eight cylinder engines. However, you have nothing to worry about. 87 octane will do just fine. I had 224,000 miles on mine when I sold it. I see it on the street to this very day( no telling how many miles now!!) The dealer is coming up with an explantion that they think will suit you-- however they are partially right in saying the design is on purpose--you sacrifice a tiny bit of smoothness for longevity, and that's worth its weight in gold.. Hope that helps.

ebbgreatdane

Just wondering if anyone has any news?

PF_Flyer

Just trying to keep from having too many topics that are duplicates...

This one can continue over in:

Are you Happy with Tacoma - Part II

PF Flyer

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