co4rnr

My 87 4runner with the 22re does ok on relatively flat ground, but once I hit any kind of grade, the power goes out the window. More specifically, yesterday I made a trip to the mountains to go skiing (Denver to Copper moutain). Going up some of the 6 percent slopes killed my 3rd gear. I was pushing close to 4000 RPM's in 2nd gear only going 30 mph. Is this what I should expect? Or do I have an engine problem. When I tried going to 3rd it would bog down and I could only do 20 mph. This was all at about 10,000 feet elevation.

JEBSR5

Fuel filter possibly.

co4rnr

I forgot to mention that when I was running at such high RPM's my check engine light came on. When I would shift so that it was not running at such high RPM's (below 3000) it would turn off. Why did this happen? If it is the fuel filter, is there a way to know for sure? It seems to run fine on level ground, not lots of power, but enough to get around.

90RunnerRed

I wouldn't get too worried. At 10,000 ft you'll notice a power loss on most cars. How does it do on inclines down around 5-6,000?

co4rnr

Around 5-6k It does ok. But it still is a dog, I guess I will just have to get used to the underpowered 4 cyilinder. My concern is that when I am traveling up the steep grades, I can't go fatster than 30 mph. I don't like running my truck at high RPM's for a long period of time.

tc

I would think you'd do better than that - AxleIke seemed to keep up with us OK last time we were up there. Do you have larger tires and didn't regear?

What CEL code did you get?

http://www.personal.utulsa.edu/~nathan-buchanan/93fsm/

tc

Don't be too concerned about the high RPM's - it sounds like hell, but these engines kinda like it.

AxleIke

I can do every incline on I-70 in third gear at 55, fully loaded with 2 people, camping gear to the rafters, 20 gallons of H20, plus a spare diff, axles, gears, seals, airtools, complete tool box etc.... I'm running just 3500 - 4k on the tach, which is fine: 5k is redline. These trucks love 3-4k, its where the power is at.

Yours sounds like its got a problem, could be the O2 sensor, when my o2 sensor goes out, it runs like a dog, and my mileage drops big time. Also check the fuel filter, and if all that doesn't fix it, go for a compression check.

co4rnr

I know my compression is good. I had it done when I bought the truck. All cylinders are at 125 psi. I could not get a code because the check engine light came on only for a short time, than when I would reduce the RPM's the light would turn off. I have stock size tires. Granted, I did have the truck loaded down with 5 people and all of our snowboard gear. However, it seems like axleike had even more weight than I did. I get around 20 mpg around town. I live in Lakewood which is near Denver.

AxleIke

See if you can't get someone with a diagnostic reader to pull the code for you...maybe a dealership? I dunno what else to do if you've got an intermittent light.

Do you watch the mileage every tank, or every once and a while. When my O2 sensor starts to go, i get an intermittent light, and then every once and a while i get a tank of 16 or so, with 22-23 being my regular around town.

Other than that, check the rest of the stuff, and if all of that is good, then i wouldnt worry about it.

co4rnr

What other stuff do I check? And will a dealer be able to pull an intermitent code?

AxleIke

a toyota tech pulled my code when i had an intermittent code. It was an O2 sensor at the time.

Anyway, check the plugs, wires, distributer, fuel filter, etc...Do one thing at a time, drive the truck, see if it's better. Most of this can be done after work in about 30 mins to 2 hours.

Bejiita

Im not 100% sure if that oldof a vehicle will do it but most vehicles hold codes in memory so they can be looked up at a later date.

javadoody

i don't think you've got much of a problem at all. the georgetown to silverplume is always a good test. i have to wind it out in third to keep speed up in that final stretch, especially if a truck has killed my momentum. i'm not a fan of running it to 4K, so i've modified the intake, added a header and 2.25 exhaust, just picked up engnbldr's cam to drop that torque range back to a more sensible level. but in all honesty, you're probably not doing too bad. these aren't big blocks. tune up won't hurt.

and remember, it's winter in colo and that means tons of gas additives and loss of power.

AxleIke

Ya, everyone has personal preference on RPMs.

The 22re has a pretty standard range of RPMS, with redline around 5-5500 depending on which one you have...But, the difference is the engine sounds like its ready to explode at 3k. It is a loud ass engine, no two ways about it...the 3.0 and the 3.4L are much much quieter.

I wind it out, but always keep 4k as my high point...i seldom ever go past it, in fact, i can only remember once i went to like 4200, which was to get around a truck before it killed my momentum

co4rnr

Going the strecth from silverthorne on 70E Killed my truck. I could not even use my third gear because it would bog down to 2000 rpm. I could only keep up the RPM's in second gear. I was almost afraid that it would not push it up the hill at all. How do your rigs do going up those hills?

thefallman

fuel filter is cheap and if its clogged at all it will starve the truck when its under extreme load. like going up a steep grade. or pulling a heavy load. id try it first. it could be your throwing a check engine light because the truck was running to lean while pulling that hill.

tc

Maybe the 3.4 ... my 3.0 is screaming like crazy doing those hills too!

The last code is stored in memory - if you go through the procedure (short the terminals in the "DIAG" plug) the light will blink, then you count the blinks.

co4rnr

I just filled up last night after the trip back from the mountains. I averaged 18.8 miles per gallon. I think that is pretty good. However, I still didn't like the fact that I could only do 30 MPH. What is the procedure for doing the check engine light?

BigWavePaul

iTrader: (1)

Folks tailgate me everywhere here in the mountains. When I drove up Pikes Peak and some of the other mountain trails here, I'm in first gear. As long as I know that my truck will thrash mud at sea level, I'm happy. I'm usually the slowest one in these mountains. I could get my valves set for the higher elevation, but I'm leaving soon. So, if you're behind me, get over it. I can make whatever rig you have look like pre-school at sea level in any off-road environment.

You have the best truck out there. It may not be that fastest, but it's the best truck out there. Think of how much fun it is at sea level in some mud and forget blazing the trail up these 14,000 foot inclines. The Race to the Clouds was cool to watch, rally cars screeching up Pike's Peak. But, it was disappointing knowing that my truck is barely able to handle the elevation and only uses 4 cylinders for lightning speed.

Can't rocket up the tallest mountains in our country???...Find a new problem, or get a V8 Lexus motor swap-

Another thing, RPM's? If you're in front, to the left of that redline, you're just cleaning the crud out of the motor. Don't go to the right of it or keep it near the redline for too long. The light issue could be serious, find a code reader-