Could the hole in my air filter have been the problem?

2017 4 door crew cab with a 2.7 4cyl with a 3 inch lift and 33s.

Drove it home 2 years ago, (before lifting it) and went on the interstate with it. It wouldn't stick to a gear at 70mph+, it kept going 4-5-6...4....5-6-4.......5.....-6-4...... and so on.

I'm thinking ok, maybe it needs to be broken in. No big deal, drove home going 60-65mph without issues and drove it around town for the next 1000 miles. I had already purchased the lift for it, so I slapped it on expecting the issue to be resolved on its own. Took it on the highway a couple times after that, same issue. Slightly remedied the problem by putting the truck in S5 so that it wouldn't ever shift to 6th and starve for power, which made my drives on the interstate a little more comfortable as long as I didn't go above 73-75 mph. Still though, every time another truck would pass me on the highway, the crosswinds would make the truck shift back into 4th gear at 3500-4000 rpms to keep up speed. Not a fun way to drive when you're going 73mph.

During these 2 years I took the truck to Toyota 4 separate times over this very issue. Everytime I get the old "there's nothing wrong with the truck, it's performing as it should, maybe you shouldn't have lifted it", to which I always respond. "please listen to me, it's been behaving this way since I drove it home on factory tires and suspension, I'm not making this up"

Anywho, went in for my 20k miles service job today, and they replaced my air filter. As it turns out, there was a small hole in the middle of it with the surroundings that appeared to have been chewed off by a rodent. Mind you, the air filter was never changed, so this was definitely something that happened in the factory, or on the Toyota lot. Anywho, they replaced the filter, and now the truck sounds a lot different. I took it on the highway, and I was going 78 mph GPS speed in 5th gear without an issue. I know with the factory sized tires I could easily go 80+ in 5th and never go above 2200 rpms now that this filter is fixed.

Your thoughts?

I am not a mechanic, and I'll be very honest, half the time I don't know what tf I'm talking about, so I need to hear it from other people. Could this have been my issue the entire time? Does a small hole in the air filter make that much of a difference? I was starting to consider re-gearing to 4.88s (again, I dont know wtf I'm talking about, this is just from talking to people) but now I feel very satisfied with my setup. So I'll ask again, what are your thoughts?

Also: Driving this truck for 20k miles with a bad air filter - is that really bad? Like, eventual engine failure bad? Should I be concerned and have some kind of inspection done?

 

Maybe there’s a dead rodent stuck in your intake.

 

“Get it regeared or sell it.” Least amount of words and what others will go on and on about.

 

How exactly did you come to this conclusion? There is a big hole in the air box near the wheel well that a rodent could easily climb in at anytime and crew the filter. This could have easily happened at anytime.

 

Or get smaller tires. 33’s on a 4 cylinder just crush the little motor.

 

Because the engine has been gutless since I drove it home from the factory, and this filter was never changed. Now it suddenly has more life.

 

Way to big of a tire for a 2.7 Engine w/auto trans. Been there with a 92 4 runner MT 4 banger and 32” tires. Makes a slug out of them.

 

Are you saying that in 2 years and 20k miles, no one ever checked the filter? That should have been checked at least 4 times in that span of time.

I think your problem is more to do with heavy ass 33" tires. The filter may have played a part, but the little 4 banger is probably struggling with the taller/heavier tire. A regear may help. But you'll lose top end speed... no?

 

I'm really suspicious that the air filter itself was the issue. Something with the MAF I would believe though.

 

That’s the 2.7 4cyl it’s gutless to begin with.

 

^^^^ This. I drive a 2.7 4cyl on 33’s. It’s sloooowww and has a hard time staying in top gear on the hwy. just the way it is when you’re super underpowered. Changing your filter to one without a hole isn’t going to make it less gutless. If you did an oil change, that might help. I can definitely tell a difference after an oil change. Or it’s all in my head

 

Definitely in your head. Surprised there's room in there since you always have wood on the mind.

 

A hole in the air filter will not contribute to the transmission shifting. And odds are it didn't hurt the engine.

 

Your wood is always on my mind.

 

Thank you all for your quick input. I can't stress enough that I'm a total newb, that my questions need to be answered with the patience it requires to raise a special eds kids, and that my opinion needs to be digested with some thick Himalayan pink salt

Based on what I gathered from you guys, it's not the chewed up air filter. I'm not sure as to why my truck suddenly drives better. Maybe the wind was super low today, or maybe their maintenance ppl sucked in the past and they got some guys who do a better job now. Someone mentioned a dead rat in the intake, I think I would have smelled it by now.

 

Sometimes my truck feels like it has more power than other days. I think it’s just so underpowered that even small differences are noticeable. This time of the year is the worst though. We have winter blend gas and it robs me of power and my mpgs drop by almost 20%.

 

Small engines can feel like that when the air is thicker and the humidity is lower. Motorcycle engines have the feel of more power at night when the air is cool. I think you may notice it more than most people. Keep on trucking and you well get it figured out.

 

I live in Florida though, man. It’s still humid and hot as balls right now.

 

You probably had a tailwind today.

 

Go slower or re-gear.
Look for a reputable driveline shop.