New to Forum. Need help with a lack of power when hitting passing gear at all speeds. You'll hear it downshift and rpms go up but seems to take forever to gain speed. 5.4L engine no mods. It started this at 127k, dealer has raked me over the coals on fixes and none have worked. Engine let go at 135k. Put Ford remanufactured engine in and it still does it??????????????:confused

 

Go to a muffler shop and have them test your cats to see if they are clogged.

 

Already did that prior to engine expiring. Put new catbacks on, drive shaft, engine, I'm really getting tired on this hit and miss from Ford recommendations. I wonder if it could be anything to do with the ecm?

 

Change the fuel filter and check the fuel pressure.

If you take it to a tuner, he will find out what the problem is pdq.

 

3rd gear can be a dog in these things.

What gear ratio are you running?

 

Running 373 limited shift. As stated earlier, had to replace the entire rear end already also, axles, gears, everything. I've owned a 97 & 2000 and never had a mintues trouble out of either prior to trading in with over 200,000on each of them.

 

Roadie, not exactly sure what you're saying here? If you're speaking of a program tuner I would have thought the dealership would have already done this.

Also, have never had a service engine light come on during any of this. Only item that every came on was the engine symbol when it expired on me.

 

I meant a shop that tunes an engine for max hp on a dyno. A good tuner will find out what isn't working properly and they will find out how much hp your engine is putting out. If the hp is low, they will find out why.

The dealers mechanics many times are new techs without much experience and they hook up to their computer and if it doesn't find something off they are lost.

Way back I took my 86 F150 in because when it got hot, the engine would miss when towing my travel trailer over about 50mph. It acted like the spark voltage was very low. I took it to the dealer and explained what it was doing and when it did it. They suggested a tuneup with new plugs, wires, etc. I knew that was not the problem and turned them down. Later I found out that this was a generic problem with that vintage 302 V8. The ignition module was mounted on the front of the distributor right behind the radiator. When towing it got hot and lost voltage. I needed a new ignition module but the dealer tech didn't have a clue.

After the big divorce in 87, my ex's Granada developed an intermittent bad miss. I told her if it was me I would have the ignition module replaced. She took it to the dealer 4 times without getting it fixed. Then she called me and asked for advice. I told her to go see the Manager of the dealership and ask what she has to do to get her car fixed. They gave her a new car to drive and replaced the ignition module. Fixed it!

I'm sure that many dealers have excellent technicians, but they also are training new techs at your expense.

 

Reminds me of my stepdaughter's Catera. The dealer had it 4 or 5 times and the CEL kept coming on 10 miles after she picked up the car. I told her to take it to Autozone and get the codes. I looked at them, did 10 minutes of Googling, and told her to have them change the MAF. They did, and the CEL hasn't tripped since.

 

i would see if you could get the dealer to reflash the ecm if that doesnt fix it i would say you may have a ignition problem like a coil going bad but it just not noticeable at lower speeds cause the engine isnt working as hard

 

Appreciate everyones help. I'll try some of the suggestions and let everyone know the outcome.

 

Check your fuel pressure when concern is present. Don't assume anyone else done it during any diagnostic process. That may shed some light on this matter

FordMasterTech