OK, I've got a 97 4x4 auto blah blah, look in sig. but.. here's the deal. It seems that i really have to rev it up to get it to go. like to say... 1200 rpm's. i just drove one of my buddies' pickups this weekend, set up EXACTLY like mine, and it seems to just take off as soon as you touch the pedal. If i'm on a sand road, i really have to hammer the gas to get the tires to break loose. I have an open rear end, just as my buddy's has. it almost seems as though my pickup starts out in second gear. it's not really a problem, it just seems that mine is more sluggish than his is. anybody have any ideas as to what it is? i've changed my tranny fluid and filter, and put synthetic fluid in it. so.. let me hear it.

 

I do know that on these trucks, if you put the auto selector in 2nd, the truck will start out in second gear. Any chance you have done this OR that the selector switch is bad?

 

Check to see if he has a taller (numerically higher) rear ratio. If you have 305's and he has 355's then his will be much more spunky feeling.

 

Y2K: What do you mean by the selector switch? I have no clue what that is, so.. for all I know it could be the culprit. The pickups are set up identical except for one factor, I've got 17" rims, and he has 16", BUT, i've got 265/70/17, he's got 265/75/16. So... the difference of this "should" be minimal. It just seems that in his pickup, if you even tap the gas, the tires break loose on sand. In mine, you have to give it gas for a longer period before it will break them loose. Its not a big deal, but... i'd really like to know why mine feels SO damned doggy.

 

BF,

Is the parking break still on? Stuck? When you changed the tranny oil did you put enough back in? Check the oil level.

Regards

Jean Marc Chartier

 

Parking brake is completely free. It's got enough fluid in the tranny. When I drained the tranny, i drained the TC as well, so the whole thing is synthetic, or as close as possible w/o a flush. I'm at a loss here. I sure can't seem to figure out what is causing the sluggishness.

 

Damn, I figured someone had some sort of suggestion I could try. Oh well.. maybe it's just my imagination.

 

Selector switch is the steering column switch lever used to put the transmission in different gears.(p,R,N,D). The switch on the tranny that this links to may be out of adjustment.

 

Whats happening on the tach when you start off? Any sign of trans slippage???? If it was locked in 2nd on start out, you should see it reflected on the tach!

 

Like I said previously, I have to rev it up to say, 1200 rpm to get it to go. "go" meaning to really feel like there's some power. my buddy's has power enough to spin the tires from a stand stil by just tapping the gas. I've got extended warranty on this MOchine, so i'm just wondering what could be the problem, if any, before i go taking it in to ford, so they can charge me a 100 dollars to say there's nothing wrong.

 

BF,

Was it always like this? When did this start to happen?

JMC

 

as far as i remember it was always like this, from the day i bought it, then it had 48,000 miles on it. I just figured it was normal until i drove my buddy's, and it was night and day. Thanks

 

Sounds torque convertor related........you bot it used; could the other owner have installed a high-stall t/c?

Btw, there is a Ford auto trans expert that posts on the Lightning board. His screen name is Factory Tech. He might be able to offer tech info if it is trans related.

Dan

 

BF,

When in drive and you release the brakes, does the truck creep forward? How is the acceleration in Reverse? Can you check it against your freind's truck and let me know?

JMC

 

If yall both have the same rear end ratio, about the only other thing that would make sense that hasn't been brought up is the fuel filter... If thats not it you may check your ignition or fuel injection... If you were really starting out in second, it would be VERY obvious!