I am new to this forum, i have a 2011 jeep wrankler sahara limited 4 door jeep. I am having severe issues when driving up hills. It seems like i have no power and its starving for gas. I was told it was the throttle body. So i replaced that yesterday. To day while driving up a gravel steep incline i still had issues but not as bad as it was yesterday morning. What else possible could be wrong with my jeep? Thanks for any advice or gwlp.i can get.
Throttle problems when driving up hills
- Thread starter JW5126
- Start date
There was another member that was having the same problem and he put a Pedal Commander on. It improves the throttle response and make it accelerate quicker. I'm sure he will see this and also say how it improved his JK.
I just found his Thread, https://wranglerjkforum.net/threads...e-3-8-with-6-speed-manual-and-soft-top.27948/
I will say that the Pedal Commander makes a huge difference. The way the stock throttle is setup from the factory is just stupid at best.
I see why people mistake the Pedal Commander for providing more power when it doesn't provide any more power at all. It's easy to mistake it because it provides such a better amount of throttle response that it seems like you are getting more power.
What size tires are you running? What gear ratio do you have?
Yep, you did a much better job than many by letting us know what year and model, but Chris is right. Let us know what mods have been done to the Jeep. Big tires with a stock gear ratio can affect performance quite a bit.
Also, how old are the spark plugs? I changed mine out a few months back on my 2009 and I swear I got 30 - 40 more horse power. It completely changed how I shift.
I agree, the first thing that comes to mind is big tires and a terrible gear ratio. That combined with the 3.8 is enough to make going uphills (especially if you have a lot of heavy aftermarket accessories on your Jeep) a painful experience.
Hooperdog
JK Enthusiast
It has a 2 inch lift and 265r17 tires. Standard gear ratio for the 2011 i would guess. Havent done any mods to it yet. I yet. I bought it this way
Also an automatic trans. Idk about the plugs, i havent changed them yet. Only have had it for 6 months
There 3 different gear ratios for the JK's 3.21, 3.73 and 4.10. If you would have the 3.21 gears it could change the power with the tires you have when there is a load on as going up a hill. Also has your speedometer been recalibrated for the tire change? If not that will throw off the shift points on your trans. Check with a GPS to verify if not sure.
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What Black said.
If it were me, I'd start with programming the tire size, which, as Black mentioned, will effect the shift points. If that proves to only slightly help your situation, I'd check the gearing.
Crawl up underneath your Sahara and look on the rear differential for a tag that will have a few numbers on it (remember this, Chris?):
If I'm not mistaken, most Saharas from this time frame have 3.73 factory gearing.
Or, enter your VIN on this site and you can download a complete build sheet for your JK:
https://www.nathanson.org/davesays/2019/buildsheet-for-jeeps-vin/
If it were me, I'd start with programming the tire size, which, as Black mentioned, will effect the shift points. If that proves to only slightly help your situation, I'd check the gearing.
Crawl up underneath your Sahara and look on the rear differential for a tag that will have a few numbers on it (remember this, Chris?):
If I'm not mistaken, most Saharas from this time frame have 3.73 factory gearing.
Or, enter your VIN on this site and you can download a complete build sheet for your JK:
https://www.nathanson.org/davesays/2019/buildsheet-for-jeeps-vin/
Were there any lights on the dash that lit up when this happened? Sounds kind of like what it feels like when the Stability control and traction control take over. There are threads on how to disable it by momentarily cutting power to the module under the center console. I used a momentary off button, call it the fun button. it will let you do doughnuts in the snow in 2wd, my kids love it. It removes most of the electronic nannies from messing with the throttle and brakes for you.
Before I got the Pedal Commander, my 3.8 w/ 3.21 gears and 255/75r17s was gutless. OP says “severe”. I just had to downshift, and I was good. With an auto trans, your tranny should just be downshifting.
Without check engine lights, etc. that are indicating you have an issue, could it be you’re just not used to these gutless, but loveable Jeeps? I’d change out the plugs and go from there maybe? A Pedal Commander P31 would help, no doubt - it did for me, but having 265/70r17s shouldn’t bog you down too much, even with 3.21 gears.
How’s the performance on flat roads, acceleration ok?
Without check engine lights, etc. that are indicating you have an issue, could it be you’re just not used to these gutless, but loveable Jeeps? I’d change out the plugs and go from there maybe? A Pedal Commander P31 would help, no doubt - it did for me, but having 265/70r17s shouldn’t bog you down too much, even with 3.21 gears.
How’s the performance on flat roads, acceleration ok?
Pedal commander is great for improving throttle response, but it sounds like you have loss of power under load. Is the Jeep throwing any codes? I had some issues also. Did a tune up - plugs, wires and ignition module. Still issues. Checked codes and had a fuel injector and rough idle code. I ended up changing the fuel injector on no. 2. Running really well now. 150K + miles and the plugs looked original - and really bad. So, I would advocate doing a tune up and going from there. Also, dumb idea - check your transmission fluid level and make sure your e-brake is not stuck on or something.
How is the exhaust? Any issues with the catalytic converters?. Had that issue with my tj