90 km/h top speed?

[Mark_88]

Sorry Vlad, but I'm not seeing any verification of what you have checked...it would be more helpful if you could verify things like fuel and air filters have been inspected or recently replaced...if there is any slack in your throttle cable (this takes a bit of work since you have to get under the dash and move the gas pedal to see if it pulls the cable with the slightest movement), or if you've done a tune-up or any thing else...

Giving ideas as to what can be wrong is a crap shoot at times without all the necessary information or feedback...other than the sea foam have no idea what's been tried or accomplished...

If the truck is running otherwise then it's probably something simple that is affecting your performance...

 

[vladj]

Sorry Vlad, but I'm not seeing any verification of what you have checked...it would be more helpful if you could verify things like fuel and air filters have been inspected or recently replaced...if there is any slack in your throttle cable (this takes a bit of work since you have to get under the dash and move the gas pedal to see if it pulls the cable with the slightest movement), or if you've done a tune-up or any thing else...

Giving ideas as to what can be wrong is a crap shoot at times without all the necessary information or feedback...other than the sea foam have no idea what's been tried or accomplished...

If the truck is running otherwise then it's probably something simple that is affecting your performance...

oh sorry i guess i should say what all have been done in the last couple of month i have:
changed spark plugs
changed wires
sea foamed it
changed fuel filter
changed air filter
changed oil and oil filter
changed alternator
changed battery

and i zip tied the cable behind the gas pedal yesterday and it helped a little but still wont go over 90km/h.

also i put in some octane booster and fuel injector cleaner and it came alive and is faster to 60km/h but still wont go over 90km/h

im leaning towards the timing but do you guys have any other ideas

thanks;

vlad

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

check tire pressure, make sure your brakes arent dragging, check timing, check fuel pressure, confirm plugs are gapped correctly, confirm cat converter isnt plugged, confirm no vacuum leaks, confirm vehicle has sufficient compression, check for possible DTC's.

there are about 20-thousand things that can cause a lack of power....just start looking the truck over and performing condition tests.

 

[vladj]

check tire pressure, make sure your brakes arent dragging, check timing, check fuel pressure, confirm plugs are gapped correctly, confirm cat converter isnt plugged, confirm no vacuum leaks, confirm vehicle has sufficient compression, check for possible DTC's.

there are about 20-thousand things that can cause a lack of power....just start looking the truck over and performing condition tests.

im trying to figure out how to adjust the timing since i don't have a regular distributor? i got the electric coils. is there a way i can adjust it?

 

[Mark_88]

check tire pressure, make sure your brakes arent dragging, check timing, check fuel pressure, confirm plugs are gapped correctly, confirm cat converter isnt plugged, confirm no vacuum leaks, confirm vehicle has sufficient compression, check for possible DTC's.

there are about 20-thousand things that can cause a lack of power....just start looking the truck over and performing condition tests.

My front brakes used to drag and I could feel something holding back the truck...found out they were a problem when I went to check the air pressure and the rim was almost red hot...once that was corrected (by greasing the slider pins) it was much better...then the rears started locking...bit of brake grease on the backplates goes a long way...and freeing up the parking brake cable was also necessary...

So, Vlad...thanks for the feedback...I now can understand better your frustration because you have done quite a bit already...but like Wicked said there are so many things...not sure about the timing on the FI models, but if you have a Haynes manual it should tell you step by step how to set it.

Your profile shows as an 87 Ranger...are you sure you don't have a distributor or is your truck a different year??? I thought the DIS was 89 or later...

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

Your profile shows as an 87 Ranger...are you sure you don't have a distributor or is your truck a different year??? I thought the DIS was 89 or later...

so did i...

if its DIS, the timing isnt adjustable.

 

[vladj]

i have 2 rangers. an 87 4x4 2.9L and an 89 2wd 2.3L. and ya it has a DIS so what else can i look for. BTW the brakes were changed last winter and less then a 1000 km ago and thats rotors, pads, shoes and drums so i still cant figure out whats wrong. a buddy thinks its a fuel pressure problem but i have no clue

 

[Mark_88]

Ah, that makes more sense...but, anyways...looks like the timing is not the problem, but when was the belt changed, if ever? They can stretch a bit and that may be affecting performance...but not likely...

Do you get up to speed fairly quickly as in normal or does it lug it's way up?

You might try checking the wheels by touching them after hitting highway speeds (stop before trying this) to see if they are overly warm...that would indicate brake drag...and add a few more zip ties if it actually made a difference...still sounds like you're not getting full throttle out of it...that is if it otherwise normally responds up to the limit you're seeing.

 

[vladj]

it goes to 60 normally then goes to 90 very slowly. oh and when you go 90 the truck vibrate and the shifter feels like a vibrator. oh and i got no clue is the timing belt was ever changed. i never did it and i had this truck for a year

 

[Mark_88]

Did this just happen suddenly or have you been dealing with this for a while?

Can't say that I've ever held a vibrator, but I think I know what you mean...the vibration could be wheel balance and it can affect performance somewhat...but i don't think that's causing the 60-90 lag...

By the sounds of things you've got maybe a combination of things going on that are not necessarily related...your wheels could be out of balance and you should get that checked at some point...

Could be fuel pressure causing the performance lag though...you mentioned that you just replaced the fuel filter so checking the fuel pressure would be the next step...you can try running some injector cleaner through it to see if that does anything though...

Since it accelerates to 60 km/h normally you should see about getting a fuel pressure guage if possible so you can test it under load...the timing belt would affect performance at all levels so you may be able to rule that out for now...

 

[Bryan22]

Does it get hot? How's your fuel mileage?

 

[vladj]

this was a problem i was dealing with since i got it. it had 3 sets of tires/rims on and it vibrated on all of them. it doesn't get hot but it takes it a long time to get warm. i can drive it for 3 hours straight and the gauge will be on the line between normal and cold. fuel millage is the same as my 87 2.9L. also i did try running fuel injector cleaner and octane booster into it and it felt a little faster but the problem was still there. i will however try to get a fuel pressure gauge and see what happens

 

[Bryan22]

reason I asked if it was getting hot, is i kinda suspect a cat to be the culprit. But a plugged cat will make a motor run hot. this is a confusing one.

Take a peice of paper and set it on the exhaust while it's running. it should steadily and smoothly blow the paper away from the pipe.

 

[vladj]

oh the truck it cat less i took it off awhile ago when it rusted through

 

[Mark_88]

If the engine is not getting hot it can also affect the operation of the engine...it is supposed to be hot...I put a 190* t-stat in mine and it actually improved performance somewhat...if you have too high a mix of anti-freeze and the thermostat isn't opening properly the engine does not atomize the gas properly...the line going into the intake helps this process (apparently)...

Looks like it is a stumper...

The vibration can also be a wonky driveshaft...and it may only vibrate at certain speeds if it is not balanced properly just like your tires...and you've mentioned three sets of tires all doing the same thing...I'd have the driveshaft inspected for bumps or bends...