Truck advice

[doug hodder]

Amy...please let your mechanic know that Doug had nothing to do with the problem...I'm all out of potients but am in contact with a really good witch doctor that might be able to help me out.... Doug

[Q]

Amy,

The "cat" could indeed be the problem but rather than replacing it, consider having the mechanic inspect it. By looking through it with a flashlight he can tell if it's clogged. If it's not clogged you're wasting your money by replacing it.

Q

Okay guys, here's the scoop....on Wednesday next week I am taking my baby (the truck, aka "Cricket", yes I did name her) in to get the work done. After talking extensively with my mechanic (a really good honest guy, I must add), we have decided to try replacing the Catalytic Converter
Amy

[dhazard]

Amy, Let me elaborate on my fuel pump post. With fuel injection you have an electric pump in the gas tank that can start to loose presser before it fails completely. When they start to fail the motor will lose power under a heavy load like going up a hill. In my experience the motor stumbles and surges when it fails. Is this what yours is doing? I have had several cars that I drove for over 300,000 miles and the fuel pumps failed between 150,000 and 200,000 miles. IMHO it is better to replace it at about 150,000 then driving it till it drops and have to get towed. (My trip into the Doug Zone was the 1st time in my life that my car came home on a tow truck. ) Even if the pump is not your problem it might be a good idea to change it.

[gman]

I agree with DH. I sold a lot of in tank fule pumps when I worked in the auto parts store, same symptoms as a plugged exhaust, change the pick up sock as well some call it a filter, the hard part is you have to drain and remove the gas tank, they fail because they are inside the gas tank, and the gas is supposed to cool them, but most people run their tanks until they are almost empty, no fule, no cool. then the trash that has built up gets stuck to the sock and does not fall off. Yeah, a lot of guys just bought the pump, because the sock can cost $30 or so depending on the app, but they always came back later to buy it, after all the work of removing.

I know of a guy that had a 40 foot motor homecoming down the switch backs from Arizona, stall on the Hoover dam with this problem, Homeland securtity had him, ( 72 years old) his wife, and her mother (90 years old) out and face down on the ground in 104 degree heat for an hour while they searched for bombs, until they figured out they really had broken down, had to be towed to Vegas. He had filled the tank up before starting the decent that am, 150 gas of fule, had to be drained.What fun. Have the Mech do a pressure test before you replace anything.

[emiller]

Amy did you get your problem fixed yet, let us know what was the problem.

[AmyH]

The truck goes in on Wednesday, and I am already thinking that I will have Chuck inspect the Cat first (per Q's suggestion, thanks Q), and I plan to talk to him more about the fuel pump.

DH, the truck does not stumble or surge, it just looses more and more power as you go up steep grades. I have to down shift a lot, and other cars just zip on by me. Do you still think it could be the fuel pump?

Amy

[dhazard]

AmyH, In my experience the fuel pump will be more of a cutout, stumble not a smooth power lost. The cat may be the problem, remember the post with the old army truck and the pissed of ground squirrel? I would still recommend changing out the pump before to long.
I can think of 3 other things that can cause a power loss like you have.
1st a jumped timing chain, one tooth off and the motor will run ok but be gutless.
2nd a vacuum leak.
3rd spark timing off.
Good luck and keep us up to date.
Dan

[gman]

http://yotatech.com/showthread.php?p=425033[url]Found this about clogged cat.[/url]

[AmyH]

Gman, thanks for the link, that guys avatar was pretty funny, with the cat up in the engine area!
Amy

[AmyH]

Update: the truck is with my mechanic, and it turns out the Cat is in great shape and doesn't need to be replaced. However, he said the muffler is looking pretty bad, so I have opted to take care of that for starters. After he gets that taken care of, he is going to check the timing, to make sure it isn't off. If those things don't solve the issue, then I am going to assume that the previous owner drove this truck through the "Doug Zone"! So Doug, have you found a good witch doctor yet?

Amy

[gman]

Did he jack up the front to simulate uphill and do a pressure test on the fuel pump?

[madjack]

......If those things don't solve the issue, then I am going to assume that the previous owner drove this truck through the "Doug Zone"! So Doug, have you found a good witch doctor yet?
Amy

DOUG, find a witch doctor ...why Amy, Doug IS the witch doctor ............................

[emiller]

Does your truck have stock wheels and tires or does it have larger tires than it should.

[goldcoop]

Amy-

Is CRICKET all better yet?

Cheers,

Coop

[AmyH]

Cricket is feeling a bit more peppy, but I have yet to take her up to the mountians. I am hoping to take her up to the mountians in the next couple weeks or so, and I will definitely report back on how she did. My mechanic ended up changing out the exhaust and adjusting the timing (it was off by a couple of degrees). Now I just need to see if those things did the trick.

I gotta say, it felt pretty good going in to talk with him with a nice "list" in hand!

Amy