2.4L 4cyl 2D normally underpowered or is something wrong?

I am curious if the 2.7 4cly is just always underpowered or if my truck is somehow down on power. (No idea why I put 2.4 in the title but now Im stuck wiht that stupidity)

I have a 2005 2D 4WD 5speed and it seems pretty underpowered, especially on the highway in 5th. I find I have to shift down if Im headed up a modest hill @75MPH, or many times when I am hard down on the accellerator and the truck just stays at the same speed (unloaded). It just feels like its bogging down heading uphill. I feel like I have to hit a 4.5k shift point to keep it lively enough. Moving to 3rd gear at highway speeds is not uncommon.

The truck is stock accept for slightly larger tires 245/75/17, which I felt no difference moving to from stock. Everything seems to be working well and Im only at 105K. I have recently replaced oil/trans/diff fluids, air filters, and spark plugs.

I honestly dont even really know how I would test this and I understand that the above it subjective. Id love to hear others opinions and shift points at speed.

 

Is this a new thing?

 

Are they heavy tires like E rated 10 ply?

I notice the size up on a v6, so you're not doing an favors to a 4 banger with them.

4 bangers simply aren't rockets, I enjoy the manual in the city, and manage expectations when on the highway.

 

A few thoughts on how to test:

1. Cylinder compression check.
2. Get your truck dyno'd
3. Ride/drive another similar truck or have a driver with another similar truck drive yours.
4. Borrow a device that accurately records 0-60 mph and compare with similar truck owners here on TW (flat ground w/a similar altitude.)

 

Sounds normal to me.
When I had my 2.7 PreRunner 5spd, I had shift to 4th in order to over take other vehicles going up hills.
This was on the interstate doing 75ish mph just like you said.

 

They are not E rated tires, just normal. I didnt notice any difference when changing them vs stock. Also, I inherited this turck the way it is, so I cannot speak to if it has been better or worse. That's kindof why I am tyring to figure out if this is how they all are.... or if there are any known issues I should be looking out for.

 

Like @Bishop84 said, the 2.7 isn’t know for “speed and power”.
It’s know for being reliable, until the 4.0 came out in the 2nd Gen, there wasn’t a Toyota truck engine that had “power”. And saying the 4.0 has power, is a stretch. I’m comparing the 4.0 with the previous Toyota truck engines.

Basically, what I’m trying to say is, “You got 5 gears, you need to use all 5”.
Don’t be afraid to drop a gear. You aren’t going to hurt the engine running it “hard”.

 

when my cat started going south my truck felt really underpowered. had no cel and got to the point where i would force the issue by downshifting and it would force the spring bolts on exhaust manifold to make a machine gun sound from forcing exhuast out of there. tires are 265/70/16s. It felt great with new catted midpipe and all back to normal. i could hear the brick inside the cat rattling around when parked in garage. dunno if this might be what is starting to go on with yours but mine was a slow degradation over a long time so it wasn't any all of a sudden thing. just one thing i experienced.......


the other was too much tire and wheel on my old access cab 2.7...remember having to draft an 18 wheeler to keep hwy speed with kayaks on top

 

This is actually interesting, thank you! I do have rattles from the exhaust I have noticed if I tap the excellerator at a stop. It does sort of feel like its not breathing well, but I already replaced the air intake. Its hard to discribe the boggy feeling. Its like there is no power difference between 3/4 throtle and full throttle. I'll investigate this a bit further.

 

My only point of reference is my '01, but what you typed sounds about right to me. It was probably close to the same weight, and I'm guessing when it comes to the highway that the extra size of a 2nd gen did no favors in the aerodynamics department.

I had about the same size tires (32x11.5) and accelerating in 5th was hit or miss... on flat ground. Forget it on an incline, and yeah, grabbing 4th (or even 3rd if steep) was a normal thing. I loved the reliability, but man, that engine did not have much left beyond 'move truck acceptably quick.' Life starts at 3k RPM with that one.

 

oh, and.....i went back with a bosal catted midpipe for $360 shipped. fit perfect and just put my same o2 sensor in with new gaskets on both ends. has been just fine and no cel or problems passing inspection. hopefully no precious metal in it either. doesn't look like oem squarish cat. my oem fail one got left on curb for garbage man...shoulda sold it at recycler lol.....no way was doing $2k oem. good luck widdit

 

I have a similar truck to yours. Yes, typically if you are on any kind of noticeable hill and you are trying to accelerate you will probably want to down shift. Dont forget on the 2.7 our torque curve does not really start to become available until 3k RPM.

EDIT: Dont forget, try taking your truck up to highway speeds in 3rd gear. If the spring bolts on the exhaust start to compress and you hear it start hissing than your CAT is likely starting to clog. Of course if you get the P0420 dont even bother wasting your time with a bunch of snake oil....you have a 99% chance your Cat is clogged.

Otherwise just accept the 2.7L for what it is in our trucks....requiring the lower gears somewhat often for all the power available to be utilized for torque. Other than that its mostly bullet proof.

 

To reiterate what others have said here, you just get used to downshifting pulling up hills on the highway with the 2.7. Mines an access cab 5sp 4wd running 265/70/16’s and it’s just part of life. You aren’t gonna win any drag races just beat them out in longevity. Lol

 

Thank you everyone this is very helpful, I love this community! I actually love the truck too (even with the lack of power). I will do some temp checks on the cats and see if that is causing an issue, otherwise, I will chalk it up to normal. Off to find parts for a new front end lol.

 

Also if it really becomes an issue for you, you can always check out URD...they make a bolt on supercharger kit for our engines...but it is very pricey.

 

Ha I have looked at that. I would instead move to a 4D v6 I think.

 

Is there any oil seepage/sweat where the valve cover meets the head?

 

The best part of this is that after owning a 2.7, you won't be one of the ones who says the 4.0 is totally gutless!

 

…don’t go to any States with mountains.

 

They are not blazing performers brand new. Had two of them run forever but not a drag racer