sluggish 100 uphills

[miketheinternetguy]

Hi all,
I am a new 2000 TLC owner and I have a question about uphill performance. I took my news cruiser which test drove well up into the Rockies this weekend. I was a bit shocked at how sluggish the vehicle felt climbling up hills even with O/D off and ECT on. I mean I was flooring it and it was very slow to respond if at all. I also own a 2002 4Runner with a V6 and it even seems to perform better

I am not much of a vehicle techie so please dumb down any advice. Is this typical of a TLC? If so I can live with it, but it seems like with a V8 the vehicle should be able to tear up the hills

thanks
mike

 

[spressomon]

Hi all,
I am a new 2000 TLC owner and I have a question about uphill performance. I took my news cruiser which test drove well up into the Rockies this weekend. I was a bit shocked at how sluggish the vehicle felt climbling up hills even with O/D off and ECT on. I mean I was flooring it and it was very slow to respond if at all. I also own a 2002 4Runner with a V6 and it even seems to perform better

I am not much of a vehicle techie so please dumb down any advice. Is this typical of a TLC? If so I can live with it, but it seems like with a V8 the vehicle should be able to tear up the hills

thanks
mike

Is your LC stock including tire size? How many miles on it since a tune-up (air filter, plugs, check wires, etc.). Tire pressure?

 

[miketheinternetguy]

I am not sure when the last tune up occured. I know it recently had the oil changed and a new air filter. The tires are new Bridgestone 275 70/R16 at 40psi. The vehicle has 68000 miles on it and I had it checked out by a mechanic before I bought it. He didn't really find anything of interest.

I am pretty sure it is pure stock other the tires

thanks

 

[Jim_Chow]

Which brand/octane gas are you using?

 

[Augie]

Like Jim Chow ask what grade of gas do you use. With my 99 it make quite a big difference changing Octane rating. 2000 plus model should be ok to run with regular but still for optimum performance its better to run with premium. My mileage drop quite a bit with regular gas so its cheaper for me to run 93 octane.

The previous owner might be using cheap gas all the time. The ECU takes a long time to relearn. You could speed it up by disconneciting the battery. When the ECU sense voltage below 9 volt it would lost most of its memory and will relearn driver's driving habit again. It would not run properly the first 50-100 miles but should better after that. Try to drive a bit more aggressive to give it more sporty response during the relearn period. This would allow the ECU relearn min max range on all the sensor and compensate accordingly.

If the truck have just been serviced and somehow they disconnect the battery it would probably behave the same way.

I also recommend getting redline fuel system cleaner.

 

[tabraha]

Hi all,
I also own a 2002 4Runner with a V6 and it even seems to perform better

Is this typical of a TLC?

mike

Mike, it's not typical. That 4runner shouldn't hold a candle to the 100 in the mountains. A new 4runner with the v8 I could see but not an '02 with the 3.4 v6. When I did my last trip into the Great Smokies my bro-in-laws 3.4L '04 tacoma could not come remotely close to being able to pull the hills like the 100. I pulled away with ease on every hill and he'd have to catch up on the downhill side. I also own an '04 tacoma with the 3.4 and it will not pull hills in near the fashion my 100 will. Definitely look into what the others have posted b/c it does sound like something needs to be tweaked.

 

[Greg B]

On my way back from Moab, I drove through the mountains in Colorado and I had no problem with acceleration at all. That was with my 100 loaded up and running 295's. I was impressed that there was a very small difference in acceleration through the mountain passes. I was expecting more of a drop in that altitude on uphill climbs.

BTW, I ran 87 octane through that area.

 

[Jim_Chow]

On my way back from Moab, I drove through the mountains in Colorado and I had no problem with acceleration at all. That was with my 100 loaded up and running 295's. I was impressed that there was a very small difference in acceleration through the mountain passes. I was expecting more of a drop in that altitude on uphill climbs.

BTW, I ran 87 octane through that area.

Ditto here. Between Albuquerque and Santa Fe, my 4-cyl 4runner struggles big-time (anything 6000+ ft). In the 100, you barely notice you're climbing. Yeah, on the steep climbs, the engine might have to drop out of OD, but it'll accelerate easily, not just hold on. Same thing going up 9,800 ft Bobcat Pass in the Sangre de Christo mountains...100 climbs effortlessly. I run chevron 91 only. With 87, even at 2500 ft in Tucson, it's a slug, no faster than my 4runner, plus fuel economy is about 1.5-2 mpg worse since you have to use more throttle.

 

[Pskhaat]

The 4Runner comparison is funny, but still the 100 is no speed demon at all, it's a heavy slow beast even with a brand-new 4.7. It's still way faster than any of the other earlier LCs though.

 

[LXPearl]

My 100 seemed slow in the Rockies, but did well conpared to the other vehicles. It is large, quiet, and seems slower than it is. It depends more on torque than HP, so it doesn't advertise it is working hard like some vehicles (lots of noise , racket and fan fare). Still, when the accelerator is punched, it should be right there with other vehicles with more fan fare and HP ratings (or ahead of them). The quiet, smooth ride is deceptive for feeling the actual power being delivered.

 

[haulin79]

That is a great point, I was riding with a friend in his new Mercedes V8 CLK, his previous car was a V6 Camaro. After we entered the freway, I told him, "you better slow down". He thought we were going 70 mph because he was accustomed to the noise and shaking of his Camaro. He looked at the speedo, we were actually going 95 mph and rising.

 

[tabraha]

I agree it is a very valid point. Sometimes the isolation from the road is decieving. Then I get in my Tacoma and feel like I'm riding in a Model T.

 

[sleeoffroad]

Funny thing is that I do not feel that at all when driving mine up I70

 

[miketheinternetguy]

thanks for the replies guys. I have driven with 91 octane only for at least 1000 miles now. I'll try disconnecting the battery for a while and the redline fuel system cleaner and see what happens. It was really, really slow up the mountains. Any other possible major repairs that you think I might need?

Thanks
Mike

 

[miketheinternetguy]

Do I just disconnect the negative side or how do you recommend proceeding.

Thanks
Mike

 

[spressomon]

thanks for the replies guys. I have driven with 91 octane only for at least 1000 miles now. I'll try disconnecting the battery for a while and the redline fuel system cleaner and see what happens. It was really, really slow up the mountains. Any other possible major repairs that you think I might need?

Thanks
Mike

What's the elevation; grade %; gear you need to drop down to to maintain X MPH; and what is X MPH?

FYI: Before I added all the extra weight, MT/R's, etc (in other words when it was stock) to mine I could sail over Donner Pass (< 8,000 ft) at 75mph with ease. Now it's gear down time!

 

[miketheinternetguy]

What's the elevation; grade %; gear you need to drop down to to maintain X MPH; and what is X MPH?

FYI: Before I added all the extra weight, MT/R's, etc (in other words when it was stock) to mine I could sail over Donner Pass (< 8,000 ft) at 75mph with ease. Now it's gear down time!

Basically I was just in 'D' driving up Peak to Peak Hwy. Not sure what the grade was, but it wasn't really signifigant. Altitude was about 8000 ft. to help the situation I turned O/D off and ECT on. Still flooring it and acheiving about 45 MPH

One other thing to note is that this car was originally bought and driven in Texas until now. Are there any other adjustements that need to be made for the altitude in general?

 

[spressomon]

Basically I was just in 'D' driving up Peak to Peak Hwy. Not sure what the grade was, but it wasn't really signifigant. Altitude was about 8000 ft. to help the situation I turned O/D off and ECT on. Still flooring it and acheiving about 45 MPH

One other thing to note is that this car was originally bought and driven in Texas until now. Are there any other adjustements that need to be made for the altitude in general?

That's a good question...maybe someone else has an answer to. Based upon my '99 that came from the northeast under what sounds like very similar road conditions mine just went right over the pass without slowing down. Again...it won't do that now due to all the extra weight and air resistance I have added.

 

[Augie]

Yes, You just need to diconnect the battery negative terminal for a few minutes.

What is the history of the timing belt? I know om other car its possible to missinstall the cam during the reassembly. This engine does have a cam sensor though and I am not sure if it would give a check engine light or not if the timing are off.

 

[miketheinternetguy]

ok more clues, however they may not be applicable.

Took the vehicle in to the shop today for the 60K maintainance. They plugs, belts, wires, etc looked good. They cleaned the throttle body, mass air flow, and replaced the fuel filter. Only bad thing they found was excessive metal shavings while draining the rear diff. How worried should I be? I know this probably has nothing to do with the original issue, but still

will disconnect battery tonight and add redline fuel system cleaner

thanks for all your replies