1992 Dodge Shadow engine ping or knock

Hi:
A ping can be caused by a couple things. You already tried better gas, so we can eliminate that.

Other things to check include: Too much advance, Also check valve timing, too high engine compression, engine overheating, carbon build up on valves, an improperly torqued knock sensor can cause the sensor to not function correctly resulting in knock and/or loss of power.

However, do not mistake engine knock or pinging for other problems. Knock occurs under load.
Knock seldom occurs under no load conditions (e.G, idle or revving the engine). If you hear a rattle noise, it may be something else: valves, bearing, wristpin slap.

I hope I gave you some direction. If you have other questions, let me know.
Joe