Lose power going uphill. Engine rpm's wont go above 2,000 and no down shift

[Old School]

I have followed the site off and on for some time. Have been through a 2004 Tacoma build and a 99 4Runner and as good as each was in their own right I got excited about ShottsCruisers build and now own a 2001 Land Cruiser. Wanted a capable off road rig but room for the grandkids too. Bought it with 105k miles on it. Did the 90k service re timing belt. Does fine in town on the highway but seems to bog down going uphill. RPM's don't go above 2,000 and no down shift. It will kick into passing gear when accelerating in town. Will changing the spark plugs and or O2 sensors help? Fuel pump? Don't want to have to go to the dealer and get reamed on the price. Anyone else experience this before? Thanks for any help you can provide.

 

[Ozrockrat]

Check your fuel filter. Does the check engine light come on. The other thing to check for is leaking vacuum lines. These are not specific to your Toyota but any vehicle. Oh also check that your exhaust is not blocked or have a kinked pipe. A collapsed cat will give the same sort of symptoms.

My suggestion is to always check the stuff that costs you nothing but time. Also look at what could of been disturbed by any other work you have done.

 

[fjatheart]

Fuel filter would be my vote, then check out exhaust system.

 

[Old School]

Thanks guys

Thanks for the advice. I will check these things out this weekend. Its not my daily driver so havent had or taken the time to follow up on it yet.

 

[Skrewball]

make sure your timing is right. i mean make sure all the marks are aligned properly on the cams and crank.

otherwise look into exhaust restriction.

 

[Schattenjager]

...otherwise look into exhaust restriction.

I had a very similar problem - baffle in the muffler was loose and would flap over the passage under acceleration or increased engine loads. New Toyota muffler and the problem was fixed.

 

[Old School]

Follow Up

I had a very similar problem - baffle in the muffler was loose and would flap over the passage under acceleration or increased engine loads. New Toyota muffler and the problem was fixed.

I did some investigation and the exterior of the exhaust system appears OK. As I am new to the 100, I checked a Haynes repair manual [couldnt find a Land Cruiser specific book so got one for the ealry Tundra and Sequoia with the 4.7l V8] and it appears the fuel filter is attached to the fuel pump inside the fuel tank so haven't messed with that. I think this week I will head out of town and try to simulate the uphill condition to see if I can detect any change in the exhaust flow when on a hill. There are no issues in town and havent found an obvious vac leak as of yet. That flap inside the muffler sounds like a possibility. How did you determine that was the issue? Is there a performance muffler that is recommended for a new replacement if that is the problem?

Thanks for the help.

 

[Schattenjager]

A former buddy in the business suggested it. Cats passed inspection and the muffler was the most logical conclusion. We cut it off, I took it for a quick run and while loud, it proved the muffler was the issue. The entire exhaust looked just fine on the exterior.

 

[aka rover]

Hello there sounds like all the replys are good sugestions but lets start with the basics first. So if i read this right it wont down shift and it wont go above 2000 rpms on hills, its like trying to pull a hill in 5th gear say instead of 3rd or 4th. So i would suggest finding a hill go up it till it wont pull above your 2000 rpms and simply pull it down a gear, if it picks up speed and comes back to life maybe we have a transmission shift linkage issue or maybe a tranny problem. Just seems odd to work normal in town then not on a hill, makes me think load related and there for not a clogged muffler as that would be rpm related IE cfm's moving through the tail pipe choking off the motor and not load related. But it is late and i maybe thinking a bit much.

Cheers Ed

 

[mph]

I have a 99 LC...changed the fuel filter this summer. It is in the engine bay and took 10 minutes or so. It is black...I can send a picture if need be...

I did some investigation and the exterior of the exhaust system appears OK. As I am new to the 100, I checked a Haynes repair manual [couldnt find a Land Cruiser specific book so got one for the ealry Tundra and Sequoia with the 4.7l V8] and it appears the fuel filter is attached to the fuel pump inside the fuel tank so haven't messed with that. I think this week I will head out of town and try to simulate the uphill condition to see if I can detect any change in the exhaust flow when on a hill. There are no issues in town and havent found an obvious vac leak as of yet. That flap inside the muffler sounds like a possibility. How did you determine that was the issue? Is there a performance muffler that is recommended for a new replacement if that is the problem?

Thanks for the help.

 

[Old School]

Fixed it

I looked at all the obvious things and then started spending money. As I was not sure the previous owner had done PM regularly I started with new plugs which helped some but not 100 percent. So that caused me to assume a power loss under load. I had the throttle body and fuel injectors cleaned and what a difference. Lots more power and it acclerates well and kicks into passing gear when called on. Will try a hill pulling the Aliner pop up in a few weeks to be sure. Thanks for all the help.

 

[Schattenjager]

Wow - if things were just fouled then you need to investigate what caused that to happen - that is not a normal PM requirement.