Lack of Power Answer ??

[biglar]

I've been crying for some time now about the woeful lack of power in my '02 Runner. Had it in the shop again a couple of weeks ago and they pronounced it good. Not hardly.

Then a few days ago, I read the thread on this forum telling the door post codes to tell which gears the car has, so I went and checked it out. Hummmph. Mine has 3.90's, which, with the 265/70R16's that it wears and my altitude of 6,000 ft pretty much guarantees that I'll be stuck with poor performance. Too bad. I'm considering selling the thing 'cause it's a tiresome chore to drive.

In rolling country - not mountainous - with cruise control on, the constant up and downshifting in and out of o/d can't be good for the transmission. On anything more than a slight slope it'll kick way down and suddenly the engine will be screaming at 5,000 rpm. That can't be good, either. Needless to say, I almost always drive with o/d off now.

When towing my quad on its' trailer - total under 1,000 lbs - forget the speed limit - the car can barely hold 60. Gas mileage then ?? Forget it. Towed my 2,500 lb boat just one time. Never again. Anything more than a gentle slope had me down to 45 mph in 2nd gear. When I 1st bought the car 2½ years ago, I spent the money to have a 72 plate trans oil cooler installed with towing the boat in mind. Wasted money. What a PIA.

Lar.

 

[Gerdo]

You can re-gear. If you decide too, do you have any plans to go to bigger tires? Or add a locker? The least expensive route is to find a donor at a junkyard. You should be able to find 4.10s or 4.30s . Then buy a front and rear diff that match.

You could also supercharge it. This is a good option, since you live at higher altitude. I know what you are talking about.

 

[BTO]

When towing my quad on its' trailer - total under 1,000 lbs - forget the speed limit - the car can barely hold 60.

Our 4r is geared the same with the same wheels. We do not have a problem with performance. Granted we are at sea level but we take frequently trips to the mountains. I have never noticed a drop in performance. We tow the fishing boat and never have a problem scooting along at whatever speed we want.

There must be something wrong with yours. How many miles you got on it? Have you checked for codes? Compression test? Maintenance items? Clogged cat?

 

[Gerdo]

Our 4r is geared the same with the same wheels. We do not have a problem with performance. Granted we are at sea level but we take frequently trips to the mountains. I have never noticed a drop in performance. We tow the fishing boat and never have a problem scooting along at whatever speed we want.

There must be something wrong with yours. How many miles you got on it? Have you checked for codes? Compression test? Maintenance items? Clogged cat?

There is about a 3% loss of power per 1000 feet of elevation. Starting at 6000' a stock 189hp 4runner will have ~155hp. drive up to 11,000' and you are down to 127hp.

Unless you live and drive at altitude it's hard to believe. It's something that we all live with.

Lar, can you find someone in your area that you could drive their 4runner (set up the same as yours, tire size, auto, gears)?