All right guys, I've got an interesting one for you. We bought our travel trailer last summer and I've been pulling it with my truck ('99 QC 5.2L 4x4 w/ 3.55 gears). The only mod to my truck is the tires are now 33x12.5x15. The trailer tops out at around 5250 lbs. fully loaded, well within my towing capacity. My problem is that the truck doesn't pull it well at all. I do tow out of OD and I have a top speed of 63on a flat level surface w/ my foot to the floor. I have taken it into my dealer twice now...the first time he reprogrammed the computer....ok somewhat better. We went camping 2 weeks ago and I still feel that it pulls hard. I took it to the dealer again, this time with the trailer attached. They drove it around with the scanner hooked up, but nothing shows as being wrong. They admit it is not pulling like it should, but according to the computer/scanner nothing is wrong. Now they're working with Chrysler techs, this is a Chrysler/Jeep dealer btw, to try and figure it out. What do you guys think?Any ideas? Thanks

Evan

 

does it drive fine when not pulling the trailer?

 

How many miles? Perhaps the catalytic converter is partially clogged?

 

thats where i was heading with that. but if it only does it while towing im not sure the cat would be the only problem. but it might be, figure your using more power to tow then you are normal driving, if the cats clogged, that extra power wont be there.

 

Yes, the truck seems underpowered when i'm not towing anything. I know it sounds crude, but i can't even break the tires loose from the pavement unless i'm turning hard. The truck has roughly 87,000 miles on it, however last fall the motor was completely replaced due to some seriously bad rings, (going through almost 2 quarts every hundered miles or so). Never smoked a bit, according the tech, the CAT was covering it up, no one thought tothink bad rings at 77,000 miles with no smoke. I paid to have a compression test done, then we found it. So yea, the motor only has 10,000 or so miles on it. Hope it helps.

 

My trucks really slugish too with the 318 but I could tow my buddys rig and trailer at 70 no problem.

I say check your catalytic converter.

Does anything rattle under neither while you drive or idle? If you do hear ratteling its the car. Also you can crawl under while the trucks hot and smack the cat with your palm to see if it rattles. You have to smack it pretty hard.

 

Unfortunatly Socha, I don't have the truck, and probably wont for a while according to my tech, otherwise I'd go try it. According to him Chrysler tech support is EXTREMLY slow. However, I tend to hear things that are different sounding (and subsequently locate and fix the problem)and I've never heard rattling. On another note, has your truck always been sluggish, because mine has always beensince i've owned it. I'm just curious because I know a guy who has a stock 318 with 35's and a 3 inch lift and when he stomps on it he can smoke 'em for all their worth. Does you think the manufacture location makes a difference. My truck was made in St. Louis, his was made in Mexico...idk, this whole issue has gone on way too long and I just want my truck fixed....[]

 

A local muffler shop can pressure test the cat for free. If the cat is clogged, then part of the problem is solved. The other issue is what caused it to clog. The culprit for that is usually in the emissions system, such as a bad O2 sensor.

 

Iwill probablythrow that idea at my tech if he comes back to me scratching his head again. Could it have been clogged from the old motor? Particularly from all the oil that was being burned up?

 

maybe but the cats on these trucks are famous for going bad, replace it with a high flo cat, or if your not worried about emission just gut it.