2001 2.7 won't rev past 2k RPM

another update:
took off front cat converter ( broke bolt to a/f sensor, had to drill and replace)
so, cat looks good. no broken parts and i can shine a flash light and see thru it. not sure if how else to test.
replaced a/f sensor with new Denso part.
fired up truck and problem still happened with new sensor. i did NOT however reset ECU. but i noticed strong fuel smell and then smoke from engine bay. say smoke/exhaust coming from upper cat pipe were it meets manifold. i guess i didn't get the new gaskets on right or tighten down enough.
but, the smell of fuel is overwhelming now.
i have a new MAF on the way.

what else could cause fuel to be dumped into engine? bad injectors, fuel pump/regulator to high pressure?

 

I didn't read the whole thread but did you ever replace the crank sensor?

 

no, i haven't replaced the crank sensor yet. it's on the list after i get the new MAF tomorrow to try it. i hate throwing parts at this but i'm a loss as to what else to try. at least with the fuel smell i should be able to have it taken to the dealership to see if they can diagnose that problem.
the truck has 205k on it and i don't think any sensor has been replaced. So i guess some of them could be going bad but not bad enough to show a CEL

 

When my crank sensor went bad it would flash a CEL while it was misfiring when I held the pedal down. Fuel won't be your problem. Pig rich can still rev. You're looking for an electronic problem.

 

update:
replaced the MAF with one from Rockauto (hitachi brand)
so far seems to have fixed the smell of gas. the rev limiter problem hasn't happened yet either. I won't know for a couple days if it truly fixed the problem or not. the problem for me was intermittent

Using my IR gun the cat temps front and back are where i believe they should be. after the truck warms up the inlet is about 270, the cat itself around 290 and the outlet around 270

i did use the FSM to test the MAF and the a/f sensor and both tested good. however i believe they were originial to the truck, 205K

so hopefully this helps someone in the future. i'll post again in a about a week to see if problem is gone or if it comes back.
i believe all i'm dealing with now is burning all the penetrating oil off the exhaust. hopefully that clears up soon

thanks again for all the suggestions.

 

Did the problem come back ?

 

So far so good. After replacing the MAF. Hitachi brand from Rock Auto the problem hasn't returned.

 

I believe that first Cat check you did wasn't really valid because the truck hadn't been running. Cat's have to warm up to work correctly.

 

I meant to update that. I let it get to operating temp. Then noticed my IR gun was on Celsius. So I did it again later and it was around 500 degrees

 

I had that issue turned out to be a combination of a clogged cat and faulty wires and platinum plugs.