it sure can ping on cheap low octane fuel and a dead EGR, for sure. all you can do is:
fix EGR (needs a working CAT. (not catalyst wise), but back-pressure wise it must be there for EGR modulator to work)
better fuel.
but ping is lean caused too, and if that lean the car will bog, not misfire but lost power, bog. lean burn causes huge power loss.
also Ping wrecks pistons. (a.k.a Detonation and KNOCK )
also see one car the G16 head was milled 5 times and CR is huge and can not stop ping, poor guy in Venezuela ( no spare part get him here) not you compression is low. for sealevel are you? if not tell altitude. (matters over 500ft)
or retard spark a degree or 2. to stop ping as we did in Venezuela guy, adds 2 tests adds to more retarded.
there is no way to test spark driving and that is when things bad happen. (or I can with battery scope and hood of car removed, yah done it)
keep in mind cheap carbon-core spark wires flexed or shake hard, can happen driving only and fail but I bet not here.
that is why OBD2 P0-300 to P0304 was invented for OBD2, MISFIRE> try misfire means ,one or more cylinders went dead for spark of injection failures.
98 tracker is OBD2 car (96+ USA) and reports misfire if you monitor pending driving and for sure misfiring.
if no P030x codes pop that mean it is not misfiring enough to lose power, makes sense no?
it mean the EFI is grossly lean., even simple injectors partially clogged....
did this car ever have bad fuel, if yes the injectors are now suspected , for sure all signs of lean. or MAF is near dead.
key evidence possible and or common, for lean burn.
1: no power, or 1/2 or weak power on hills and WOT weak power.
2: lean burn , pinging (yes), all engines ping if too lean and EGR dead. and EGR is dead P0400 proves that. rich engine can not ping !
3: no P030x codes ever (dome fuse NOT MISSING OR BLOWN) and looking at pending's driving , no P03xx codes at all and engine bogs the engine is lean.
bog is not misfire, it is gross lean burn power loss, also ping = power loss too, gross.. lean + ping = double power loss!!!!!
4: spark tips are white not black so is one clue of lean burn or normal , for sure not rich black top flooding crazy rich.
5: maf weak output, is lean burn. easy to test. and clean to fix.
6: is the CKP crank sensor missing?,. no 91 car has a CKP so did that go missing to the harness just below front crank pulley? but it would do DTC P03xx code.
7: best if all true above is diagnose power loss and not misfire, bogging means like you walking in bog swap in hip boots and can not chase a moose. bogging or gross loss of power, and pinging. (as in the phrase I'm bogged down at work) on engine it is lean burn. lean burn causes huge power loss. and worse PING.
Do you have the cat, i can not see cars engine and things missing?
I do not think wrong ECU is it, but here are some facts in the FSM book.
why? well failsafe limphome , causes rich burn and no idle controls and super rich burning, and retarded spark. (spark tips go black , cat glows red hot)
we only know so far wrong ECU in car. AT in MT car, and this.
FSM
factory service manual on failsafe pages)
the 97 book shows this. (my tracker was all 97 MT end to end ) and never went lean or to falesafe.
My 96 came to me new to me dead EGR and was main seized.
FAILSAFE LIMPHOME causes in FSM BOOK quote.
MAF = P0102/103
IAT = P0112/113
ECT = P0117/118
TPS = P112/123
VSS1 = P0500 ( speedo vss) Vehicle Speed sensor = VSS ( a crude backup sensor speed)
TR = P0705 (A/T Range shifter output in conflict)
VSS2 = P0720 ( 4sp Vss tail speed sensor dead) if this is the primary VSS sensor the PCM can bet real pissed off with this now missing.
SS#1 = P0753 (shift solenoid 1 bad)
SS#2 = P0758 (shift solenoid 2 bad)
TCC = P0743 (torque converter clutch malf)
,more lots more lean has many cause let me list those simply(more simple)
1: low fuel pressure < NO! FPR fixed so skipped in this list.
2: injectors clogged. can be. for sure bad fuel. (see many folks do every test in the book engine ,EFI and all, just to learn injectors had bad gas and bingo. fail.
3: dirty or bad MAF . if not...
4: or simply those pipes from MAF to intake leaking air all of that there, must not suck air , or lean it goes . ping + bog.
even injector cushions can leak air (bottom of injector to man) (vacuum leaks suck air and must not)
all gaskets there and every single air hose not leaking or sucking air, that means all and PCV hoses too must not be bad or cracked.
The engine must suck every drop of air from the MAF or all bets off.
This MAF Air meter most not lie for both reasons, maf not dirty and not one induction pipe of any kind leaking air. (sucking) all boots there too. ALL.
even main huge pipe mounts broken off the huge alum. induction pipe and sucking huge air like one i fixed.
this is no different from millions toyota's made with MAF sensors.
best clue so far is PING,
speaks loud to me,. mean engine is LEAN burn.
on turbo engines if the go lean under boost the engine explodes, (piston ,rods and crank gone)
the run them rich under boost to prevent ping detonation
on this car when you tip in the throttle with right toe the TPS signals this and AFR goes 12:1 not 14.7: 1, and max power mode and no ping rich.
yours is lean. only why remains.
ok one last trick ,unplug the maf see if engine makes lots of power
this is limphome mode. (and MAF DTC hard set for 0volts out)
if yes maf bad or air leaks in the induction
if not that, injectors are clogged (like 1/2 way)
