96 cobra feels sluggish

fiveOguy20 · 10-25-2003, 04:18 PM

my 96 cobra feels like its down on about 70 hp.??

but it runs smooth all the way up to 6000 an idles smooth , but just feels like it only has aboutt 200 hp lol. i suspected mass air goin bad possibly but u really cant be sure. whatya guys think???

The Deuce · 10-25-2003, 10:25 PM

if the MAF is bad, you wouldn't run smooth.

when did this start, or did you just get the car, and its not as fast as you think it should be?

any track times, etc?

fiveOguy20 · 10-26-2003, 02:08 PM

ya i just got it, i know its not nearly as fast as it should cuz my cousins got a 2000 GT an the cobra dont feel near as fast as his. the check engine light blinks on an off but the previous owner said it was because the cats were punched out, weather or not thats the real reason i dunno. like i said it runs smooth just is really down on power. no track times, i dare not take it yet lol.

1990 saleen clone: 12.5 @ 110

93GTDIN · 10-26-2003, 04:55 PM

you need to take it to the track to really see what the deal is. The cobra isn't gonna produce as much low end torque as a 2V but more than makes up for it on the top end. With that said, if your IMRC's are broken, you're losing gobs of top end power. Once you pass about 3200 RPM's you should feel a kick almost and then the car should really start hauling. If it's just kind sluggish and rev's up slowly and doesn't build power exponentially like it should, your IMRC's may be broken or just need cleaning. This is espcially true if the car has over 80K miles or so.

Another thing to look into is a compression check, its free and it will tell youif you have a serious problem.

Dino

The Deuce · 10-26-2003, 06:42 PM

hook it up to a vacuum. You may have an exhaust problem.

Also, if the cats are bad (puched) without MIL eliminators your car won't run right. That could be the problem.

Hopefully it will be a cheap easy fix.

fiveOguy20 · 10-26-2003, 08:22 PM

what are IMRC's exacly??

93GTDIN · 10-26-2003, 10:54 PM

IMRC = Intake Management Runner Control (I think) at any rate it opens a second set of valves once you pass 3200 RPM or so. Allows torque to be built down low using high velocity smaller ports and up top 2nd set of valves open for maximum flow. I can feel mine kick in for sure....

Oh, and will your car really not run right without MIL's or is it just that you'll have a check engine light?

Dark_5.0 · 10-27-2003, 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by fiveOguy20
my 96 cobra feels like its down on about 70 hp.?? but it runs smooth all the way up to 6000 an idles smooth , but just feels like it only has aboutt 200 hp lol. i suspected mass air goin bad possibly but u really cant be sure. whatya guys think???

You dont live in west texas do you?

I only ask cause I know a guy that just sold a 96 cobra that never ran what it should have and has the cats punched out.

fastang · 10-29-2003, 08:58 PM

Have the car checked by a decent tech. Its worth the couple of bucks for diagnosis. Check the plugs too. Old plugs rob a lot of power. You wouldnt believe the difference.
Also, your friends 00 GT will probably be faster than a stock 96 Cobra anyway. Without a gearset to keep them in their powerband the 96 Cobras werent very fast. With great driver they would hit low 14's but you average joe on street tires would hit mid 14's or high 14's depending on wheelspin.
Those cobras absolutley explode with the right mods though. I've heard of ppl hitting solid 12's with just gears full header back exhaust and slicks. The 00 GTs tend to be about a half second faster though...stock for stock.

fiveOguy20 · 10-31-2003, 05:09 PM

well i had it analyzed an the only thing really wrong is the # 1 cylinder is miss fireing which he said is most likely due to bad plugs or wires. by the way the car has exhaust already an it says on all the cobra sites that 96-98's are good for 13.9@ bout 101 bone stock. so runnin right i dont see how they would have a hard time beatin the GT's that do about 14.4 @ 94-96. thats the best my cousin got neways with his stock an thats about what i've seen all of em run.

explicitone · 11-05-2003, 10:10 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by fiveOguy20
well i had it analyzed an the only thing really wrong is the # 1 cylinder is miss fireing which he said is most likely due to bad plugs or wires. by the way the car has exhaust already an it says on all the cobra sites that 96-98's are good for 13.9@ bout 101 bone stock. so runnin right i dont see how they would have a hard time beatin the GT's that do about 14.4 @ 94-96. thats the best my cousin got neways with his stock an thats about what i've seen all of em run.

the 13.9 is with a great driver most would get a 14.1-14.4 from what I have seen(stock) I say change the plugs and get some gears

fastang · 11-05-2003, 09:28 PM

When my 95 GT was running 14.4 on average with the occasional 14.2 I was eating up the 96-98 Cobras by a good 2 carlengths. And they had exhaust work too. Like I said before the great drivers were hitting 14 flat and the occasional 13.9 but they were revving the **** out of them on a perfect launch and poweshifting to to keep them in their powerband. Your average joe without gears in a stock 96-98 Cobra is going to hit a mid 14. You get a crappy 60 ft or grannie shift it and your not going to be happy with the results...
Ive seen many more stock 99-03 GT's hit 13's than even hearing about stock 96-98 Cobras doing it. Anyone remember the Lizard King? He was hitting 13.60s with a bone stock 02 GT on factory radials. He had videos, pics, and a lot of witnesses.
Im glad to hear that your have found the problem though. Change all the plugs just in case and get a set of 410's. Drive it hard and you should see 13's easy. Good luck and keep us informed

fiveOguy20 · 11-06-2003, 11:32 PM

ok so i changed the plugs, but the check engine light still blinks from time to time. it seems to run somewhat better. the guy who i had it analyzed by said a miss fire is the only thing that will cause the light to blink. so obviously its still miss fireing for some reason. i do know it doesnt start makin good power till bout 3500, but i think thats just the characteristic of the 4 valve motor maybe.

fastang · 11-07-2003, 03:20 AM

Misfiring isnt the only thing that will make the check engine light come on. If the cpu is triggering the check engine light it is also storing codes. Have a teck use a ford scan tool to see what codes were tripped. Then you can begin further diagnosis.
That sounds about right for the 4 valve motor though. Thats why those cars need gears so badly. My friends chipped VW Pasaat just beat a Cobra tonight.....two of my friends left our poker game at the same time tonight and raced on the way home. The VW won...and its completely stock except for the chip. The Cobra has a few minor bold ons like cai and exhaust but NO gears. That VW is pretty quick though.

Dark_5.0 · 11-07-2003, 10:07 AM

Well on slicks

I dont see why people race there cars on street tires

A low 13 with gears alone is very realistic.

My Cobra was running 14.0's with a 2.3 60ft @4000ft.

Best was a 13.66 @2000ft

fastang · 11-07-2003, 10:29 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Dark_5.0
Well on slicks I dont see why people race there cars on street tires

A low 13 with gears alone is very realistic.

My Cobra was running 14.0's with a 2.3 60ft @4000ft.

Best was a 13.66 @2000ft

Was that your 01 Cobra? They ran harder and had more hp. But the times are definiely average for an 01

Dark_5.0 · 11-07-2003, 11:24 AM

Yeah in the 01' cobra. I had many 96-98 cobras handing me my *** cause they could launch harder with the live axle.

93GTDIN · 11-07-2003, 11:36 PM

The owner previous to me of my Cobra (1996) went a 13.9 bone stock. Since then, the car now has 3.73's, O/R H-pipe, a catback. The best i've been able to do is 14.1. I got the car dyno'd and it dyno'd about 20 rwhp off your average car with these mods. I changed spark plugs and wires and the car feels alot better now. I'm running her aroudn thanksgiving, so i'll let ya know how it goes.

fiveOguy20 · 11-08-2003, 04:46 PM

ok so i raced my buddies 2000 GT an I basicly got my *** handed to me by bout a car in a half or more. are these year cobras just that pathetic? cuz obviously if im that far behind im nowhere near low 14's so sumtin is really screwy. any ideas!?!

fastang · 11-08-2003, 08:28 PM

Gears gears gears and a full exhaust/pulley kit will make a hell of a difference. I cant think of another car that improves THAT much with a gear swap.

10-25-2003, 04:18 PM	#1
fiveOguy20 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 156	96 cobra feels sluggish my 96 cobra feels like its down on about 70 hp.?? but it runs smooth all the way up to 6000 an idles smooth , but just feels like it only has aboutt 200 hp lol. i suspected mass air goin bad possibly but u really cant be sure. whatya guys think???

10-25-2003, 10:25 PM	#2
The Deuce Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 2,325	if the MAF is bad, you wouldn't run smooth. when did this start, or did you just get the car, and its not as fast as you think it should be? any track times, etc? __________________ 1997 Mustang GT "The Freak" - 13.80 @ 101.70, 2.07 60' 1995 Honda VFR750 - not much @ really fast (actual data pending.) 1964.5 Mustang 289 Rice Haters Club Member #13

10-26-2003, 04:55 PM	#4
93GTDIN Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Live music capital of the world, TX Posts: 324	you need to take it to the track to really see what the deal is. The cobra isn't gonna produce as much low end torque as a 2V but more than makes up for it on the top end. With that said, if your IMRC's are broken, you're losing gobs of top end power. Once you pass about 3200 RPM's you should feel a kick almost and then the car should really start hauling. If it's just kind sluggish and rev's up slowly and doesn't build power exponentially like it should, your IMRC's may be broken or just need cleaning. This is espcially true if the car has over 80K miles or so. Another thing to look into is a compression check, its free and it will tell youif you have a serious problem. Dino __________________ 96 Cobra - a bit too stock. 14.0 @ 101

10-26-2003, 06:42 PM	#5
The Deuce Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 2,325	hook it up to a vacuum. You may have an exhaust problem. Also, if the cats are bad (puched) without MIL eliminators your car won't run right. That could be the problem. Hopefully it will be a cheap easy fix. __________________ 1997 Mustang GT "The Freak" - 13.80 @ 101.70, 2.07 60' 1995 Honda VFR750 - not much @ really fast (actual data pending.) 1964.5 Mustang 289 Rice Haters Club Member #13

10-26-2003, 10:54 PM	#7
93GTDIN Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Live music capital of the world, TX Posts: 324	IMRC = Intake Management Runner Control (I think) at any rate it opens a second set of valves once you pass 3200 RPM or so. Allows torque to be built down low using high velocity smaller ports and up top 2nd set of valves open for maximum flow. I can feel mine kick in for sure.... Oh, and will your car really not run right without MIL's or is it just that you'll have a check engine light? __________________ 96 Cobra - a bit too stock. 14.0 @ 101

10-26-2003, 02:08 PM	#3
fiveOguy20 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 156	ya i just got it, i know its not nearly as fast as it should cuz my cousins got a 2000 GT an the cobra dont feel near as fast as his. the check engine light blinks on an off but the previous owner said it was because the cats were punched out, weather or not thats the real reason i dunno. like i said it runs smooth just is really down on power. no track times, i dare not take it yet lol. 1990 saleen clone: 12.5 @ 110

10-26-2003, 08:22 PM	#6
fiveOguy20 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 156	what are IMRC's exacly??

10-29-2003, 08:58 PM	#9
fastang Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: santa ana ca Posts: 1,349	Have the car checked by a decent tech. Its worth the couple of bucks for diagnosis. Check the plugs too. Old plugs rob a lot of power. You wouldnt believe the difference. Also, your friends 00 GT will probably be faster than a stock 96 Cobra anyway. Without a gearset to keep them in their powerband the 96 Cobras werent very fast. With great driver they would hit low 14's but you average joe on street tires would hit mid 14's or high 14's depending on wheelspin. Those cobras absolutley explode with the right mods though. I've heard of ppl hitting solid 12's with just gears full header back exhaust and slicks. The 00 GTs tend to be about a half second faster though...stock for stock. __________________ 98 GT manual trans, Magna Flow exh. old car: 95GT, TFS T.W. heads, Holley Intake, B303 cam, FRPP 30lb injectors, Scorpion 1.6 rollers, 65mm TB, 73mm MAF, BBK Longtubes, Flowmaster cat back, March Pulleys, MSD coil, 9mm wires, Tremec 3550 trans, Pro5.0 shifter,10.5 Motorsport clutch, FMS aluminum driveshaft, weld in subframe connectors. 190lph pump, BBK adj FPR.

10-31-2003, 05:09 PM	#10
fiveOguy20 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 156	well i had it analyzed an the only thing really wrong is the # 1 cylinder is miss fireing which he said is most likely due to bad plugs or wires. by the way the car has exhaust already an it says on all the cobra sites that 96-98's are good for 13.9@ bout 101 bone stock. so runnin right i dont see how they would have a hard time beatin the GT's that do about 14.4 @ 94-96. thats the best my cousin got neways with his stock an thats about what i've seen all of em run.

11-05-2003, 09:28 PM	#12
fastang Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: santa ana ca Posts: 1,349	When my 95 GT was running 14.4 on average with the occasional 14.2 I was eating up the 96-98 Cobras by a good 2 carlengths. And they had exhaust work too. Like I said before the great drivers were hitting 14 flat and the occasional 13.9 but they were revving the **** out of them on a perfect launch and poweshifting to to keep them in their powerband. Your average joe without gears in a stock 96-98 Cobra is going to hit a mid 14. You get a crappy 60 ft or grannie shift it and your not going to be happy with the results... Ive seen many more stock 99-03 GT's hit 13's than even hearing about stock 96-98 Cobras doing it. Anyone remember the Lizard King? He was hitting 13.60s with a bone stock 02 GT on factory radials. He had videos, pics, and a lot of witnesses. Im glad to hear that your have found the problem though. Change all the plugs just in case and get a set of 410's. Drive it hard and you should see 13's easy. Good luck and keep us informed __________________ 98 GT manual trans, Magna Flow exh. old car: 95GT, TFS T.W. heads, Holley Intake, B303 cam, FRPP 30lb injectors, Scorpion 1.6 rollers, 65mm TB, 73mm MAF, BBK Longtubes, Flowmaster cat back, March Pulleys, MSD coil, 9mm wires, Tremec 3550 trans, Pro5.0 shifter,10.5 Motorsport clutch, FMS aluminum driveshaft, weld in subframe connectors. 190lph pump, BBK adj FPR.

11-06-2003, 11:32 PM	#13
fiveOguy20 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 156	ok so i changed the plugs, but the check engine light still blinks from time to time. it seems to run somewhat better. the guy who i had it analyzed by said a miss fire is the only thing that will cause the light to blink. so obviously its still miss fireing for some reason. i do know it doesnt start makin good power till bout 3500, but i think thats just the characteristic of the 4 valve motor maybe.

11-07-2003, 03:20 AM	#14
fastang Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: santa ana ca Posts: 1,349	Misfiring isnt the only thing that will make the check engine light come on. If the cpu is triggering the check engine light it is also storing codes. Have a teck use a ford scan tool to see what codes were tripped. Then you can begin further diagnosis. That sounds about right for the 4 valve motor though. Thats why those cars need gears so badly. My friends chipped VW Pasaat just beat a Cobra tonight.....two of my friends left our poker game at the same time tonight and raced on the way home. The VW won...and its completely stock except for the chip. The Cobra has a few minor bold ons like cai and exhaust but NO gears. That VW is pretty quick though. __________________ 98 GT manual trans, Magna Flow exh. old car: 95GT, TFS T.W. heads, Holley Intake, B303 cam, FRPP 30lb injectors, Scorpion 1.6 rollers, 65mm TB, 73mm MAF, BBK Longtubes, Flowmaster cat back, March Pulleys, MSD coil, 9mm wires, Tremec 3550 trans, Pro5.0 shifter,10.5 Motorsport clutch, FMS aluminum driveshaft, weld in subframe connectors. 190lph pump, BBK adj FPR.

11-07-2003, 10:07 AM	#15
Dark_5.0 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Staging lane Posts: 4,337	Well on slicks I dont see why people race there cars on street tires A low 13 with gears alone is very realistic. My Cobra was running 14.0's with a 2.3 60ft @4000ft. Best was a 13.66 @2000ft __________________ 92' LX-Big brakes, Lots and lots of suspension, GT40X heads, Ported cobra intake, stock cam, Vortech SC trim. 00' Lightning-Stock 88'CRX-13 second ego killer

11-07-2003, 11:24 AM	#17
Dark_5.0 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Staging lane Posts: 4,337	Yeah in the 01' cobra. I had many 96-98 cobras handing me my * cause they could launch harder with the live axle. __________________ 92' LX-Big brakes, Lots and lots of suspension, GT40X heads, Ported cobra intake, stock cam, Vortech SC trim. 00' Lightning-Stock 88'CRX**-13 second ego killer

11-07-2003, 11:36 PM	#18
93GTDIN Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Live music capital of the world, TX Posts: 324	The owner previous to me of my Cobra (1996) went a 13.9 bone stock. Since then, the car now has 3.73's, O/R H-pipe, a catback. The best i've been able to do is 14.1. I got the car dyno'd and it dyno'd about 20 rwhp off your average car with these mods. I changed spark plugs and wires and the car feels alot better now. I'm running her aroudn thanksgiving, so i'll let ya know how it goes. __________________ 96 Cobra - a bit too stock. 14.0 @ 101

11-08-2003, 04:46 PM	#19
fiveOguy20 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 156	ok so i raced my buddies 2000 GT an I basicly got my *** handed to me by bout a car in a half or more. are these year cobras just that pathetic? cuz obviously if im that far behind im nowhere near low 14's so sumtin is really screwy. any ideas!?!

11-08-2003, 08:28 PM	#20
fastang Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: santa ana ca Posts: 1,349	Gears gears gears and a full exhaust/pulley kit will make a hell of a difference. I cant think of another car that improves THAT much with a gear swap. __________________ 98 GT manual trans, Magna Flow exh. old car: 95GT, TFS T.W. heads, Holley Intake, B303 cam, FRPP 30lb injectors, Scorpion 1.6 rollers, 65mm TB, 73mm MAF, BBK Longtubes, Flowmaster cat back, March Pulleys, MSD coil, 9mm wires, Tremec 3550 trans, Pro5.0 shifter,10.5 Motorsport clutch, FMS aluminum driveshaft, weld in subframe connectors. 190lph pump, BBK adj FPR.

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