ran into an issue today driving my truck back to school this afternoon. when i tried to accelerate hard the engine would bog down until i let off the throttle, then it ran fine. other than the accelerating problem it ran perfectly and accelerated fine with less throttle. it happened in 1-4 gears, never really gave it the beans in 5th.

i have searched around and it seems this isnt a rare issue but there isnt a consensus solution. my first thought was that it has something to do with fuel or air delivery, but other people mentioned they replaced the spark plugs which seemed to fix it.

have any of you had this issue? if so what solved it? im hoping to get it fixed quick and cheap.

PS it may just be coincidence but i detailed the engine bay over the weekend with simple green and tire foam.

 

This might not be too helpful, but my truck has always felt "bogged down" when trying to accelerate quickly.. It's a 4 banger. I have a hard time passing people too. Almost got into a horrible wreck on a backroad in Louisiana trying to pass some slow *** and almost went head on with a semi.

 

i am used to the power of the 4 banger and i know that this is different. i have had 1200lbs worth of landscaping bricks in the bed and it never bogged down like this. it seems like the engine is choking now when i try to get up and go

 

Hopefully someone can help you out... 1,200lbs worth of bricks ?! maybe you killed it :)

I once carried a sleeper sofa and could barely get up to speed.. LoL

 

that was last summer and it was saggin pretty bad. but it pulled alright, thankfully no major hills to where i was going. the next load i took was only 960, 12 instead of 16 80lb bricks. i figure since i didnt kill it i must have made it stronger! haha :)

 

don't feel bad, i've had 1100 pounds of scrap in tha bed and i was towing about another 1800 in a trailer... keep in mind it's the 2.0 which is carbureted and had 80 hp from the factory... it was slow...

 

still having this problem, it is mainly at low rpms and it struggled today a couple times sitting at idle too.

 

a few starting points:

pull the boots off the plugs and make sure they are tight. its a hassle but just do it. the new design on tapered plugs is apt to back them out, creating major compression and vacuum issues and thus bog.

next change the fuel filter if it hasnt already been done. no fuel = no fire

make sure all cylinders are firing to begin with. when you pull the plugs the color, condition, and surface of the spark tip will tell you this info

if you got the cash laying around pick up 1 can of seafoam, half in vacuum hose, youtube it, half in a half full gas tank

lastly clean all sensors and parts of the air intake: MAF, IAC, TB

 

i forgot about checking the plugs... mine backed out too... had no power, but still ran...

 

Sounds like your mis-firing. can you describe anything else about it besides "bogging down"

 

well originally it felt like it was just bogging down under stress. but i noticed that it is even doing it at idle, drops to about 500rpm sometimes. i never thought about misfiring but that could be right. i am going to replace my plugs and see if that fixes it.

What brand plugs do you guys recommend?
i have heard good things about bosch and motorcraft but am open to other brands

thanks for all the help so far

 

Motorcraft or autolite ONLY.
your engine won't like anything else.

 

Sinced you detailed the engine, how did you wash it off with a pressure washer or just running water???? Have you run the engine in the dark to see if any plugs wires are arching to ground. If the problem did not exist before detailing you need to make sure all connections of senssors are tight and clear of corrision. Have you cleaned the MAF sensor???

 

The engine was running real rough today and a few miles into a drive across town it got nearly undriveable.The check engine light came on so i turned around took it to my nearest auto parts store, happened to be a Baxter. They checked the computer and cylinder 2 was misfiring like some of you had suspected :)
so i bought some new spark plugs, autolite like had been suggested. i changed out the spark plug and to my relief that solved the problem completely. i bought 4 plugs and will finish putting the rest in tomorrow, because i didnt want to be out in the rain any longer than necessary tonight in the dark.

 

good deal. just plugs? single post autolites?

 

just plugs :) autolite double platinum

 

I found that checking all the vacuum lines is smart, I had major running issues, even the shop, when put on the computer, was getting some pretty out there readings. I fingered over all the wiring, and hoses. I felt so small when I found the culprit. the HUGE hose running from the back of the intake, down the back of the motor, then along the drivers side of the motor.

 

I am having this same problem just got done cleaning MAF and although I have to head to work tonight I am gonna try to make it since its only under HEAVY acceleration. I dunno if they fixed the difference between swapping spark plugs since my 96 but those of you who have done it know its a pain...not hard..just time consuming. Also my light hasnt popped on yet so it has not registered a misfire.

 

I am having this same issue with my 05 Ranger but my overdrive off light is also flashing. Anyone have any suggestions???