my 96 150 just doesnt have the torque it used to have, it runs 1800 at 65 and i have to keep it pinned to the floor to keep up with traffic anymore, it really has trouble when the air conditioner is on, even small hills make my lose speed on the highway anymore. its got 183,000 miles and doesnt burn a drop of oil, the oil is pretty clear when i change it too, i used to get 21 mpg no problem with it but now im struggling to get 17! WHATS GOING ON?????

 

Water in the gas, run a couple of bottles of dedicated gas line dryer and see what it does!! The water could be blocking the injectors partially or got a couple blocked completely! basically double or triple the dose and get both types iso heet and heet!
If the truck isn't throwing codes then it is worth a shot it will cost you $5.00 and
it can do wonders, for some reason once everyone got EFI they forgot what water can do to yur motor!!

 

Something really common on these trucks is for the throttle cables to stretch over time. Get a buddy to hold it pinned to the floor (while off of course) and see how much the butterflies open. if they don't open all the way you're not loosing power, just throttle opening.

It's a pretty easy fix if it is stretched. you get under the dash and where the cable hits the pedal there's a cable stop. Cut the stop off and replace it with a barrel clamp, then pull the pedal as far off of the floor as you can get it and then tighten the barrel clamp.

Justin

 

Could be a dirty Mass Air Flow sensor, I think your 96 has one.. Do an INTERNET search for cleaning the sensor, it isn't hard . The wifes 93 wagon had a dirty sensor and there was a major drivability improvement after cleaning it. Some of the symptoms are , hard starting, pinging, no power , and poor mileage to name a few.

 

its not throwing any codes

 

I recently had a fuel system flush done on my 96 F150... what a difference! She runs smoother, starts easier, and has more power... I think the next step is to clean the MAF sensor. My mileage still isn't that great yet and I have done everything else... tune up, etc

 

Your problem could be caused by any of the hundred things that make your truck go. Before you go to overboard with throwing parts at the truck ask yourself a few questions:

1. When was the last time it was tuned up?
2. When was the last time the fuel and air filters were changed?
3. Did this happen all the sudden or gradually over time?
4. Have you noticed any other driveability problems?
5. Is it down on power at all rpm/throttle combinations, or just going down the highway?

I've never heard of one of these stretching the throttle cable so far that it wouldn't go down the road. All four of the 88-96 4.9's I've owned or operated have been OK at very high mileages. The one I still have has over 320k on the original cable and it isn't stretched even a little bit. If the cable is stretched that far I'd be real interested to know if there's something in a bind somewhere. If it is stretched that far you should make the repair mentioned above with a buddy holding the throttle open with his hand while you hold the pedal down and install the barrel clamp. If you just pull the pedal up and install the clamp you run the risk of going too far. When that happens the throttle could be wide open before the pedal hits the floor and everytime you floor it you will be putting a lot of stress on something.

 

every Ford of this year range that I've worked with, whether it be a fullsize or a ranger, has had a throttle cable stretched out enough to effect driveability.

I typically suggest it first since it takes about 30 seconds and only costs about $0.50 if it does wind up being the problem.

Justin

 

i perfer zip ties to take the slack outta the throttle cable. i use one and it works enough.

just to re-emphasize:

1. When was the last time it was tuned up?
2. When was the last time the fuel and air filters were changed?
3. Did this happen all the sudden or gradually over time?
4. Have you noticed any other driveability problems?
5. Is it down on power at all rpm/throttle combinations, or just going down the highway?

 

could be your catalytic converter stopped up.

 

I kind of agree on checking out the Cat converter. My '92 plugged up (they had 2 on there) and it did mostly fine running without a load, but as soon as you put a load onto it, no power at all. It is worth checking out at least.