Feeling sluggish

My 182k 02 2.4L auto isn't the truck it used to be. It all started last month when some water got into spark plugs and caused the engine to misfire, flashing CEL came on, truck ran like that for no more than 5 mins. I changed the spark plugs that day, CEL went away, everything seemed ok. Only soon I noticed the acceleration was a little weaker, especially noticeable on the highway, feels kind of like I've got a bed full of bricks all of a sudden. I decided to give it a tune up - cleaned TB and IAC, replaced TB/IAC gaskets, cleaned MAF, replaced PCV valve, replaced fuel filter, seafoamed gas tank - never did any of these things for as long as I've owned the truck (12 yrs), but I don't really notice any difference in performance.

Its most noticeable on the highway, acceleration is poor, I'm having to turn O/D off to pass someone or keep speed up a highway hill, I dont remember ever really having to do that. Highway driving is suddenly a chore, and the truck just feels sloshy. If I'm cruising around 65mph, gas pedal just feels like mush, I can hear the engine working harder but speedometer barely moves. Also seems like the engine is making a much lower frequency sound now, theres no punch, no mid range. And occasionally some slight funky vibrations in the pedal.

So my gut tells me maybe the cat got clogged up from that short misfiring episode, but not bad enough to throw a code or affect gas mileage (still 20 mpg avg.). Can the cat get subtly clogged enough to make acceleration shitty but otherwise the truck runs fine? Or could the engine have been damaged somehow during those 5 minutes of misfiring? Or could it be a transmission issue? Sorry for the long post, this has just been driving me nuts for over a month and I want the old truck back!

 

You say water got into the spark plugs, you changed the spark plugs.... did you get the water out?

 

Yes

 

Try running some seafoam through the air intake like chrisfix showed in his video on youtube. Also a little ecu reset wouldn't hurt (remove negative battery terminal for 30 mins). I wonder if this will help?

I see you're mentioning your catalytic converter, but I'm not too sure how that would be connected to some water getting into the spark plug. If it'll make you feel better, you could also try using the "cataclean" product that is sold at autozone and similar stores (I've had a good experience with it removing a p0420 code).

 

If you had water in the Spark Plug tubes you had water in lots more places

 

The cat damage would be the result of the misfiring caused by the shorting of the spark plug. The ecu has been reset several times at this point while doing the maintenance items i mentioned. I'll look into cataclean, I got some

$24 BG 44k Fuel System Cleaner Power Enhancer 11oz.

BG 44k i'm about to put in the tank too.

 

a muffler shop can test for pluged cat/exhaust pretty easy.

 

Changed the oil and oil filter?

what about the drive line oil- transmission, x case, diff? those all break down over time and contribute to increased resistance / reduced performance.

 

Yes oil and filter changed a few weeks ago. Haven't touched the others.

 

Was the oil and oil filter replaced before or after the water incident?

 

' some water got into the sparkplugs'...………………………………………………………………….

where did the water come from ???????????????????????????

did it fill up the well holes the sparplugs are inm

 

Last week I replaced the spark plugs again - just to rule out that it wasn't the NGK irridiums I originally put in there, I know a lot of people around here say the OEM Denso coppers are the best for these trucks so thats what I put in instead. But I noticed the NGK's were already kind of fouled up. Is that normal? they were only in the truck for about a month. Is that blackness just from heat? I also notice theres a little oil coming out of the PCV valve, not sure if thats normal either.

 

From degreasing the engine/washing it off. It didnt fill up the wells, just enough dripped in to short a spark plug out. Not totally sure if it was just 1 or multiple plugs.

 

After

 

the spark plug photo is typically running rich

the water might have damage the electronic ignition …….coil.....coil paks

U did mentioned ' shorted out '

resulting in a sluggish engine running poorly

 

I see, I thought ignition coils were one of those things where "it either works or it doesn't." Its possible for them to be not functioning optimally?

 

guy im not goin to kick U when Ur down

dry they can Stop working

over time they can become 1/2 azzed

no less they can be a come & go headache

always number plugs in correct order...……………………………..what do the other plugs look like ????

 

about the same

 

a shorted spark plug essentially IS an electronic issue

the incidence of the ' Short ' is the root of Ur problem

its not the pistons.....valves.....rods etc

its electrical/electronic = from the spark plug all the way back to the key ( fundamental investigation )

wires

coils

ECU etc

 

bad gas? Maybe try running the tank low, and filling up from another station although it's unlikely if the others suggest the evidence from the plugs show a rich condition..