My engine reached 220 to 230 degrees today in bad traffic, and after punching it on an uphill on-ramp, the 3.0 pinged from about 4K to 6K, before I let off. This happened in third and fourth gear under an uphill load. Later, when the motor cooled off to about 210 degrees, and while on flat ground, the same 4 to 6,000 RPM punching yielded no pinging.
I figure it's the heat, though I may be wrong. I have - at least - a trombone cooler on my engine, but plan to install a Carrera cooler later this month. However, are there other recommendations anyone can come up with to lower my engine temperatures? My own short list to cool things down and erradicate the pinging is:
1. Change from 30 wt oil to synthetic.
2. Add a can of octane with each new tank of 91-octane gas.
3. If accessible to me, add a couple gallons of race gas, which can be found around L.A. if one doesn't mind a drive.
My timing is set at OEM, but I will double-check that. BTW: this is an '83 3.0 with 9.3:1 compression - all stock except for '74 exhaust.
I'd like to rectify this problem before I fatally damage my pistons and any other related part. So, if anyone has additional suggestions, please pass them on.
Thanks.
