88 Civic LX...Ping, Clatter, Ping!! Advice/Pointers?

88 Civic LX, 153k, A/T. Looking to buy. ENGINE IS TIGHT!!! But upon
driving down the road it rattles/pings unless you you get waaaay down
on the gas. Like I said the engine at rest/Park revs tight and
quiet...under any load I get the pinging.

Fuel octane? Timing? What's the likely culprit? Thanks.

Kevin

 

there's a multitude of potential culprits including, in random order:

gas
plugs
carbon build-up
ignition timing
cam timing
thermostat
clogged coolant passages
etc.

do some basic diagnostics - use a timing light in the first instance,
then go from there.

and don't keep driving it around in that condition - you could cause
your "tight" engine to become dramatically loose.