Trac feels heavy...

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Andy Szkutak

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Jun 19, 2005
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Location
Eden, NY
Lately(last 20-30k) my '01 with 108,000 miles seems to have less and less driveability at lower rpms(less than 2500) I might be thinking wrong, but i used to be able to acclerate decently fast at 2000rpms, now it takes 2300-2500 to do that, but i may be incorrect...Lately the tranny fluid has been flushed, new fuel filter, throttle body cleaned. It still has tons of power throughout the rpms, just doesnt have good acceleration at low engine rpms, which is where i wanna drive to save gas...



Any ideas?

thanks

Andy
 
Plugs and wires? air filter?

Rear brakes over adjusted, parking brake sticking??

Todd Z

 
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Todd, I just had the plugs and wires replaced about 2 months ago, motorcraft double platinum, and JBA powercables. I dont hear any noises when driving, so i dont think it could be the brakes, although the rear do squeal a lot when i come to a stop...



WWashing-Its an auto, but couldnt that be slipping slightly too? I wonder if the epc adjustment would help out alot? I do have the 1-2 and 2-3 flair, and a deent shudder 3-4 and 4-5...



Stonemiser- I unplugged the battery and it reset everything a few days ago when i installed the overhead console, and ive reset it countless times doing other things, like isntalling my amp. Im assuming by resetting you mean pull the battery right?



Thanks for the help, and any other ideas as to what it could be?

PS i did notice after i got my BFGoodrich all terrains that it felt a little slower, even though they were the same size, and i dont coast as far as when i had my dunlops...could that be the cause, along with the age of the truck???



Thanks

Andy
 
Andy, Yeah that's what I meant. Thus the "stupid question" statement. I know you've been around here long enough to have read a bunch of threads where that's the first thing everyone says to do. So the new tires are the same size as the old. Are they the same ply? Could be a heavier tire, and could have more "Siping" ability. (tiny slits to help them stick to wet roads) Not that the "siping" should make them suction THAT tight to the road that you would have trouble getting it going. I'd lean more toward a heavier tire. (more plys=more rubber) Just a thought. To some I might sound like someone who also expects to be an*l probed by aliens later also!:lol:;)





By the way, wouldn't hurt to try the EPC adjustment to see if that helps.;)
 
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Stonemiser- That wasnt a stupid question by you, because i actually didnt unplug it for the reason of tryin to acclerate faster. I dont know how to explain it, it doesnt feel like it has drag, maybe thats how i made it out to be already, its not that. Its more like just a dog, as many slow vehicles are called. It takes a lot of ooomph to merge on highways and if i try to accelerate at 2000 rpms or below from a stoplight its holding people up quite a bit..



Could it possibly just be the old worn tranny not pulling as hard as it used to??? Alot of times it seems like the truck is just "floating" through the gears, almost as if it was coasting up to speed, rather than really pulling.



Thanks

Andy
 
Ok, that makes sence. When was the last time the tranny filter and fluid was replaced? Recently? If not, you may have worn fluid/ clogged filter that's not letting the pressure increase correctly. The EPC adjustment should help also. Forget the whole alien an*l probe thing.;)
 
Instead of asking people here what might be wrong. Take it to a shop and find out. You've admitted that your tranny is slipping. Don't you think that just might be the problem? Are you hoping that someone far away, who can't possibly drive your Trac, is going to tell you that it's something cheap and simple? Get the tranny looked at and take your check book. All part of the "Owning a vehicle" experience.
 
Bill- Isnt the idea of this forum to get help with problems from other trac owners BEFORE you take it to a shop, so you have some idea of what it could be, instead of going in there blindly and paying through your a$$???? Second of all, i am hoping its a cheap fix because i dont have a check book, as you referred to. Im 19 years old, i have student loans for college,and i make $8 and hour making pizzas. I cant afford a new tranny...



Stonemiser- I believe the tranny filter was changed around 88k for the first time when i had the fluid changed. I also had the tranny flushed at 107k because the shifting felt worse... It made it shift much better, but somethin still feels like theres nothing at low rpms...



Johnny- The catalytic converter idea sounds possible. What are the symptoms of a plugged cat, other than no power. My mpg is still solid 17 mixed driving. Actually, i took a 300 mile day trip last week and on that tank i got over 20mpg! Im thinking that if everything can stay put till fall, i can buy an x cal 2, which should up the shift firmness, and then i can also get some more hp outta it, which together should get my accleration back to where it should be...



Thanks for all your help guys!

Andy
 
Basically no power IS the symptom, although I'd think your mpg would suffer as well and it doesn't seem to be. My van is 19 years old with 136k and has the original cat as far as I can tell, so it's not automatically bad, but it's worth checking out.
 
The Cats will do the same thing but you will notice a big drop in MPG. But since the damn things have 4 of them it's could be a pretty expensive fix. I can only say to check the vehicle by putting it up off the ground and checking to see if anything is "dragging", and maybe do the EPC adjustment. If everything seems fine over 2000RPM then let it that way if you aren't getting 5 MPG. The vehicle may just be getting old and you may lose the torque alittle bit on the low end. Not much else you can do. To still get 20mpg on a road trip with that many miles is pretty good kid. Nothing to shake a stick at.;)
 
My message to you Andy is that no one reading this forum can tell you precisely what might be wrong with your Trac. There may be nothing wrong in fact, maybe your perception of performance has changed for some reason.



WWashing-Its an auto, but couldnt that be slipping slightly too? I wonder if the epc adjustment would help out alot? I do have the 1-2 and 2-3 flair, and a deent shudder 3-4 and 4-5...
Click to expand...



Seems to me you already know the answer here so just deal with it. 19 years old is a good time to learn about such aspects of life. You'll figure out a way. Most of us have, over the years, dealt with similar events. Same thing I've told my adult children when thay were your age.
 

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