Jeremy Cook

have a 05 f150 5.4 4x4...question is is it normal if you put truck in 1st or second gear to lose power...in drive it is fine.shift to 2nd or 1st it has like half the power like it is de tuning it self...shift from 2nd to drive and it comes back to life with full power.but if you leave it in drive it has full power through all the gears.

F150Torqued

Second I can understand at low speeds as it literally forces the trans into second gear. But if you are up around 40 - 50, then second should be very responsive to accelerator. 1st should act same as drive starting off - just not ever shift out.

Jeremy Cook

nope 1st is the same as2nd gear only time i have full power is when it is in drive...there no way i going to go 40-50mph in 2nd gear motor would be at limiter i think..it is wierd it has power in 1st but not like drive...just got the truck it was parked for 3 years do to a trans whine but i changed filter and fluid and that went away...trans was rebuilt 60k ago by dealer...i was woundering if they flashed the computer to detune itself if put manually in first or second gear...can give truck half throotle in 2nd gear then shift it to drive and it wakes up like you hit nitrouse.trans shifts smooth as butter nothing wrong with it.

ShirBlackspots

I think these transmissions are designed to do that. First gear is rather short, so you don't get much acceleration, and they programmed the transmission to only be in 2nd when 2nd is selected. I noticed this when I had my truck in 2nd going up and down steep mountains near Durango, CO on the million dollar highway, and then stopped to let someone pass, it never went into 1st when I stopped with 2nd gear selected. 3rd (OD off) and Drive works normally. (I don't go faster than 20mph in 1st as that's about 3000rpm, and no faster than 40 in 2nd, which is also 3000rpm)

dukedkt442

"2" isn't a "limiter" but rather the only gear used, for starting out in snow or slippery conditions to maximize traction. 1st may not actually be 1st if shift cable or safety switch are preventing it... before I replaced the switch I couldn't even get mine into 1.

Drive in drive and be fine.

Jeremy Cook

yes i do drive most time with the shifter i d but there are times where i would like only 1st in 4x4 and cant really do that when the motor has like half the power it should...it is very wierd that it does this no other vehical i ever owned did this...was just woundering if maybe something with the shifter or the gear idicator on trans linkage is bad...but that should throw a code if it where bad i assume...cant get over the detune if put manualy in 2nd or 1st so wierd.

dukedkt442

In 2, it isn't "detuned," it is just starting out in 2nd gear instead of first.

It's easy enough to check the linkage... my point in my post was that even though the selector may be in "1" the linkage/safety switch is frozen up enough to not drop it all the way down in to "1" and actually still starting off in "2".

Jeremy Cook

it goes in to 1st though..i can count the shifts if i start out in 1st shift to second can hear it shift then to d can hear it shift again and once you hit d it has full power..it wierd to me..if the selector switch was bad wouldnt that throw a code.

dukedkt442

No.

Jeremy Cook

interesting will look into the switch on the side of transmission i guess