Power cut at 4,000rpm 4WD- Hi - Traction Control off.

I'm feeling confused about the traction control system in our trucks.

Saturday morning driving out to the lake lot there was a fair bit of rain, and the road up to our lot is a sharp uphill right turn, onto an even steeper, 1st gear only uphill winding road. Its often washed out, muddy and narrow.

I had to really give the truck shit to keep the momentum going, 4wd Hi about 60 feet up the 1 mile driveway it would not put power down past 4,000rpm... I lost all momementum and backed up.

This time in neutral (Manual Trans) I engaged TC waited 15 seconds, then Held down the TC button for 10-15 seconds, it went to LSD and TRAC off. I understand this should be fully disabled.

Again I pulled onto the same section of washed out muddy road... again power cut as my tires started spinning.

What gives?

I've had this truck for a few months, and have never had an issue getting up this roadway before in previous 4wd vehicles. (not effortless but never not had the power at hand to muscle up the muddy sections).

Am I turning traction control off incorrectly.

 

Have you seen this thread? Maybe it will help...

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/3rd-gen-traction-control-modes-explained.530695/

edit: lol, I haven't played with all the settings, but that's what came up after I googled for a bit.

 

4 LO...have you tried it?

 

I have a manual and I never experienced a loss of power on obstacles. With this gen usually the truck climbs on its own. I get it up to about 3 rpm and let go in first gear (4H or 4L) .. I don't have the offroad so maybe there is a trick to the config with TC?

 

Not ideal for mud...

 

Yes referenced this to ensure TRAC was off.. Its making me wonder how many people here are actually off roading their magnificently modified rigs. I was planning to do a Fox suspension set up but if I cant get the rpm's up past 4,000 in slick mud to maintain traction on the road up to my cabin then I'm at a bit of a loss

 

What kinda tires you running?

 

That's only needed for technical Rock crawling !!

 

Wildpeaks with 90% tread. It wouldnt matter if I had dedicated mud tires with this slope and slickness of mud, without being able to go over 4,000 rpm in several sections and one near switchback momentum will be lost.

Hate to use the Jeep word but I have kept momement up the same hill in the same conditions, in my old sahara with Bridgestone "A/T"'s (highway tire)... you just need rpm, wheel speed and to be able to clean out the tread as needed... Owned this cabin for 16 years.. never not made it up in the spring like this or with this much struggle. Its not the tires, or the power or capability of the truck, its the nannies that are preventing it from doing what it needs to do.

 

Did you engage MTS . Sand/mud mode would help. Allows more wheel spin

 

I don’t believe you fully turned off traction control. Looks like you were potentially at number 5 in the link referenced above.

 

Manual Trans gets the A-TRAC System in place of Crawl Control

 

You can't completely turn off the traction nannies in the third gen trucks. What's happening is that around 4k RPM, you're getting into the max torque range, and you're having too much wheel spin. This taco drives differently than other 4wd vehicles, considering the gear ratios and engine performance profile.

You could use 4 lo, or shift to 2nd gear. Can you tell if your tires are cleaning out?

The reference about traction modes should give some good ideas about which modes to use.

 

Seriously, this sounds like a 4lo situation. Are you going so fast that 6th gear in 4lo is still too slow?

 

That's what I'm thinking too, even with traction control completely off the computer will step in if it thinks you are doing something really stupid. I'd vote for trying out 4lo 2nd or 3rd gear as well, but admittedly I don't drive in mud much.

 

MUD! I've heard of that stuff. If I ever see a puddle I steer towards it, but they tend to be few and far between in my neck of the woods!

 

What I have done in my manual. Is 4 low, 3rd or 4th to have the wheel speed.

 

This makes zero sense, unless you are racing through the mud.
Also the VSC won't stay off above speeds over 35 mph.

4000 RPM and slick mud do not go together in the same sentence. I had a manual 3rd gen... it will climb a slick hill no problem but why in the hell would you teach it up past 4K in slick conditions? Slick mud=low traction.

 

You need wheelspeed to clear the lugs of the tires to aid with traction in muddy situations...

 

The mud and the rpm issue are two different issues, let's not mix them.


OP your truck should go past 4k rpm. Not sure what's going on.