My situation has changed a bit. I'll be needing my truck for more highway use. I'll bet traveling from Billings, MT to Denver, CO once a month. I'll be pulling a 5x8 cargo trailer (Enclosed), and will be towing 3000# total back when loaded.

I have a 1995 Flareside. It's 2 wheel drive, has the 300, the M5OD, and 3.31 gearing. It seems completely gutless on the highway as it is. Even my old Chevrolet 305 can work circles around it.

At 60-65 MPH, I feel like I'm whipping the engine. The truck does not like to go over 55. It's noisy, slow, and exhausting to drive.

So, I'm looking to work on that. For the cost of upgrading to a "nicer" truck, I figure why not use a little of that money to make this one more enjoyable.

I'd like to be able to go 70-75 MPH on the interstate if possible, since I won't have the trailer attached all the time. I'd like the truck to be smoother and more relaxing to drive- I'll use my 1987 Chevrolet R10 as a benchmark. It's comfortable enough, and not too loud. It'll also do 70 MPH without breaking a sweat.

I'll also do some things to the truck that aren't performance related. KC driving lights, cluster with tachometer, maybe bucket seats, you get the idea.

I've heard a lot of ideas on what to do. Most of the ideas fall into two camps- modifying the 300, or changing the other parts of the powertrain (Such as the rear end). I've read that a lot of you have enjoyed setups similar to mine- is there something wrong with my truck? The exhaust comes out in hot puffs sometimes, but other than that, it runs just fine.

So, what would you do to turn this truck into something that's more pleasurable to drive?

 

I would say the first step is to do a good tuneup on your engine and make sure everything is ok. Pull codes; they can be there even if the CEL is off and fix anything wrong. Lastly, I would check to see if your cat is clogged, that can cause big problems with performance.

 

What size tires are on the truck now? It sounds like something is seriously amiss here. Your truck should cruise easily at 65-70 MPH.

 

Something has to be goofy with it. I drove the Chevrolet to work today with a 900# load- it did speed easier than the Ford.

I need a tachometer on there, but at 65-70 MPH, I feel like I'm jockey-whipping the engine. I'm sure it's not running that fast, but it feels like it's giving me all that it can.

The tires are the stock size- 235/75/15.

How do I check for a clogged cat? I'd rather leave a Cat on there just to be safe legally, but I'm fine with replacing it. Would a clogged converter explain my exhaust? It comes out in hot puffs.

The truck also will shutter at idle. The RPMs will drop and the manual transmission lever will shake (I'm in neutral), but it will recover itself. It's only stalled a couple of times doing it. I've had new plugs/wires and a new cam gear put on in the last 18 months.

Any ideas?

 

Yeah your truck has issues, pull the codes and check fuel pressure and post up what you get. A busted cat will sometimes rattle, other times it won't make any noise but the exhaust will sound like air escaping from a compressor. After you sort out the problems then start looking for a turbo or supercharger kit.. there are virtually no other performance parts for this motor worth investing in.

 

strange my 90 with the straight 6, 300, 4X4 will do 90 mph.

 

Alright- the truck should be back from the shop this week (Ignition switch issue- unrelated from all this)

Anyways, I've been doing some reading, and have some questions.

1. At idle, the truck will shutter. That's in my post above. At speed, it will buck sometimes. By that, I mean that there's a short burst of power that snaps the truck. It usually will happen when I'm accelerating (At about 40MPH in 4th gear). I'm not lead-footed while accelerating. I've read that this may be an EGR problem. Can someone enlighten me on this?

2. I've seen videos of this engine going from 0-60 in a short time. For me, if I lay into the truck, I usually need about 1 mile to reach 65. Is that normal?

3. For checking the CELs, do I run the pin jumper, or take it O'Reillys? If their code scanner can pick up the EEC codes, I'm for it. I know the owner pretty well.

4. Is there a code that will tell me if the catalytic converter is clogged?

Thanks for the help!

 

It definitely sounds like your egr is gummed up or something. What you explained is the same problem I had in my 92 flareside with a 300. I would suggest replacing the egr.

Also since you have a spare truck I would take off your tps sensor and your IAC sensor and have them checked to see if they are still fully functioning.

As far as the cat, shops should be able to test the cat to see if it is flowing correctly. If it isn't it will really rob your power.

 

Don't just change parts. Do what Conan said first. On these trucks the first thing you do is pull codes. Get one of these:
Yes you can pull codes with a jumper wire and a meter or counting the check engine light but for $25 this is priceless, makes pulling codes a piece of cake. For another $25 you might want the extension cord for this code reader but then you are up at $50. I bought the extension cord and it is worth it.

You can also find this same code reader at auto parts stores for around $30 which would save you the shipping charges if you are not Amazon Prime member.

 

I'm glad a link was posted to a code reader for these trucks as I was searching for a cheap one. Something is definitely wrong with the truck posted in this thread and hopefully the obd1 system will help point you to the culprit.
I've had a few of the older 300 trucks that seemed to top out at 60-70, which one had a non overdrive trans and the other had 33s but the 95 I currently own with an e4od and 3.08 cruises nicely at 70-75 which I was afraid it wouldn't do.