Aloha to all, I have a question I cannot resolve with the Ford dealer here in Kona, Hawaii. I have a 2004 Lariat 150 Supercab 4X4, 24 valve engine. Since new when I down shift from drive to 2nd or 1st its almost like I have 1/2 power immediately. Same when its in 4WD or when the OD is out. Its like the computer slams the door on power. It really sucks. We have some really steep mountians here and sometimes you want all the power you can get,especially when pulling a heavy boat. The Service Mgr. wont give me the time of day and dosen't know anything anyway. Im sure some of you Guys have the answer to this and what can be done to change it. Everything else is working OK but the shocks sure are weak for a car ride. Gas mileage is 13 1/2 at $2.50 per gallon. Any answers would be greatly appriciated. Much Mahalo, Larry

 

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Hi Larry,
Aloha and welcome to FTE. It sounds like you could use a PCM flash to me, something is surely amiss there. Isnt there a Ford dealer in Hilo? I love your island, and visit often.
Good luck
Yob~

 

Moto,

There is a really good reason for that. On these new trucks, when you put the shifter in 2nd, that is all you get. In other words. You will not get 1st gear - you will start out in second and consequently, have a lot less power. They did something different this year than in the past. NOt sure why they did this but I know starting in second in deep snow helps with the traction

 

my '94 f-150 was the same way. Put it in 2nd and it starts out in 2nd. It's good for certain low-traction situations.

 

Larry, my 04 4.6 does the same thing.You can be in a pull and already be in second and put the shifter in second and it will fall on its face. I'm not sure the problem or if it is in the mapping in the CPU. I usually pull it down manually, keep the gas to it and shift back to drive and hopefully it stays in the lower gear. I can't imagine how that must effect 4x4 driving. It has to be a pain.

 

larry next time besure that od is turned off,then shift down when you need to..if your in od and your rpms are low then you shift down to second manually you really shifted to 3rd and you have to pin the throttle down to raise those rpms to get it to shift to 2nd.if od is cut off then you pervent this..i know it sounds crazy but it works...i had this problem w/ my 97,04&05 and cutting od off before i anticipate i'll need to down shift solves these problems.if i,m pulling a trailer or playing in mud i leave od off it helps with alot of the gear searching that this aods are getting known for.starting out in 2nd works good in firm slick mud also it keeps the tires from over spinning and digging a hole you get a good rotion and less powerful spinning,seems also to keep the anti slip in check so that one side dont pull harder than the other allowing you to move in a straight line or keeping truck from sliding to one side.

 

Aloha Guys, I fully understand what you all are saying, evidently I didnt explain fully enough. Lets say you are pulling a load, you know you are already in 2nd gear and you dont want the Tranny to shift to 3rd. You pull the shifter (Console Shift) to 2nd to keep the tranny there and even with your foot to the floor it automatically feels like you let up on the gas about 1/2 way. Same thing if you are in 2nd and you pull it back to 1st and you want to keep it in 1st for whatever reason, feels like you have let up on the gas half way even tho you have your foot on the floor. I have been doing this a long time (59 yrs. old), dont know how many vehicles Ive had, Thousands of hours in 4WD and have never experienced this problem. Of course until recent years we didnt have to deal with the computers. This Truck has done this since day one!!!!! Im in the Kailua area, not Hilo. Anyway Im not getting anywhere with the Dealer over here and cant find anyone to say wheather these new trucks are set up this way or not. Hope Im clearer this Post. Any Info appriciated. Much Mahalo, Larry in Kona..

 

[QUOTE= Lets say you are pulling a load, you know you are already in 2nd gear and you dont want the Tranny to shift to 3rd. You pull the shifter (Console Shift) to 2nd to keep the tranny there and even with your foot to the floor it automatically feels like you let up on the gas about 1/2 way. [/QUOTE]

Larry,
My truck has the same reaction when I shift manually. When I manually choose 2nd gear while the truck is moving uphill at low speeds (already in 2nd) , the RPM drops a bit, and the truck feels like it has less power. I posted here about this concern a few months ago. 2 different readers answered that when the tranny is shifted manually to 2nd (or 1st), the computer locks out the torque converter. When you return the shifter to auto mode, the torque converter kicks back in, along with it's benefits. Hope this helps.
Larry in SF, CA

 

I believe it says it in the manual, but when you shift to first or second manually, the ecm has a different set of throttle instructions to reduce wheel spin and such. This is all done through your drive by wire.

 

Aloha Guys, Much Mahalo for the Info. As for the convertor lockout theory, it dosen't make any sence to me. I have used and installed many different types of converters thru the years to achieve different stall speeds and lockup but thats all mechanical or fluid dinamics. This Goofy setup by the all knowing Enginers to reduce power for reduced wheel spin dosen't do anyone any good when you need all the Horsepower you can get when on dry pavement which is almost all the time. I hope one or some of the after market computer nerds offer a change for this, I know I will buy it!!! Evidently the Engineers haven't actually tried pulling heavy boats or other loads up steep grades. Enough about that----- On a lighter note, I would like to do a suspension lift on this 4X4 150 (2004) and need some input from some of you that have done one or more. What companys have the best kits and why. They all seem to be close in price. Any info on this greatly appriciated. Much Mahalo, Larry in Kona, Hawaii

 

Aloha Guys, Much Mahalo for the Info. As for the convertor lockout theory, it dosen't make any sence to me. I have used and installed many different types of converters thru the years to achieve different stall speeds and lockup but thats all mechanical or fluid dinamics. This Goofy setup by the all knowing Enginers to reduce power for reduced wheel spin dosen't do anyone any good when you need all the Horsepower you can get when on dry pavement which is almost all the time. I hope one or some of the after market computer nerds offer a change for this, I know I will buy it!!! Evidently the Engineers haven't actually tried pulling heavy boats or other loads up steep grades. Enough about that----- On a lighter note, I would like to do a suspension lift on this 4X4 150 (2004) and need some input from some of you that have done one or more. What companys have the best kits and why. They all seem to be close in price. Any info on this greatly appriciated. Much Mahalo, Larry in Kona, Hawaii

 

Your truck is functioning normally. As Artic cat Matt said, it is the programming of your computer for reducing wheel spin. With a cabled throttle you are limited to the rpm's created when you push the throttle down, it is linear and will always open up and lunge forward with full power. This could potentially be bad if you are in a delicate traction situation. The engineers feel the truck works best if left in Drive, so if you need to pull down to a lower gear, they are figuring that you need more traction. The drive by wire system helps by allowing the engineers to change the pedal control from closed to wide open when on the floor(drive) to closed to only half throttle when on the floor (second and first). this allows you to modulate the rpm's much more easily and get a very smooth take off in a slippery condition. A tuner may change these setting, call some of them to see.
Brian

 

You know what's funny, when I first test-drove my new truck, I accidentally shifted the console shift into second gear instead of into drive when I drove it off the lot. I drove for about a mile in city traffic, and thought the truck was totally underpowered! Kind of felt like an idiot when I realized I'd had it in the wrong gear, but in my previous trucks, putting it in second meant it would start in first, then go to second, but no higher. This is an unusual setup, but I'll be sure to try it on the ice.

 

Fords have always had the "start in 2nd" feature to enhance traction when starting on slippery surfaces. Now with the drive by wire they can enhance it further by limiting throttle when starting in second. They also do this in low range if you have a 4x4.