Weak acceleration '05 T&C
 

Hello,

First time on the forum. Got a high mileage 2005 Town and Country Touring which I'm fixing up. One odd problem I'm running in to is that the car has very weak acceleration when it comes to rapid acceleration. It can get up to speed just fine on roads, but can't really make it getting on to the highway. It will eventually get up to highway speed, but past 30mph is slow going. If I floor it, the engine will rev up to 5000rpm fairly quickly, but no power will go to the wheels. The speedometer won't even move. The engine will just spin. If I ease off and keep it around 2000rpm it will accelerate smoothly, but slowly, up to speed. No CEL, no codes.

Any suggestions on where to look would be appreciated. Thank you.

What is "high mileage"? if the RPM's climb that high and not connecting to more forward speed thru the trans. Then you have a trans problem. drop the trans oil pan and change the filter and the oil. You will also be able to see how much wear has been done to the clutch packs of the auto trans. by the amount of gunk in the pan once it's off.

Thank you for the reply. The car has 152k miles on it. I've never done any transmission work and was wondering if the clutch packs are reasonably replaceable, or if that is really a professional-only repair. The car wasn't very expensive and I might call it quits if I can't do it myself.

I should also mention that it shifts gears fairly smoothly, at appropriate speeds, and without hesitation when I keep it at 2k-3k rpm.

If you have never done it, then it is a PRO. level job! The trans must be removed from the vehicle and be torn down and rebuilt. Takes some special tools and a LOT of knowledge.
If you were to have a GOOD quality scan done of the vans computer to make sure of no other possible causes, YOU may be able to buy a used trans and "swap it" , you take your chances going used and still requires shop level tools to accomplish.

Turbo Boost..Have a look at the boost pipework for splits and slack onnections. I'm wondering here if the boost sensor would pick this up...Do a key dance for codes..

05 USA T&C probably a 3.8 GAS(petrol), Don't have a turbo motor and fast flying to high RPMS of the motor with no transfer of power thru the trans for acceleration denotes a trans problem. Light throttle application gets it going, but harder throttle use trans going out. Either low oil,plugged filter,burnt out trans front pump or clutch packs worn out. In my book, time for a trans!

RESOLVED: I found one or two instances researching online of T&C owners with a similar issue. It took a lot of digging, so I'd like to post the solution here in case anyone has similar symptoms in the future. As I mentioned, the car could accelerate to highway speeds, but would not hard accelerate if I pressed down on the gas too hard. There was no rough shifting or any other indication of a problematic transmission. In some reports these cars have an issue where a partially clogged catalytic converter can prevent exhaust from escaping the engine at high rpms, reducing power output. In these cases, such as mine, the rpms would jump to 4k-5k but the car would not speed up, and could actually lose speed. No codes or other indicators of a catalytic converter problem are present. This past weekend I finally got around to replacing the catalytic converter with a new, aftermarket one. The car now accelerates normally, and I consider the issue resolved.

Yet another instance where that electronic genie hidden in a microprocessor cannot diagnose a fault, and ordinary human brains can.
Leedsman.