More Gears

[biglar]

I know this has been beat to death, but the more I read the more confuzzled I get. I have an '02 'Runner with 4WD and really like it - except for the total lack of power. Push on the gas and it makes a droning sound but nothing else happens. I've had it for almost 8 years now and have put about 60,000 miles on it and cussed that miserable dog engine (3.4 V6) every inch of the way.

I've taken it to 1/2 dozen Toyota "specialty" shops as well as 2 dealers, specifically to find the problem, if any. (if it was a distributor timed engine, I'd say with great certainty that timing is retarded) All have said that everything looks wonderful and there are no problems. If I floor it, drop down a gear and get rpms toward 4,000 I start seeing results, but this seems extreme to me and it's a PIA in the rolling foothill country I live in.

Altitude here is 6,000 ft, which I realize makes a difference, but it's not much different at sea level.

I tow a small trailer with my ATV on board frequently; the whole thing weighing pretty close to 1,000#. The t4r can barely pull it and I spend a lot of time on very moderate hills in 2nd gear at 50 mph. Bad enuf.

BTW - I'm running 245/75R16 tires and there's another question. Stock tires are s'posedly figured as a 31" tire from what I've read here. I just went and measured mine and from tread to tread across center of wheel is right at 30". What am I doing wrong ??

OK, in a nutshell - I'd love a newer, more powerful engine, but extensive reading here has talked me out of that. Too expensive, anyway.

I've given long and serious thought to a supercharger but I understand they're hard to find now - good ones, anyway and also create problems. (BTW - what's a "7th injector ??)

Seems to me the easiest and cheapest thing (comparatively) would be to go to a higher number differential set. My door code is A03 which appears to be a 4.10 ratio. I'd think a set of 4.30's or esp. 4.56's would give more pulling power. I'd happily give up a mile or 2 per gallon for that.

In the near future, I'll be moving to the central east coast of Florida and will be towing a boat in the 18 ft range all over, mostly in Citrus County. Even on flat ground at sea level, this thing will need help.

Trying to find gear sets for front and rear has me totally confused. Looking on eBay, etc., I see gear sets/3rd members from all manner of Toyotas and conflicting advice on which ones will fit my 02 4WD.

Not sure if I'm making a whole lot of sense here, but I hope someone can figure out what I'm trying to say and come up with knowledgeable suggestions. Help help. Lars in New Mexico.

 

[D Farms]

You know about the ect power button right? maybe a new set of spark plugs and replace the fuel filter and air filter.

yes a higher gear set will give you more torque in a give gear but when you downshift the lower gear set can hold on to the gear for longer, so it really depends what you want your rpms to be running at. Btw if you are towing a trailer you should be turning the overdrive off and ect power on.

 

[cashmoney]

ECT doesn't make up from a general lack of power which these things suffer from. OP I feel your pain. Mines made worse by the larger tires. About the only thing you can do is regear it. Call east coast gear supply. They'll get you setup with everything you need. But really, if you are towing as much as you are Id look into getting a truck with a v8 that's meant to tow. Be easier on the vehicle and you.

 

[SpidermanGeek]

BTW - I'm running 245/75R16 tires and there's another question. Stock tires are s'posedly figured as a 31" tire from what I've read here. I just went and measured mine and from tread to tread across center of wheel is right at 30". What am I doing wrong ??

A 245/75R16's exact dimensions will vary slightly from tire manufacturer to tire manufacturer and even vary between tire models from the same brand.

And that is also the measurement of a brand new tire. Tire wear will naturally change the overall diameter of a tire.

As a general rule when talking about tire diameter in inches, people will just round the number up. The true (or "mathematically on paper") diameter of a 245/75R16 is 30.47". So if your tires even have anywhere near a quarter of an inch of wear on them, you'll end up with a 30" diameter.

 

[Rocky5000100]

It sounds like you may have power issues with your engine to work out.

I tow a 7x12 enclosed with my 2002 4runner. I've had it weighed, and it's 3300lbs. I can do 65mph easily most of the time. On big hills I sometimes drop down to 50-55, but for the most part it's not an issue. Not bad for towing a big box.

 

[turbo8]

Supercharger! Make sure your brakes aren't dragging.

 

[dunktap]

x2 for the supercharger. Found one on craigslist for $1000 and slapped it on. Solved my power issue REAL quick.

 

[fblainen11]

You know about the ect power button right? maybe a new set of spark plugs and replace the fuel filter and air filter.

yes a higher gear set will give you more torque in a give gear but when you downshift the lower gear set can hold on to the gear for longer, so it really depends what you want your rpms to be running at. Btw if you are towing a trailer you should be turning the overdrive off and ect power on.

I towed 14 commercial dog kennels from Lexington, Kentucky to Lake Charles, Louisiana through big hills (to me anyway) rarely shifting put of OD with ECT. And I have 265/75/17s...

Tough little booger. Dog kennels are not light.

 

[biglar]

You know about the ect power button right? maybe a new set of spark plugs and replace the fuel filter and air filter.

yes a higher gear set will give you more torque in a give gear but when you downshift the lower gear set can hold on to the gear for longer, so it really depends what you want your rpms to be running at. Btw if you are towing a trailer you should be turning the overdrive off and ect power on.

Yah, familiar with ECT and both filters are new; also done the airbox mod. Plugs are good. Thanks for the thoughts.

 

[biglar]

ECT doesn't make up from a general lack of power which these things suffer from. OP I feel your pain. Mines made worse by the larger tires. About the only thing you can do is regear it. Call east coast gear supply. They'll get you setup with everything you need. But really, if you are towing as much as you are Id look into getting a truck with a v8 that's meant to tow. Be easier on the vehicle and you.

Yah, another truck would be nice, but - 1 - small matter of money and - 2 - aside from this power problem I really like my 'Runner. If it had about 230 hp - 250 hp it would be the perfect vehicle for me.

 

[biglar]

Supercharger! Make sure your brakes aren't dragging.

Haha......brakes are fine and I'd love a blower, but have read about too many problems on this forum. Then, too, try to find one - a good one. When I bought this thing in 4/08 I searched hard for a 'charger then with no joy.

 

[biglar]

It sounds like you may have power issues with your engine to work out.

I tow a 7x12 enclosed with my 2002 4runner. I've had it weighed, and it's 3300lbs. I can do 65mph easily most of the time. On big hills I sometimes drop down to 50-55, but for the most part it's not an issue. Not bad for towing a big box.

Yah, comments like yours are what keeps me searching for an answer to this. I am absolutely convinced that the timing is retarded and have thought about re-positioning the sensor to give it more advance, but I read something here long ago that said it would mess up the whole system.

Hmmm....with that thought in mind, is there some sensor or glitch that would tell the computer (ECU ??) to retard the timing because of "X" condition in engine or drive train ??.....or maybe ECU is bad ??

I know the engine is capable of more - I rented a Ford Crown Vic about 10 years ago. Big, heavy car with the very small V-8 - same engine in the '96 T-Bird I owned at the time. The T-Bird went pretty good and I had no complaints, but that Crown Vic screamed and was a blast to drive. It gave me 24 mpg over-all, too. Different programming.

That experience led me to check out getting a chip for this 'Runner, but I've read repeatedly here and elsewhere that chips don't work in Toyotas. Why not ?? There's lots of them for sale with makers claiming all sorts of wondrous things for their products.