the strangest sonata ping resolution.

[JustinH]

I have had my sonata for a few years, and put about 40k miles on it.

Since I purchased it used, it has pinged horribly on 87 octane. I have put new plugs in it, changed to top tier gas, changed PVC, and sprayed DI cleaner into the running engine. Absolutely nothing had worked, but putting 93 octane in the vehicle.

So about 4 weeks ago I had a battery fail on me, thankfully in my home driveway.

I replaced with a walmart battery. So I pulled the leaking battery out of the car, and brought it to walmart to give them the core.

Ever since I put the new battery in the car, it has not pinged once. I have ran about 4-5 tanks of regular 87 through the car, from Sams Club.

Obviously the battery output has nothing to do with pinging, but is it possible that the ECU had relearned a different strategy when it was reset by pulling the battery out for about an hour?

This thing has me baffled but I'm not complaining. The weather has been very hot all week, and I have been listening closely to the engine. I didn't hear a hint of spark knock.

Car just turned 60k miles the other day, I'm about to pay it off and keep driving..

 

[demarpaint]

I think you nailed it when you said it the ECU relearned a different strategy.

 

[VeryNoisyPoet]

If something isn't working right, shut off the power and turn it back on. Works for PCs, phones, cars, and more.

 

[Nick1994]

Very strange. I put a new battery in mine in October. It was the original 3-1/2 year old AGM battery, I replaced with an Exide Extreme 40 month warranty for $140 from Parts Authority, rather than a $240 AGM. Didn't change how it ran, other than starting quicker.

 

[E150GT]

Hmmmmmm. I have the same issue with my Skyactiv Mazda. I might disconnect the battery and let it re-learn,..

 

[gathermewool]

If it didn’t adapt before, then the likelihood of your pinging returning is high.

Anything with logic has the chance of glitching, however. I hope it was a glitch.

 

[oldhp]

Almost sounds like your driving it too easy. The ECU will keep advancing timing and trimming fuel until it matches your driving style. Go blow the cobs out of it once a week. Can't hurt..........and it's fun to hear it roar.

 

[nap]

If the knocking reappears after a while I would suggest checking the knock sensors and wiring. The car will keep modifying the timing until it senses that knocking starts to happen. However if the sensor is faulty, the ECU will think everything is fine and will modify timing even more.

Alternatively there were some corrupted values in some battery backed up memory and by disconnecting the battery you forced the car to reinitialize / recalculate them. If this is the case then your fix will be of lasting effect.

 

[wemay]

This is very interesting. My previous Sonata pinged under 87 as well. I changed the plugs and my pinging went away. But i also changed the battery around that same month. Because it still had 93 octane in the tank for some time after the plug change, i chalked it up to that. But your post brings it to my attention that it very well may have been the battery instead. I wonder.

 

[knerml]

Originally Posted By: JustinH
Ever since I put the new battery in the car, it has not pinged once. I have ran about 4-5 tanks of regular 87 through the car, from Sams Club.

Obviously the battery output has nothing to do with pinging, but is it possible that the ECU had relearned a different strategy when it was reset by pulling the battery out for about an hour?


Hyundai/Kia crank positioning sensors are sensitive to low voltages.

My Sorento's engine started running rough and had a CEL P0335.

Came across a bulletin from Hyundai that low voltage can cause this problem, so replaced battery. Problem went away.

 

[Yah-Tah-Hey]

Originally Posted By: VeryNoisyPoet
If something isn't working right, shut off the power and turn it back on. Works for PCs, phones, cars, and more.
And Spectrum's (TW) cable box periodically. The &^%$#^&%$ thing never starts or shuts down the same. Always a surprise waiting when I press the power button.