lots of power loss

[zippoz]

So, i have had my explorer for a year, its just coming up to 100K if you believe the odo and Its a v6.

I live at high altitude, between 6000 and 1000 thousand feet. while coming over some passes the other day, while towing a trailer I even had what sounded like a cylinder mis-firing.

sometimes it will start slow, and then it feels like it 'catches' and i get a power boost.

the power loss has also been slowly progressing. I have this one mountain i would drive up every day to get to work, its incredibly steep. I used to be able to do 55 on it, but now i can only hit about 40-45.

once i get it up to speed, its not all that bad, i can cruise at 75 no problem, its just that low end power is really lacking.

any thoughts on what might be the problem?

 

[Anime]

Could be a lot of things, anything from just a dirty Mass Airflow Sensor to a dirty air filter, old plugs/wires, dirty fuel filter, gunked up intake manifold, old exhaust, etc.

If you use cheap gas, the injectors can get clogged up and you'll get engine knock/hesitation, which can manifest itself as anything from just a noise to a sensation like someone is hitting the engine from the side with a 20lb sledge hammer. Best fix for that is to stop buying cheap gas and only use top tier stuff (Chevron, Shell, etc.)

Do the easy maintenance items first, check the air filter, clean the MAF, pull a plug or two and see if they are worn, dirty or indicate a problem. If not then you might consider replacing the spark plug wires (especially if they are the originals with 100K), fuel filter, etc. If the exhaust is rusting apart, you might consider installing a Dynomax cat-back which will also give more oomph.

 

[malohnes]

Since I live in mountainous terrain and deal with big hills and passes too, I relate with your challenge. Anime gave good solid suggestions too.I'd also look for a vacuum leaks too. Might try LIM bolts as well.