Lack of Power when "Punchin' It"??

So how exactly how much power should a 3.4 on a 2001 4x4 SR5 have? I have read threads and heard from friends and Enthusiasts alike that my engine is supposed to be pretty powerful. In the 2 years i ve owned this it's been a really great truck, But I 've always felt it to be pretty sluggish in terms of getting power quick. Like when im merging on freeways and stuff like that it just seems to climb so slowly even when i really punch down and almost floor it. Haven't really had any problems with it and i keep it pretty clean on the inside of the hood so i dont see any leaks or anything out of the ordinary. Any guesses? Thanks!

 

When you say "All most floor it" Next time BURY your foot in it,is it auto? Is it downshifting into "passing gear"? I'm running 32"x11.50x15" BFG AT & the 3.4 in my truck will catch a little rubber when upshifting from 2nd to 3rd, need a little more info on your sluggishness.......

 

what rpm's do you drive it to? my 3.4 loves being up at 3 grand, and pulls hard until about 4600 rpm.

 

Yes it is Auto which im sure has some to do with it, but still...IDK just seems like it should have a bit more.

 

3 grand seems like it would take me a while to speed. (Im thinking Merging onto freeways again.) BUT.. If i was already up to a decent speed and tapped the gas hard it does then punch good and quick. Sorry wish i could pinpoint what i mean better.

 

S/C that puppy!

 

oversized tires will slow you down some on accel. small price to pay though. try using your ect switch and turning of o/d when you need a little extra. just dont look at your mpg's

 

Obligatory 1st gen vs 2nd gen troll post:

First gen.




In reality, it's likely the 33s. Regearing the diffs would get you your power back at the expense of fuel economy.

 

it's definitely the combination of the big tires and the auto trans. these motors are super durable, but they aren't friends with big tires. but hey, it'll out last any 2nd gen! ^

 

i have idea of what the etc does but what does it really do?

 

i have plenty of power downshifting into 4th on the freeway.

 

try leaning out your intake with a deckplate mod or CAI...

with the deckplate mod, hard acceleration improved, but when i put on the full K&N intake, throttle response improved significantly...

i can hit the gas and there is no hesitation like there used to be when it was stock, and on freeway road rage incidents (which happen at least once a week when cruising through Central Los Angeles) turning the overdrive off pulls really hard on the bottom end...

i also seafoam twice a year and run fuel injector cleaner through the tank once a month... oh, and have been running synthetic oil through it since the day i drove it off the dealer lot in 2001...

my truck has 222,000 miles on it and runs better than the day i bought it...

 

I put a K&N drop in filter in mine and it gives a noticable gain in power and response. I'm going to do the deckplate mod this weekend (assuming the usps can actually get the damn thing here ). I love my 3.4 though. It seems to have plenty of get up and go.

 

thought so.

 

I have similar issues. Running my ECT on Normal, my truck shifts into 4th way to early. When merging onto the high way, I get good acceleration until it shifts into 4th (which is an overdrive gear) at about 50. Even if I really apply the gas, the engine lugs (~1900-2000RPMS at this point) and the truck goes nowhere. When going up hill, sometimes the truck actually slows down and I really have to punch it to get it going, yet it never shifts into 3rd until I put the pedal on the floor. Unfortunately, this sucks you tank dry.

I now drive with the ECT on power. Its much easier and I found better on gas (18 vs 15mpg). Just be easy on the peddle when driving normal and the shift points are actually very similar to Normal ECT. When you get on the gas, it down shifts much easier and when you want it to upshift, just let up a bit on the peddle.

Honestly, I hated driving this truck until I turned ECT to Power.

 

x2.
I would also clean your throttle body and maf (mass air flow sensor) just for kicks. do seafoam through the brake booster.

 

x2. You could also do the deckplate MOD.

 

also try using synthetic fluids on tranny, engine and differential, it will run way smoother considering if you just want to keep everything stock. or just modify it by putting headers, exhaust, intake kit, etc etc etc.

 

Awesome responses, THX everyone!! Yea the only problem with doing any kind of full on intake system on it and things like that is the up front $$$$ which i don't have at the present time. Tried the ECT thing today...Made a slllliiigght difference, but not too much. I am overdue for a tuneup. In fact thats what im gonna be spending the majority of my tax refund on...My 90K maintanance checkup.Ill try cleaning the mass sensor. Not sure what you mean by seafoam tho...???