well, it got really bad on me today, so i went ahead and swapped the filter. didnt really make a difference. but while i was under there, i saw a major crush in the exhaust pipe after the muffler. looks like i slammed that bar that runs off the axle into it the other weekend when i was wheeling. so i picked up a hack saw and started to cut the pipe off after the muffler. im up to about a 1/4" long, 1/16"wide hole in the pipe, slowly getting it off. so far, teh rpms have gotten up to about 4-5kish in 1st and 2nd gears, about 3, 3.5 in the rest.
im hoping to get the pipe fully cut here within the next few days. if that doesnt fix it, im replacing the entire exhaust.