running hot and power loss

[HondaEater]

Hello everyone I'm new to the forum and I'm having a few problems with my rig

Its an '85 B2 2.8 carbed 5speed with 155k

I drove about fourty miles (one way) to philadelphia yesterday
With no problem. On the way home however the truck was running
Very warm and it felt very sluggish. Getting to highway speeds was
An uphill battle

I thought it could be a vacuum leak which would explain the power loss
And if it were a big enough vacuum leak it could be running lean and in turn
Running hot. Oil is not milky, no smoke coming out of the exhaust so I don't
Think its the headgaskets. Cooling system hoses are pressurized but when I
Release the pressure by taking off the rad cap it doesn't hiss like a normal
Pressurized system. Its not overheating but the needle stays between the n
And the o in "norm" so the temp is pretty high up there

It feels like it won't go over a certain rpm even if I downshift. This truck is my daily driver and I need it to stay reliable through the winter. Could someone please point me in the right direction

Also the idle seems lower then normal

 

[GoodOld85BlueBalls]

Check your thermostat for the running hot, and your fuel filter for the loss of power (loosing fuel pressure) that is such a small fuel filter and it tends to plug up quickly. You could also be loosing the fuel pump. Check out the other thread about a 84 ranger running hot. if you are running hot the heat could be causing a bit of vapor lock in your fuel system.

http://www.therangerstation.com/forums/showthread.php?t=92575

 

[HondaEater]

I just replaced the fuel filter in front of the carburetor

Both radiator hoses are hot and pressurized so I'm pretty sure the tstat is opening but ill replace it anyway. It happened all of a sudden the rig has been trouble free for five weeks now. It has a new radiator as well.

Should I hear a hissing sound in the passenger cabin that goes away when the brake is applied??

 

[06RangerXLT]

I just replaced the fuel filter in front of the carburetor

Both radiator hoses are hot and pressurized so I'm pretty sure the tstat is opening but ill replace it anyway. It happened all of a sudden the rig has been trouble free for five weeks now. It has a new radiator as well.

Should I hear a hissing sound in the passenger cabin that goes away when the brake is applied??

no you shouldn't. that sounds like a vacuum leak.

 

[HondaEater]

So I've confirmed that I have a serious hissing sound and it goes away when the brake is applied. Should I default to singling out the brake booster. If there is an internal leak in the booster how would I go about finding it. The truck didn't overheat on my 18 mile trek to work this morning temp gague sat at the "R" in "Norm" the entire trip. I don't know if that could attribute to it raining today here in Jersey or me putting lower octane gas then I usually do in it this morning (87 vs 93) . Power loss was still greatly apparent

 

[HondaEater]

Should I disconnect the vacuum hose from the brake booster and plug iy

 

[crusin93]

Should I disconnect the vacuum hose from the brake booster and plug iy

Yes, you could do that. A little dangerous, but it would rule out the brake booster as the culprit. A better idea would be to isolate the booster and apply vacuum via a handheld vacuum pump. If the vacuum drops off which it probably will, replace the booster. The leak would explain all your symptoms (a little hot, different idle rpm)

 

[HondaEater]

Thanks. But would a leaking booster even be enough of a vacuum leak to cause power loss and a lean condition..seems a little farfetchd. Like I said it didn't run hot this morning but the power loss was still evident. But it ran hot yesterday. Still no milky oil or smoke

 

[jhammel85]

My truck hisses too..Just a little from the brake booster. Not a ton though.

It could be your problem, especially if it runs like crap after you've got the brake down for a while.

 

[martin]

If you can hear a hiss in the cab with the motor running it's a pretty good leak and can cause all kind of issues.

 

[HondaEater]

Alright. And since it is (the vacuum hissing) directly incorporated with the brake peddle I most likely shouldn't have to check much besides the diaphragm in the booster and the vac hose from the intake to the booster right

 

[HondaEater]

Also shouldn't my brake peddle be hard to engage...

 

[martin]

You can have a fairly good leak on a booster and it will still work fairly well.

 

[HondaEater]

I clamped the hose from the intake manifold to the booster. It seems to have a slight affect on idle and acceleration performance. However. Now I'm getsounda hissing sound as a accelerate (once I clamped the booster that one went away) Another vacuum leak possibly? Truck ran hot on the journey home from work, although like I said it didn't on the way there this morning so maybe its an intermittent sticking thermostat. Really hope its not a head gasket or cracked heads. Ill continue to update thanks everyone for chiming in I really appreciate it

 

[nate09]

kinda sounds like a plugged cat to me. does it idle fine but when given throttle it struggle to gain rpm?