No Power When Towing Camper - 01 SP V6

[Gerry Sprengle]

My dad liked my 09 Sport Trac Limited, so he bought an 01 Sport Trac. Very nice vehicle. Runs great.

He recently used it to pull a small camper on a vacation. The Sport Trac could not go any faster than 65mph with the trainer. He said it felt like it had a governor. Pedal was to the floor. Turned overdrive off. Acceleration was good. No sputtering. Just got up to 65, then that was it. This vacation was in "flat" Florida on Interstate Highways. Easy driving.

When he got home, he took it to our mechanic who we have used for many years. He tested compression. He checked exhaust, including catalytic converter. Good compression. No blockage in converter. He put it on the computer and nothing showed up. He's researching to see if he can come up with something, but so far he's dumbfounded. He is a very good mechanic, but this one has him stumped.

We know it's just a V6 4.0, but my V6 3.7 Hyundai Santa Fe was able to get up to 85mph, although the rpm's were pretty high (that's why I got my 09 V8 Sport Trac). Why can't this 01 Sport Trac muster up the power to pull this little trailer at 70-75mph? Can someone suggest a possible solution or point us toward some other things to check?

This 01 SP is a great truck and has no other issues - as long as it's not pulling the camper.

 

[Jerry Gerner 2]

What size/ weight trailer is this?



What gears does it have and size tires?



I'd have the fuel filter, trans and rearend checked out.



I tow my show truck on an open car trailer over the mountains up here in the northeast and don't have any issues getting up to 85-90 not that I drive that fast but wanted to see what it could do on my way back from Carlisle All Truck Nationals two years ago.

 

[scott degroot]

First thing I would do if I were looking at it is to hook up a trailer and take it out and look at the oxygen sensor readings while it's having issues so see if it is running lean...I have a feeling it is. If so then a fuel pump pressure and volume test is in order. Look at the BARO HZ reading on the scan tool, this is a very important number as it indicates altitude...sort of...it's a very good indication of what the MAF is doing on Ford vehicles.

 

[EddieS'04]

I think there were some early '01s including the explorer 4.0L. The throttle bodies were not opening fully. Get someone to hold the pedal to the floor. pull the intake snorkel from the TB. See if the blade is wide open. It could also be a bad TPS. These you can check yourself.



Otherwise, What I1tech says is the route to go.

 

[Gerry Sprengle]

Great suggestions. We'll see if any of this solves the problem. It will be several weeks though, since he will be out of town for awhile.

Thanks, Gerry