My 95 K1500 drives great normally, but when I pull a trailer anymore, I feel a loss of power that wasn't there before. Is there something that would more likely than not cause this? It is hard for me to explain this to my mechanic when he only drives it without the trailer. Thanks!

 

Was this a one time thing or multiple times. I know my truck sometimes feels like it is stronger than others. I am sure it has a lot to do with the different stations I get gas from. Beyond that is the truck tuned properly, timing set right, etc. Engines wil get tired after time and will slowly lose power. Also check your fan clutch - if it is starting to seize up you will definitely notice a power loss. I need to replace mine as it is slowly taking longer and longer to get over the initial cold setting and I can definitely feel and especially hear when it finally does.

 

No, this is an ongoing thing. I switched to a trailer that weighs 700 lbs more, so I am sure that has something to do with it. But even so, the truck used to pull 2 horses and the old trailer without effort and now I feel its an effort to pull one horse and the new trailer. It never dies, never threatens to stall or anything, but I have to use more pressure on the gas pedal to stay at highway speed.

The engine only has 94k miles on it... a lot of age though, I know. Would switching to premium gas be better? I hadn't thought of that. What is the fan clutch? Is there a way to see if it needs to be replaced?

Thanks!

 

I have found that premium makes a difference when towing for sure. Your mileage will increase as well so it pays for itself. The fan clutch is the part that your cooling fan is attached to (between the fan and the water pump). With the engine off try to spin your fan. There should be a decent amount of resistance but not enough to make it real hard to turn on a cold engine. It is kind of hard to explain if you haven't felt them before. When a fan clutch starts to lock up you will hear a loud roaring (which is the air it is moving) sound. It is normal when starting a cold engine, but should start slipping fairly soon. Also a good indication of one that is locking up is the truck doesn't reach operating temperature. Like my truck it runs constantly at about 175 whether I am pulling a trailer or not. With a 195 thermostat it should run around 195 so I know my fan is working overtime which robs the motor of power.

 

why dont u get electric fans that helps alot

 

Interesting...could this be why the temperature gauge is always at a low reading, no matter how long the truck is running or how hot the engine feels? I just figured the gauge doesn't work well anymore.

 

I think on your truck, the temperature sender is in the same spot as mine. Look on the drive side head, next to the exhaust manifold, and there should be a single wire sensor in there. That's your coolant sender ... that wire will get corroded and all gummed up. Try cleaning the connection and maybe even replacing the crimp on end on that wire.

You can also test that sensor with your ohm meter with this chart:


The sensor gets 12+ volts through that wire, and grounds through the sensor to the block. If you touch the sensor terminal with your positive ogm meter lead, and the negative battery post, or a clean spot on the block, it will show you the same ohm reading your gauge gets.

If all that checks out, it could definitely be your cooling fan.