97 acceleration problem

THe truck wont accelerate past 60 mph it just bogs down with the pedal totally depressed.

The check engine light is on.

In which order do I check-

Fuel filter-

transmission filter-

catalytic converter-

Also, is it hard to change the catalytic converter?

Thanks

My vote is on a clogged fuel filter. I personally would start there. The way you describe it it sounds like a fuel starvation problem.

Check your throttle cable and linkage for excessive slack. If you have to press the gas pedal a little to raise the idle then your probably not getting a fully opened throttle when pressed to the floor. Just a theory, easy enough to check.

sounds like your cat is clogged up. my dad had a 351 in a 97 econoline van and it wouldnt rev over a certain rpm and it was sluggish too. we got the cat replaced and it was like new again. i think in my dad's case it was oil that clogged up the cat over time. you see, the engine, although having under 100,000 miles, burned over a quart per week. i bet theres also other ways a cat could go bad too. that is probably your problem. also i suppose a fuel filter could be the culprit too.

Check your fuel filter first, then look at your cats causing this. The cats are not hard to replace. If you buy the whole assembly, you just remove four bolts at the bracket just after the cats, then three other bolts that hook each pipe up to your headers. Not a hard job unless your nuts are rusted on. Good luck. Let's hope its not your cats. I just replaced mine for $650.

How about check and see what codes are in the computer? If the light is on then it could make things alot easier.

With a top speed issue, it's almost always a restriction. It could be an air, fuel, or exhaust restriction.

Check your fuel filter first, then look at your cats causing this. The cats are not hard to replace. If you buy the whole assembly, you just remove four bolts at the bracket just after the cats, then three other bolts that hook each pipe up to your headers. Not a hard job unless your nuts are rusted on. Good luck. Let's hope its not your cats. I just replaced mine for $650.

They quoted me $167 for a new catalytic converter at Auto Zone. Could that be possible?

We had already started by taking the transmission pan off to change the filter as someone had suggested that. after prying open the transmission filter with dykes. THere was a tiny bit of metal in the filter. So now it is being suggested we take it in for transmission repair for $1400. I really dont want to do this. Would you do this? Or just continue on replacing the fuel filter and then cat if fuel filter doenst solve the problem?

Thanks

AutoZone probably quoted you for universal cats, which don't seem to work well with our trucks. Apparently, these universal cats cause the check engine light to stay on permanently. A couple of buddy's of mine put on the universal cats on their trucks and they had this problem. I replaced my cats with what the factory had on. I know, over-priced is right, but I didn't see another option at the time. You may ask AutoZone if this quote they gave you is for universal fit cats or for a cat system. I would definately look into it.

Regarding the metal in your transmission filter. It is normal to have this in your filter and at the bottom of your pan. The metal that you are seeing is friction material that comes from basic everyday wear and tear. I would not spend the money to have your tranny rebuilt based on seeing a little quantity of metal in the filter. However, if the metal that you are seeing is very large and chuncky, then you might consider a re-build.

How big do the chunks need to be to be concerned? Also, the acceleration problem is intermittent so when we replace the fuel filter first we may not be able to know if this solved the problem. Finally, lets say the chunks of metal are large enough that I need to worry about it. How quickly would the transmission go out? Could the metal chunks be coming from the Cat?

My suggestion would be to have the code from your engine light read. Auto Zone will do this for free with their OBDII scan tool.

umm, as far as i know, theres no way in the world that metal chunks in your tranny pan would come from the catalytic converter, unless maybe you put them there. they arent connected in any way, shape, or form. i would think though that if you can readily see metal chunks in your pan, thats a very bad thing. regular wear and tear i would assume would only make microscopic particles or at least particles that are very small and hard to see. i would definately take the truck in to a tranny shop and have them take a look at that if the chunks are any bigger than, say, the size of a particle of dust, which is impossible to see.

The particles can be seen pretty easily actually. When you take your pan off and get to your filter, the particles will look and feel like a muddy substance. I would be concerned if the chuncks you are seeing a bigger than this. Your transmission shop can probably determine that.
You say that the acceleration problem is intermittent? The problem may be your torque converter or torgue converter clutch. I had similar problems to what you are experiencing and my torque converter soleniod was going out. The best thing to do would be to have your transmission mechanic look at it. Good luck.

Just wanted to give you all an update.

THe metal chunks were probably an eighth inch. It went in to the shop and did need to be rebuilt. Alos, we replaced the fuel filter (which was probably unrelated problem), the SES light went off. Because the problem was intermittent, I am not sure we will really know right away if it was the fuel filter. Regardless, both have been done now and if we encounter the problem again, the next step will be the CAT. Thanks for everyones input.