Under powered 2.7l

First post here. Long time Tacoma world lurker! I have a 2001 Tacoma Pre-Runner 2.7L, auto trans. When I enter the highway, it seems as if the truck is really slow and under powered. I have to literally step on the pedal to the floor and after a few seconds the trans will shift gears and accelerate the vehicle. Also, I took my Taco up to the mountains and it really struggled going up steep hills on a paved surface. I dropped the gear to 1st and still seemed under powered. Is this normal for the little 4 banger? It has 180,000 miles on stock wheels and tires. I recently changed the spark plugs, trans fluid, did the deck mod. Any suggestions?

 

Did you use the right spark plugs and disconnect the baterry to so the computer relearns. It helped a lot on mine.
Mine was a slug till I did that. Also changed the fuel filter under the plenum.
It didn't turn into a power machine but it ran a lot better.
Greasing the universal joints, drive shafts and replacing the gear lube couldn't hurt either.

 

May i suggest you changing the spark plug wires?
And i would second the greasing of everything if it hasnt been done you will need a grease gun for all the u joints. Greasing it will not make the slugish problem go away though.
Did you recently purchase this vehicle or have you had it for a while i have to say the 4 banger doesnt have a ton of power.

 

I got mine with 149k on the clock and I was the 3rd owner. I took the risk. It was kinda pokey when I got it and the basic maintenance I did to it made it run so much better.

 

Yea i got mine with 225,000 on the clock lol i expected to rebuild the engine later on and i am doing it in december. I am lucky to be able to work on my own car a lot of people have to pay people because they dont have the knowledge or the tools.

 

same problem im having. check your plugs and wires. had way more balls when i got it with 114k now i have 140 and runs like total crap compared to before.

 

have you been doing proper maintenance on the engine? And what do you mean by total crap what is happening with it?

 

it just started losing power. now its so bad that if i go up a hill at at 80 i still have to drop to 4th in order to keep the speed from dropping to like 70. if i go slower up a hill it will drop even worse and ill have to downshift. this is all floored btw. in order to go from 75 to 80 it takes like 20 seconds its horrible. ive changed plugs twice, cleaned the maf, changed the tps, changed the fuel filter, air filter, but not the original oem wires yet from 1996 haha. they are still in spec tho. so hopefully i can help him out with my info because ive tested everything on mine and cant find anything wrong. it could be the cat, or maf or even coils and wires i have no clue

 

Just a thought, but get the fuel pressure checked. The fuel pumps do get weak as time goes by. My 2.7 is weaker than I think it should be, and it has a new engine, plugs, wires, etc. I am looking at a fuel pump in the near future.

 

yea that is a good point i would have that checked never would of thought of that being a problem

 

have you changed tire size? sounds like the problem i had when i went to larger tires then changed my gears and bam cant keep it under 80

 

stock tire size with 235 75 r15 . the auto instructors at my school did say its either most likely the cat or fuel pressure so the fuel pump or pressure regulator so that could be the next option to test. it sucks that it isnt easy to test that on these because of no testing port.

 

These would be my guesses beyond the normal maintenance items mentioned by others. I would think the cat being bad enough to make it suck that much would make a code pop so I would focus on fuel pump & pressure regulator then the cat.

 

Buy a new 02 sensor.

 

God I love how people just say buy stuff and no explanation...lol. (just givin ya a hard time Steve!)

You can get the fuel pressure gauge kit that will work on the Tacoma from Harbor Freight. It costs about $100 but will be able to test fuel pressure on pretty much every car and truck on the road that is gasoline fueled.

 

Thanks for the replies. The truck drives well under normal traffic and speeds. Its great on fuel economy too. I guess I wish it had a little more pep. The front o2 sensor appears stock. Is this a regular maintenance item that deteriorates over time? May buy a new drop in air filter.

 

O2 sensors are not considered a maintenance item from the manufacturer, but they do fail reasonably often. On an O2 sensor, I suggest no need to change it unless it is giving you a problem.

 

You need a muffler bearing and Klondike Bars.

 

Hey Steve, replaced your blinker fluid with the new, updated synthetic fluid yet?

 

3rz feeling sluggish? My stone-age 22re feels pretty sluggish. A few presidents ago, it had 116hp factory. Probably in the double digits now. At the crank.

Basically what i'm tryin to say is, driving a 22re 8,000 miles has made me appreciate anything at all that has more power. I'm in the market for a 3.4 equipped-truck. Although i hear of people getting plenty of power out of their 2.7's.

I've only driven a 3rz rarely, but even with an auto, it needing 1st gear up a hill seems like something's wrong.