Question about transmission behavior while offroading?

chris_lee · 09-24-2006, 08:03 PM

Me and a few friends took the titan down a dirt road durring some pretty heavy rain. My titan is a 2x4 and we got hung up in a pretty nasy hole. Well while I was getting on the gas trying to get out of the bad spots i noticed the car was feeling it was hitting the rev limiter but at a pretty low RPM. After we got out of the bad spot it was still doing it. Almost like it was slipping out of gear or hitting some sort of rev limiter and bouncing me back down to a very low rpm. When we almost got stuck it was very very noticable, like i was just up and down on the gas pedal. Was that the tow mode? any ideas. Thanks

Truck details.
05 titan, auto, 2x4. 6k on the car.

**loufish** · 09-25-2006, 06:41 AM

My 2wd has VDC and if you don't turn it off while in the dirt the minute you start to spin the wheels, the ECU will pull horsepower. If you have VDC turn it off in the dirt next time.

d0va · 09-25-2006, 07:58 AM

If the truck kept acting like that even after you where out of the mud it could be you got some water in intake and the MAF sensor probably got some water in there when you hit the mud hole...

d0va · 09-25-2006, 08:06 AM

P.S. Where are the pictures? The thread is not good with out pictures

chris_lee · 09-25-2006, 08:18 AM

OH!!! I GOT SOME PICTURES!!! I will post them when i get home. My wife took them when she saw the truck in the driveway... NASTY!!! However I was not about to open the door with the truck looking the way it did so I did not get any pictures of the action. It was strange after i got out of the hole it did that same "not wanting to shift" thing for about 1 min. Then it was normal again. It felt like the ecu went into some mode where it only wants to stay at low rpm and does not want to accelerate or shift up a gear. How do I turn VDC off and how do i know if I have it. The no fear dash pannel covers alot of the stock lights so its hard to tell if something is on or not. "stupid design"... it came that way.

d0va · 09-25-2006, 08:54 AM

If your truck is an 06 we dont have a switch to turn it on/off... Im not sure if you noticed yet but when vcd turns on we get a light the says "slip" ... but because of what you said "It was strange after i got out of the whole it did that same "not wanting to shift" thing for about 1 min." Im very positive that it was water in your intake, when you have a chance check your under the filter in the intake box...

also you can do a light check on the titan. *Before you turn your truck on press the odometer reset button (the little stick) TURN YOUR tRUCK ON while pressing the reset button for about 10 seconds. The display should change you can toggle different options by pressing the same button make sure you do this while not driving " I almost crash playing with it

" ones you turnoff the truck it will go back to normal...

titanmike · 09-25-2006, 09:34 AM

If its an 06 and you have the vdc there is an on/off switch next to the tow mode switch. If you don't have the switch then you don't have vdc. The vdc in 06 comes with the side airbag package. To me it sounds like that is what it was. After you got out of the hole where you still in slippery mud?

gerry · 09-25-2006, 09:48 AM

that happend to my truck to i just turned the truck off for a about a 1min and it fixed its self. I think the wheels are spinning to fast and the tranny gets confused and the ecu kicks the truck into a dummy mode.

chris_lee · 09-25-2006, 12:53 PM

Hmmmm, I have the volant intake and it did not appear TOO much water got under the hood, but it does look like a good splash of mud hit it at least once. So lets say some water gets in the intake, obviously that is not good, but exactly what does it do? Does it trip the Mass Air Sensor up and make the car almost stall? Becuase my friend even said that while I was on the gas tring to get out, spinning the tires, that it sounded like I was getting on it and then letting off real quick. Like i was reving the engine to show off. But I was on the gas the entire time? It really felt like the ECU went into a mode where it would not switch up a gear and only wanted me to go slow. After letting it sit a few, restarting, it was perfect again. We hit the same hole on the way back and it did the same exact thing only to stop doing it 1 min later. Very strange, never had a truck do that.

Good new, it got my *** out of some major **** durring a rain storm and got us home before it got worse out there. I hope the only damage I did was to my allignment!! because yea.. thats off 4 sure.

tnbowhunter · 09-25-2006, 01:21 PM

It's a HOLE for god's sake......................

chris_lee · 09-25-2006, 02:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tnbowhunter

It's a HOLE for god's sake......................

Yes, my English is not the best. Just for you I went and corrected all of them. I am at work buddy…. I don’t have time to pay attention to my typing screw ups. I will be sure to grammar check all my posts from now on. But thanks for the help on my question.

ucf_motorcycle · 09-25-2006, 05:33 PM

Similar symptoms different situation; I don't think its the tranny though I think its a fuel starvation issue.

So I just did an 850 mile trip. The truck ran fine up until it got to about half a tank. At this point I hit the throttle to pass someone and the truck would not go past 4000 RPM it was as if there was a rev limit there. I continued driving for a while longer just keeping constant throttle and the truck ran fine at about 75MPH. Then the truck reached less than a quarter tank and it was time to get it gas. I decided to see if the problem was still there and I stepped on the throttle this time it was even worse as the truck would not go past much more than 3000 RPM. After I got gas the truck was back to normal.

It ran fine again up untill about a half a tank again. This time I kept flooring the truck periodically to see if I could duplicate the problem again. It did it again at about half a tank. And every time after that point if I stepped on the gas it would do it. I decided to to pull over and shut it off for a minute to see if that helped. It did. The truck ran fine for a while after that. But then it came back again.

I realize that this is an issue that would only come up with LONG distance non stop driving.

I have a theory that it may be due to a fuel venting/vapor lock type issue.
Does anyone have any knowledge on how to fix this?

frmrFORDman · 09-25-2006, 06:02 PM

could it be the abls ? my 06 has the traction pakage and once i activate the abls it de throttles the motor and pumps the anti lock brakes making it sound as if im burping the throttle. and it also takes a minute for it to quit

kartman · 09-25-2006, 06:16 PM

Sounds like VDC or ALBS

tnbowhunter · 09-25-2006, 07:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chris_lee

thanks for the help on my question.

Glad I could help............buddy