Is it running really rough and crappy? Check your vacuum lines.

 

not vaccum lines. theyre good. went to a mechanic and he checked the fuel pressure. it was under 40. im gonna swap out the fuel pressure regulator and see if that helps.

 

Hmmm.... what did the clunk have to do with fuel pressure?

 

no clue. may be multiple problems. im guessing the clutch is on its way out. prolly the throwout. im doing the FPR tomorrow. will update then.

 

changed FPR. no difference. the truck is just ****ing slow. also noticed that when out of gear it will not bounce off the rev limiter? any ideas? timing maybe but it is not running rough at all. just slow in the high rpms...

 

i am having the same problem on my 97 right now. i did a vacuum check and it goes backwards on the meter instead of forward. so somewhere there is a vacuum issue. i took off the cat and checked the vacuum again and it still goes backwards.... i put it back on and replaced the map sensor and now i can pass 35 in 2nd which like you i could not do. it still sounds boggy as s*** :censor:. im still trying all kinds of different things. my buddy said to check the charcoal box lines so im gonna do that. i will keep you posted on my status of fixing this problem. keep posting with updates man!

 

I had this happen a while back in my 98 never found out what it was cause all my power came back one day. Was wired I hit a bump in the road trying to get on the interstate and all the sudden it took off and had my power back

 

no update. my truck sounds louder than normal too. boggy if you will. what is the standard fuel pressure supposed to be anyways? i think it may be the pump going even though it is one of the newest parts on the truck.

 

i heard maybe my fuel injecture is dumping to much fuel in. which could cause it to lose power and sound boggy because it is drowning itself (like running a rc car to rich). multiple ideas but im no mechanic and cant afford one!

 

well i guess i found out my problem and that is my fuel pump. It went out driving down the freeway yesterday. i went to purge my fuel rail since i thought it had ran out of gas (my fuel gauge does not work). when i went to purge it, it let out no air or fuel which would mean the fuel pump is not pumping any fuel from the tank to the fuel rail.... dont have 300 dollars for the part alone so i guess im gonna try and rebuild it...

 

buy an inline fuel pump, like a 255gph, mount it inline on the fuel line, wire it up, i think you can just remove the fuel pump off the sending unit, to keep the filter and sending unit for the gause gauge. will cost oyu like $100-150...

 

Just a thought, it could be your IAT sensor. Mine had a break in the wire at the connector, and would give the motor too much gas. If you unplug the IAT sensor, the truck thinks the air is -40F. If you try to drive it like that, it stumbles since it's giving it too much since it thinks it's extremely dense air...i have a scangage which will tell me what the IAT sensor is reading so I can check

 

update: regapped the spark plugs to .040. and no change. at a high rpm there is a huge increase in motor noise and it sounds very tin can-ish. i dont think it is exhaust i think it is motor noise. my IAT is good. is it possible that there is something broken or bent internally that would only trigger at higher rpms? (ie. bent valves?) i do have the classic timing chain rattle.

 

Clogged cat?

When my cat clogged the truck felt like it was running on 1 cyl it was so weak.

 

well still working on the truck. the fuel pump checks out to be ok. truck will turn and turn and turn but just wont fire up at all now. still cannot get fuel to the rails... replaced spark plugs (obviously didnt help with no fuel). the bearing in the idler pulley is fried... anyone replaced one of those before? id like to know what kind of hassle that is... could it be the fuel pressure reg since no fuel to the rails? could it be a timing problem causing it to do nothing? i heard a battery under 10 volts will shut down the fuel system...? im lost! help please!

 

Sounds too me like your timing chain might have skipped a tooth.... Throwing the timing way off. With that many miles its very possible

 

UPDATE: truck finally quit while driving. turns out it was the timing chain tensioner that had worn away so thin that the timing was off. not skipping a tooth. it finally broke into pieces and they are now lodged in my oil pan...
got the truck up and running again and it feels quick as ****!!! just gonna change out the oil like 3 times this week to get all the crap out. word to the wise. just change the timing chain when it rattles. dont wait till it breaks.

 

did you do the work yourself? if not how much was the cost. if so how much of a pain in the as?