Got my Track Key installed and now detonation?

[zero]

I stopped using my trackey all together. I can still hear detonation regardless of brands of fuel. I haven`t gone WOT under 3500 since hearing it when I first had it installed in the spring. I just tried it out yesterday as it`s been awhile and I could hear it at 4500 plus for a few seconds. Black key runs like a champ. If the aftermarket tuners had a tune that pinged with 91 people would saying it`s a sh*tty tune,.... but where this is a " ford racing product" it`s perfectly ok and normal.

 

[TMSBOSS]

I stopped using my trackey all together. I can still hear detonation regardless of brands of fuel. I haven`t gone WOT under 3500 since hearing it when I first had it installed in the spring. I just tried it out yesterday as it`s been awhile and I could hear it at 4500 plus for a few seconds. Black key runs like a champ. If the aftermarket tuners had a tune that pinged with 91 people would saying it`s a sh*tty tune,.... but where this is a " ford racing product" it`s perfectly ok and normal.

Nope...Not OK or Normal.

I have had zero issues with detonation when using the track key. Few others have reported same.

What does Ford Racing say when you call them?

Could be issues with your systems or the tune.

 

[zero]

I gonna go to my dealer next week and have them put the octane adjust to Y and see if that helps. It`s just there for a few seconds but bugs me thats it happens.
Why would ford racing have a tune out that is bad for your motor. I mean I know it's a slight ping but you should have no ping. Imagine if Bama or Lund or AED said yeah ping is normal with their tunes. They'd be out of business.

 

[CaliMR]

I only hear pinging on the red key when I am in the passenger seat, and even then it is pretty rare. I don't know if it is because I drive it different from other people (my gf is used to trucks so she keeps short shifting it) or if it is just doing it on the passenger side. I use gas from the same station exclusively unless I am on a road trip.

 

[Fastduo]

I recently had my track key installed and I experience detonation also. It has happened since day one of the install.
I mostly use Shell 93 as it is the most convenient station to my house but always use 93 no matter where I fuel up. I did call the dealer service dept and they advised to bring the car in to have the timing changed. I understood that this was a canned tune from Ford. How is the dealer going to adjust anything?
It doesn't only happen under hard accel. It happens during initial tip-in of the trottle and not only during full throttle blasts.
I doesn't happen using the silver key. I actually had forgotten about it until today. I was in a rush to get to work and I couldn't find my key so I grabbed the red key and took off. Sure enough, the ping is back again.

Has anyone actually been successful in getting this repaired by your local dealer?

 

[zero]

I recently had my track key installed and I experience detonation also. It has happened since day one of the install.
I mostly use Shell 93 as it is the most convenient station to my house but always use 93 no matter where I fuel up. I did call the dealer service dept and they advised to bring the car in to have the timing changed. I understood that this was a canned tune from Ford. How is the dealer going to adjust anything?
It doesn't only happen under hard accel. It happens during initial tip-in of the throttle and not only during full throttle blasts.
I doesn't happen using the silver key. I actually had forgotten about it until today. I was in a rush to get to work and I couldn't find my key so I grabbed the red key and took off. Sure enough, the ping is back again.

Has anyone actually been successful in getting this repaired by your local dealer?

Your experience is the same as mine, I had it from day one also and regardless of brand of premium gas it`s still there. I was going to get the dealer to go into the trackey settings and check the octane adjust to Y but couldn`t get in and was putting my car away for the winter. I will get it done this spring. I rarely have used my red key because of this.

I think more people would hear it if they didn`t remove the exhaust discs. Let me know if that cures it as I have to wait till spring.

 

[badasbullitt]

I recently had my track key installed and I experience detonation also. It has happened since day one of the install.
I mostly use Shell 93 as it is the most convenient station to my house but always use 93 no matter where I fuel up. I did call the dealer service dept and they advised to bring the car in to have the timing changed. I understood that this was a canned tune from Ford. How is the dealer going to adjust anything?
It doesn't only happen under hard accel. It happens during initial tip-in of the throttle and not only during full throttle blasts.
I doesn't happen using the silver key. I actually had forgotten about it until today. I was in a rush to get to work and I couldn't find my key so I grabbed the red key and took off. Sure enough, the ping is back again.

Has anyone actually been successful in getting this repaired by your local dealer?

Your experience is the same as mine, I had it from day one also and regardless of brand of premium gas it`s still there. I was going to get the dealer to go into the trackey settings and check the octane adjust to Y but couldn`t get in and was putting my car away for the winter. I will get it done this spring. I rarely have used my red key because of this.

I think more people would hear it if they didn`t remove the exhaust discs. Let me know if that cures it as I have to wait till spring.


Hello All,

I am still experiencing the detonation issue as well since day one. I just noticed the other day while I was driving the car pretty hard on take off that I noticed a plum of dark smoke from behind the car that occurred twice. When I got back home I switched the key back to silver and for a short second the engine was slightly on the red key tune and there was dark smoke but went away rapidly once it recognized the silver key. It looks as if the car is running rich.

I spoke with my service advisor who is a big time drag racer and says there is no word from Ford concerning this issue. He did mention disconnecting the battery just to see if that would correct anything. Has anyone tried this? Also, what is the octane adjust to Y?

 

[VoodooBoss]

You guys should check with your dealers as there is an updated TK tune. The originals as stated on the sticker ended in an 8 and the new tune ends in a 9. I'm not sure what it changes but it's worth inquiring about. My car is at my dealer now having my CEL and limp mode issues looked at along with my tranny/clutch issues. I expect them to install the new tune. There's also a new base tune on the way. See the thread below.

https://trackmustangsonline.com/boss-302-technical-forum/p0300-limp-mode-questionaire/

 

[ArizonaBOSS]

You guys should check with your dealers as there is an updated TK tune. The originals as stated on the sticker ended in an 8 and the new tune ends in a 9. I'm not sure what it changes but it's worth inquiring about. My car is at my dealer now having my CEL and limp mode issues looked at along with my tranny/clutch issues. I expect them to install the new tune. There's also a new base tune on the way. See the thread below.

https://trackmustangsonline.com/boss-302-technical-forum/p0300-limp-mode-questionaire/

What's wrong with your clutch?

 

[VoodooBoss]

Besides it sticking to the floor at high revs and shifting lock out not much. : It works perfectly on the street but not at the track. I'm surprised you've never had issues. I really think the shifting lock out is related to the clutch and not fully disengaging. It's like the Hotel California, you can get it out but you can never get it back into gear.

 

[ArizonaBOSS]

Might be a bad slave cyl

 

[CaliMR]

If it is, then they need to find a new chinese factory to build them because it is very common

 

[emcrace]

I have watched this thread and was trying to stay quiet. Light ping ( kinda sounds like crystal lightly taped is a warning) heavy ping ( knock is fatal quickly). Any motor with our compression ratio (11 to one) should never be lugged. Once knock is achieved you could turn the key off with the throttle planted and it would continue to run until it is destroyed. Knock is combustion without spark (DIESELING). If you can not adjust your driving style to only plant the throttle at 4000 or above sell the car. If you are driving in a spirited manor and demanding WOT do not shift under 6000 to 7000 and you will not fall to a RPM that engine management can not handle. Under adverse conditions ( bad fuel, high altitude, engine over temp, pluged air filter, and carbon deposites) ping can occur, back off a tad (or more) until it goes away. I race,build race motors, own a 2012 boss, and live in So Cal. My Boss is my daily driver. I often drive many miles and never see the speedo above 15mph in stop and go ( below 1500). I have tracked the car only twice. I have flaugged it in Hollywood Parks parking lot once, KILLER FUN. Drifting a Boss with all the nannies off makes you feel young. If you use heavy throttle as the car was designed (wound up) and it sustains ping then some thing is wrong. A little rattle just upon demand is normal ( very very very brief) for a geat tune. Beyond that something is badly wrong. If you expect to nail it in a high gear below 4000 and not have problems you bought the wrong car.If you keep it wound up and have ping other than initial hit something is wrong. Get it fixed before a wake is in order. Buy the way is the girl friend worth $12000.00

 

[emcrace]

Sorry just thought of another possible cause of ping. It only takes a moment with a bad load of fuel to block or partialy block the fuel filter. Checking the fuel pressure at idle or partial throttle in a service bay might not give a good indication of this problem. Belly up and pay for a new inline fuel filter and try that. If it goes away great you found it. If it returns bummer you have crud in your tank and it must be delt with.

 

[CaliMR]

I showed her how to drive properly, it isn't an issue anymore that I can tell. Assuming you were talking to me. Is she worth 12k? She is while it is under warranty ;D But saying that any car running 11 to 1 is going to have audible knock under normal driving conditions is bubkiss. I have owned several and (other than the POS BMW), audible knock took some real effort to induce or lugging it really, really low like below idle. Giving it about 1/3 throttle at 2.5k rpm (which is about what she was doing) should not cause audible knock on a motor that is not tuned to absolute power (as these are not) though it is possible this is "phantom knock" of some sort that isn't really an issue, as many of my friends' 100k+ mile 4G63Ts knocked from day one to now. If you are building race motors, that is pretty different from an OEM street motor that is designed to survive the warranty period. Personally, I drive it like you say, always over 4k and shifting at 6+ (assuming it isn't doing the lock out dance), so it isn't an issue for me. If I need to drive in town, I have another key for that.


Has anyone actually logged the knock from the red key?



-note: I don't remember the exact rpm right she was doing it, but she was babying the throttle.

 

[yknot]

Just a thought....I too have Track Key installed, has been since I purchased it, well the second day they installed it, it had to be shipped. I have never had a issue with knock, pre-detonation or anything like it. I have always used premium fuel which here is 92 or 93, and I buy at Shell (Now Speedway) and BP. Sonoco has 94. In our area, because of EPA constraints, we have what is known as Reformulated gas. This has been known to cause many problems in both cars and lawn type equipment. Not sure what all is in this stuff, but items like a weed whacker, or similar equipment only last a season, then its toast. I have always used quality products like Stilh, but regardless of brand, it does not last. In fact, I stopped buying gas powered lawn equipment, but last time I visited the Stilh dealer, they were selling a special gas in 1 QT and 1 Gal containers just for this reason.. Anyway, I know several communities have this stuff, and it causes problems. We even have travelers and visitors that fill up here and suddenly developed engine trouble. I don't know how it can be so good for the environment when it causes such troubles and decreased mileage? I know when we visit outlying areas and fill-up there, the car runs better, all cars.

 

[Senderofan]

Just a thought....I too have Track Key installed, has been since I purchased it, well the second day they installed it, it had to be shipped. I have never had a issue with knock, pre-detonation or anything like it. I have always used premium fuel which here is 92 or 93, and I buy at Shell (Now Speedway) and BP. Sonoco has 94. In our area, because of EPA constraints, we have what is known as Reformulated gas. This has been known to cause many problems in both cars and lawn type equipment. Not sure what all is in this stuff, but items like a weed whacker, or similar equipment only last a season, then its toast. I have always used quality products like Stilh, but regardless of brand, it does not last. In fact, I stopped buying gas powered lawn equipment, but last time I visited the Stilh dealer, they were selling a special gas in 1 QT and 1 Gal containers just for this reason.. Anyway, I know several communities have this stuff, and it causes problems. We even have travelers and visitors that fill up here and suddenly developed engine trouble. I don't know how it can be so good for the environment when it causes such troubles and decreased mileage? I know when we visit outlying areas and fill-up there, the car runs better, all cars.

I think you should ask the fuel stations to tell you how much ethanol is in their fuel. Too much isn't good for engines not designed to run ethanol....ie two stroke motors that have oil in the fuel for lubrication. I run non-oxygenated premium in my Boss and all small engines....haven't had any problems even though the small engines don't require the higher octan...it has not caused any problems. I've found the non-ethanol fuels to be much more stable in terms of storing engines. It does not seem to seperate like the ethanol fuels...and it has not left deposits ( varnish ) in any of my small engines since I made the switch.

Here's a pretty good site to search for fuel stations that sell non-oxygenated fuel: http://pure-gas.org/index.jsp

I believe there's a warning in our owner's manual regarding what percentage of ethanol in fuels that should not be used....just can't remember what the number was.

 

[KBBOSS1086]

I stopped using my trackey all together. I can still hear detonation regardless of brands of fuel. I haven`t gone WOT under 3500 since hearing it when I first had it installed in the spring. I just tried it out yesterday as it`s been awhile and I could hear it at 4500 plus for a few seconds. Black key runs like a champ. If the aftermarket tuners had a tune that pinged with 91 people would saying it`s a sh*tty tune,.... but where this is a " ford racing product" it`s perfectly ok and normal.

I had the same problem with detonation for some time after TK install...very bad under 3500rpm under heavy load even with Sunoco 260 race fuel. I took the car to the dealer and contacted FR and each time I was told it was normal. I was skeptical but kept running it hard. After about 7-10 tanks of 93 octane or better it seemed to go away. I no longer hear any detonation, but it did take some time to go away. I was told by FR, at one point, that the altitude can play a big part in the detonation and they had a re-program available - at the time I talked to them (last July) it was new and had only been sent to one person in Colorado that was having detonation problems. I'd give it some time and run a couple more tanks through it. I hope this helps.

 

[zero]

I hope to get issue resolved this spring with the octane adjust in the trackey tune and go from there... I love the sound of the car with the trackey and thats what I miss the most having to use the black key 98% of time.

For the record, the stations here do not have any blended eth and regardless of brand it remained the same. I have used the same in my street bike /track bike 13.5:1 and it runs perfect no ping.
It`s the tune not the comp ratio, black key flawless from any rpm.

 

[ms71171]

I just came into the world of Boss this week from a 2011 5.0 and never heard any pinging in that car but then again lost the motor at 30k and got a new 2013 crate motor.

Anyways if you're hearing pinging there's a lot more you're not.

So I'm 4 days into bliss in my 12 Boss and 3 days on trackey and yesterday I thought I heard detonation, but after resetting the ECM today the pinging was a very apparent. Silver key it is until I run a few more tanks, but I really think its the ECM relearning after reset, temp change, round of bad gas, or something in the tune.

I'm need to get it to the dealer to check for updates.

Side question: the dealer told me they have to call a FR tech or specialist to work on these. Is that true? It's a LS BTW