Idle Weirdness

Okay I know I have asked this before on here but I want to see if i can get any other help. My 01 double cab V6 has a problem frequently while driving. Since i am a 19 year old student paying for loans and don't have much income it is hard to take it somewhere that is going to rip me off. So hopefully someone can help me out. My problem is sometimes while driving my truck Idles really low and it picks up extremly slowly. If i step on the gas it just stays the same pick up rate and at about 50 mph it drops RPMs from about 4000 to about 1500 and it gives a low tone when it does it. now if i let of of the gas and press it again it jerks my truck and just continues to pick up slowly. It sucks especially when I am in front at a stop light and It won't pick up fast and people honk. It is a Automatic transmission with 195xxx's miles on it. Not sure what is going can someone please try and help me.

 

i don't believe it has ever been. is it easy, and lately everytime it starts up i hear a screach from a belt, would those be hard to replace? and how could i do it?

 

thanks for the help, i am not very good at cars, i did replace the headlights and starter but other than that i guess ill just have to fork up the money to get it changed. do you know what the price would be?

 

If you heard a belt squeal, it isn't the timing belt. If the belt shifts, you'll wreck the engine. The problem could be a faulty TPS (Throttle position sensor) or simply a dirty throttle body. Take it off and clean it if you haven't ever done it, making sure to mark all the vacuum hoses where they go.

 

Okay yeah i haven't cleaned it. it was stolen 2 years ago and they took it mudding and i cleaned everything. but the throttle body still might be dirty. Ill take a look at that as well. but the squealing started when it is gets cold here. But it never did that before when my initial problem started.

 

and i don't believe the plugs have been changed. so ill do that hopefully i can lol

 

I don't recall if this vintage still has a cap and rotor. If it does, change both and also change the spark plug wires. Doesn't take much to burn one out and it one does, the engine will run like crap. Seafoam is great stuff. After you clean the throttle body and out it back on, start the engine till its warm, remove one of the vacuum lines and spray 1/4 of the can in it, shut off then engine for 5 minutes, restart, and that will clean a lot of the carbon out of the intake/engine. You won't believe how much better the engine will run after than sometimes.

One more thing: The gasket between the throttle body and intake will probably tear. So get yourself a new one first.

 

i had a 97 3.4 do the same thing and all i did was change the TPS ( throttle positioning sensor), clean the mass air flow sensor and the throtle body. the TPS sensor was around $30 i think. this model engine has coils instead of cap and rotor. if one of your coils go out they are about $100 a piece but usaully they will just cut the engine off or make it sputter real bad when you accelerate.
i have a couple of extra coils that are still good that i could sell fairly cheap if needed.

your check engine light hasn't come on has it?

 

sounds like a transmission to me, check your transmission oil , is it dirty?? have you been changing your fluids?

 

sounds like maybe the filter is dirty/blocked as hell, and the shifts are off due to lack of sufficient fluid.


still a good idea to do all the normal service stuff to it(seafoam motor and clean throttle body),spark plugs and wires, timing belt and water pump, all the other belts................and do a transmission service too. drop the pan...replace the filter, and refill with tranny fluid. that should help tons.

 

well i will definately check everything. i take it in for oil changes when i am supposed to and haven't really done any transmission stuff. My air filter is clean, i wash it whenever I wash my truck which is at least once a week. So i know it cant be my filter. Ill have to check my whole intake because like i said it was stolen and they took it mudding, when we found it it was covered in mud and you couldn't see out the windows. also there was mud inside the tires!! but since then i had them replaced. I appreciate everyones input, some of the stuff i can do myself but when it comes to changing belts and pumps im going to have to pay someone. Chris it only happens when it is in gear. Ill be driving one second its fine then all of a sudden ill try to accelerate and it will just go at a steady pace and not pick up. sometimes it will get out of the slowness but then sometimes it will stay until i am done driving. and would you guys think I would be capable of replacing coils?

 

sounds like a dirty transmission filter to me man. easy as pie to drop the pan and replace the filter and refill. you may wanna give that a go. and replacing the coils is easy as unbolting and pulling them out/unplug........plug new one in, push into place and bolt back down.

 

alright thanks ill do it tomorrow and let you know what happens. but wait where can i get tranny fluid and filter?. again i am somewhat inclined on how to do things but i just started trying to work on my truck since it was stolen. so im not a pro like most people here.

 

for the transmission fluid......im pretty positive you need the t-iv(t4) fluid from the dealer..................buy 6 quarts to be on the safe side. the filter....you can get it at the dealership too....shouldnt be too terribly much. drain the oil first, then remove all the bolts that hold the pan on.(you will need some black rtv sensor safe silicone to remake a gasket when you are done)......pry the pan off slowly(take dipstick tube loose near top of motor...makes it easier).....drain remaining fluid....remove filter(should be 2 small bolts holding it on)....replace with new filter, clean the pan really well, including the magnets, scrape and clean off old gasket on pan.....put silicone on and replace pan....then refill with new fluid. pretty easy. then take it for a drive and see what she's doing.