Bogged Down 5.4 Auto
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Bogged Down 5.4 Auto
Has anyone experienced a bogged down feeling while hauling a heavy load or towing something while the a/c is on (That is greater then the normal towing feeling)? I was helping a friend move. Had approx. 600 - 700 lbs of freight going slightly uphill to get on the freeway while the a/c was on and had to push harder on the gas pedal to get up to speed. I know that the a/c takes a lot of power away from the engine plus the added weight in the back attributes to a loss of power, but it doesn't seem like it should make it feel that bogged down. I don't haul a lot of things so I'm not really familiar with how it should feel. So I guess my question to all of you heavy haulers would be "Is this a normal feeling"? I'm so used to the power that the truck has when it is not loaded with freight and the a/c is the only thing stealing power. Your advice is greatly appreciated.
2004 F-150 FX4 5.4 Auto 3.73 LS Supercab
2004 F-150 FX4 5.4 Auto 3.73 LS Supercab
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Maybe I'm just not used to the extra weight involved with towing or hauling something. I've never really used a full-size truck for what it actually is supposed to be used for, hauling. So maybe it is all in my head. I've hauled 1500 pounds of cement prior and it seemed to do great, granted I was heading downhill. Hopefully I will get a feel for what is normal and what is not when I start to haul more.
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Thanks
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Joined: Mar 2004
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From: Md
The only thing I have not been satisfied with when hualing large loads is the slow or absent downshifts when climbing hills. Even with the overdrive off I have had to manually downshift in order the gain speed when hualing a load. There is plenty of power there the truck just doesn't want to go get it sometimes.
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Maybe that is the problem that I'm experiencing. It just doesn't want to downshift. Ford states that the trucks have the power just like you say, but maybe it also has to do with your driving habits. Such as waiting for it to shift or trying to force it to shift by pressing the gas harder to make it produce the downshift/power.
Please excuse me but how do you manually downshift with a automatic trans.? Do you just slide it to 1st or 2nd gear while driving? Is that bad while driving and hauling heavy loads? I have never really used those gear options before always have had it in Drive.
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RK
Please excuse me but how do you manually downshift with a automatic trans.? Do you just slide it to 1st or 2nd gear while driving? Is that bad while driving and hauling heavy loads? I have never really used those gear options before always have had it in Drive.
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RK
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Joined: Feb 2004
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From: SoCal
When towing our trailer up in the mountains I tried downshifting manually to 2nd gear. It felt like the electronics in the trans reduced power significantly (maybe a frozen road starting aid for traction) compared to leaving my foot steady on the gas and shifting back to Drive. Drive felt much more powerful. Ended up using gas pedal pressure to force downshifts to lower gears, not my favorite way to tow.
Steve
Steve
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From: Newport NC
I have the 3.55 rear and just hauled 4000 pounds from NC to VA over plenty of bridges and through tunnels with no issues.
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From: Missouri
I tow about 5000 lb camper with 400 in the bed. I can honestly say the the 3 valve 5.4 has more low speed torque, but it is not much better than my 5.4 2 valve in my 03 Expedition when encountering a hill at highway speeds.
It seems better some times, and worse under other conditions. The gas mileage is slightly better.
What is the no power feeling when ttrying to start off with transmission in 2nd.
It seems better some times, and worse under other conditions. The gas mileage is slightly better.
What is the no power feeling when ttrying to start off with transmission in 2nd.
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I have never tried to start out in second.
The no power feeling that I have experienced is just the slow feeling that you get when you push the gas pedal to gain speed. To me it just feels like I should be moving faster in reference to how much pressure I'm applying to the gas pedal.
The no power feeling that I have experienced is just the slow feeling that you get when you push the gas pedal to gain speed. To me it just feels like I should be moving faster in reference to how much pressure I'm applying to the gas pedal.
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From: Walterboro, SC
To address your second gear issue: When you manually put the gear selector in "2" from "D" the tranny changes to a different (weaker) clutching method than the normal automatic mode, at least on my tranny it does. So IF it uses a weaker clutch method in manual "2" it would make sense that the ECU only allow the engine to make a certain amount of torque at that time.
I think what you are experiencing though is throttle lag. Ford introduced a new electronic throttle on this truck and programed it for smooth driving. This way when you push the pedal, it doesn't (jump!) like older vehicles.
You can fix the problem by either driving it much more agressively so it can relearn your driving habits, or you can get an aftermarket chip that reprograms the shifting characteristics. Ford also had a TSB out on this issue, but wether or not it actually fixes the lag, I don't know.
I think what you are experiencing though is throttle lag. Ford introduced a new electronic throttle on this truck and programed it for smooth driving. This way when you push the pedal, it doesn't (jump!) like older vehicles.
You can fix the problem by either driving it much more agressively so it can relearn your driving habits, or you can get an aftermarket chip that reprograms the shifting characteristics. Ford also had a TSB out on this issue, but wether or not it actually fixes the lag, I don't know.
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