loss of power suddenly

jimdrechsler · 09-23-2004, 08:22 PM

very strange and it just started happening today. I get on it in first and from about 2 grand to 5 grand it is sluggish, after, it pulls hard. same with third and fourth. i came home today and was up next to my buddys Z28 which we should be side by side when racing. we take off and he instantly pulls, so it is definately a power loss. we did this twice from third gear through 4th. then we try from 2nd gear once and we are side by side (NO POWER LOSS). do it again, and power loss. SO in other words it happens sometimes but not all the time. i had my wife with me in the car and we did it about 4 more times. she noticed the times it did not pull as opposed to when it did. very strange. i did fill up today with ultra gas from sunoco for the first time if this has anything to do with it???? any ideas? thanks,

jim

other than power loss, everything else seems to be running fine.

stang_racer20 · 09-23-2004, 09:48 PM

By Ultra Gas do you mean higher octane? Where you using the funny gas at all during those pulls?

88fivepointoh · 09-24-2004, 05:55 AM

Been there done that.. Problem is in your igntion.. Have Your TFI module tested.. most likely bad.. Could also be a bad coil or bad Pick up coil in the distributor.. does it do it mainly when the motor warms up? Could also be a bad ground to the distributor Via the motor grounds cauing your ignition to choke up and when this happens you fry up your TFI and Pickup.. I can not even tell you how many times i went though this and lost my mind. In our area were prone to the ground cable corroding from inside out even though we don't drive these cars in our crappy winter. I ran a deticated ground to the distributor with new components and the car ran better than it every did.

jimdrechsler · 09-24-2004, 06:08 AM

stang- yes it is 93 octane i believe. it started AFTER i put it in-

88- thanks for response. this will cause the intermittant behavior i am experiencing? thanks,
it was doing it when it was cold last night too. i will try again today and see if/when it does it again and post back.
jim

GhettoPop · 09-24-2004, 03:15 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by 88fivepointoh
Could also be a bad ground to the distributor Via the motor grounds cauing your ignition to choke up and when this happens you fry up your TFI and Pickup.. I can not even tell you how many times i went though this and lost my mind. In our area were prone to the ground cable corroding from inside out even though we don't drive these cars in our crappy winter. I ran a deticated ground to the distributor with new components and the car ran better than it every did.

can i have some more details on this? what are the symptoms of this happening? how excatly did u run the dedicated ground? thanks

jimdrechsler · 09-25-2004, 09:51 AM

it did it again today. this is happening without the juice, just when hard acceleration is happening. if i punch it, it feels good for a split second, then you can feel the loss of power as it gets higher in rpms. very strange.

88- is there a way i can test it and see what may be wrong. OR a way YOU can test it and see whats wrong!

haha

my wife has driven it a few times from work after switching cars with her, so i am thinking of blaming it on her!

BLACK85GT · 09-25-2004, 04:40 PM

this might sound very simple but have you changed plugs and wires lately? If you have a bad spark plug or wire, it might not be feeding enough juice in the higher rpm range. Either way, sounds electrical to me.

jimdrechsler · 09-25-2004, 05:40 PM

what is "in a while?" the wires and distributor are new a couple years (forget the damn name of them , but they are blue wires

as afar as the plugs are concerned, i think they havent been changed in a while. it did seem to happen when it was warm today cause it seemed fine when i left my house cold. is this an easy fix that a dumbass like myself can do. we were thinking of going to the track this wednesday for the last time to see how she does against that eclipse with the supercharger.

jimdrechsler · 09-27-2004, 06:23 PM

i called my mechanic and he asked if it is tested with an ohm meter. can you tell me how to test it so I can swing by his house and have him test it for me? thanks,

jim

he also suggested fuel filter, which i may change fo rthe heck of it. any thoughts?

BLACK85GT · 09-28-2004, 06:32 AM

An ohm meter is an electrial tester that measures the resistance between the open ends of the wires. Too much resistance and it means the wires are broken, frayed or melted on the headers usually.

jimdrechsler · 09-28-2004, 01:12 PM

so this is what he needs. thats all he needed to check the TFI? he was just wondering before i brought it over. I changed the fuel filter last night and drove it around. it didnt hesitate, when i test drove it, but you never know!

Ieatcamaros · 09-28-2004, 05:26 PM

Take the module to autozone or what ever parts store you choose. They will test the module for you.

BLACK85GT · 09-28-2004, 10:46 PM

the ohm testing is for the spark plug wires.

Ieatcamaros · 09-28-2004, 11:03 PM

Quote:

the ohm testing is for the spark plug wires.

I understand that. But that is not what I was talking about. Earlier in the post jim mentions testing the ignition module. I was referring to that.

jimdrechsler · 09-29-2004, 07:04 AM

well wither way, it hasnt done it since i changed the fuel filter!!

so maybe it was that! when i changed it, iut had a lot of pressure built up and spewed all over. so maybe it was clogged a little. i dont remeber it doing that before when i have changed them before!

Ieatcamaros · 09-29-2004, 04:23 PM

The fuel pressure from the pump is why is spewed all over. Did you try to blow through the filter and compare it with the new one? I have seen some that it was a wonder the car still ran.

jimdrechsler · 09-29-2004, 09:16 PM

actually i did not do that. i figure with the amount that was on my head and arm was good enough for the day

it is still running good though, so i bet that was the problem! what causes it to build up, bad gas?

88fivepointoh · 09-30-2004, 08:49 PM

Well if its running good.. awsome.. the fuel filter will do that. As for the reply on the ground.. it grounds from the engine grounds which corrode over time cause random problems, weak spark etc.

09-23-2004, 08:22 PM	#1
jimdrechsler Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2001 Posts: 167	loss of power suddenly very strange and it just started happening today. I get on it in first and from about 2 grand to 5 grand it is sluggish, after, it pulls hard. same with third and fourth. i came home today and was up next to my buddys Z28 which we should be side by side when racing. we take off and he instantly pulls, so it is definately a power loss. we did this twice from third gear through 4th. then we try from 2nd gear once and we are side by side (NO POWER LOSS). do it again, and power loss. SO in other words it happens sometimes but not all the time. i had my wife with me in the car and we did it about 4 more times. she noticed the times it did not pull as opposed to when it did. very strange. i did fill up today with ultra gas from sunoco for the first time if this has anything to do with it???? any ideas? thanks, jim other than power loss, everything else seems to be running fine. __________________ OLD CAR-89 lx convt- Flowtech II headers, H-pipe, 2 1/2 "flowmasters- pulleys- 3.73's, ripper shifter- ram air- Best 1/4 mile time- a measley 14.2 at 98.6 PRESENT CAR- 90 LX BBK long tubes, h-pipe with cats, flowmasters. 3.55's holley systemax II kit- 70 mm TB 30#injectors, jacobs ignition, black magic fan, 180 thermostat, 75 shot of NOS- NITTO DR'S STREET TIRE BEST RUNS 1/4 mile13.2 @112 w/ NOS 2.17 60' 13.5 @103 2.1 60' *new time with Dr's 12.8 at 111 w/ 75 shot

09-23-2004, 09:48 PM	#2
stang_racer20 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 348	By Ultra Gas do you mean higher octane? Where you using the funny gas at all during those pulls? __________________ 92 Mustang GT, 347 Stroker(Forged Steel Crank/Rods-Balanced, Forged Aluminum Dished Pistons), Trick Flow Track Heat Intake, Trick Flow Twisted Wedge Heads w/ Stage 3 port/polish, 80mm C&L MAF, FMS 30# Inj., BBK AFPR, Trick Flow Stage 2 Cam, Trick Flow 1.6R Rockers, BBK E.L. Headers, Flowmaster Cat-Back, MAC CAI, FMS Pulleys, Griffin Alum. Radiator, MSD Pro-Billet Distributor; AOD, Dynamic 3300 Lockup Converter, B & M Super Cooler, B&M Ratchet Shifter; 3:73 gears.

09-24-2004, 06:08 AM	#4
jimdrechsler Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2001 Posts: 167	stang- yes it is 93 octane i believe. it started AFTER i put it in- 88- thanks for response. this will cause the intermittant behavior i am experiencing? thanks, it was doing it when it was cold last night too. i will try again today and see if/when it does it again and post back. jim __________________ OLD CAR-89 lx convt- Flowtech II headers, H-pipe, 2 1/2 "flowmasters- pulleys- 3.73's, ripper shifter- ram air- Best 1/4 mile time- a measley 14.2 at 98.6 PRESENT CAR- 90 LX BBK long tubes, h-pipe with cats, flowmasters. 3.55's holley systemax II kit- 70 mm TB 30#injectors, jacobs ignition, black magic fan, 180 thermostat, 75 shot of NOS- NITTO DR'S STREET TIRE BEST RUNS 1/4 mile13.2 @112 w/ NOS 2.17 60' 13.5 @103 2.1 60' *new time with Dr's 12.8 at 111 w/ 75 shot

09-25-2004, 09:51 AM	#6
jimdrechsler Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2001 Posts: 167	it did it again today. this is happening without the juice, just when hard acceleration is happening. if i punch it, it feels good for a split second, then you can feel the loss of power as it gets higher in rpms. very strange. 88- is there a way i can test it and see what may be wrong. OR a way YOU can test it and see whats wrong! haha my wife has driven it a few times from work after switching cars with her, so i am thinking of blaming it on her! __________________ OLD CAR-89 lx convt- Flowtech II headers, H-pipe, 2 1/2 "flowmasters- pulleys- 3.73's, ripper shifter- ram air- Best 1/4 mile time- a measley 14.2 at 98.6 PRESENT CAR- 90 LX BBK long tubes, h-pipe with cats, flowmasters. 3.55's holley systemax II kit- 70 mm TB 30#injectors, jacobs ignition, black magic fan, 180 thermostat, 75 shot of NOS- NITTO DR'S STREET TIRE BEST RUNS 1/4 mile13.2 @112 w/ NOS 2.17 60' 13.5 @103 2.1 60' *new time with Dr's 12.8 at 111 w/ 75 shot

09-25-2004, 04:40 PM	#7
BLACK85GT Registered Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Tampa,FLORIDA Posts: 340	this might sound very simple but have you changed plugs and wires lately? If you have a bad spark plug or wire, it might not be feeding enough juice in the higher rpm range. Either way, sounds electrical to me. __________________ 5.0, Holley heads, 1.7 Scorp Rockers, Stealth intake, Holley 600 carb, Holley Mech. Fuel pump, MSD 6Digital, MSD distributor, Hotchkis upper/lower rear control arms, FMS B Springs, 3:73 (8.8) rear. Production # 9,377

09-24-2004, 05:55 AM	#3
88fivepointoh Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Rochester Posts: 553	Been there done that.. Problem is in your igntion.. Have Your TFI module tested.. most likely bad.. Could also be a bad coil or bad Pick up coil in the distributor.. does it do it mainly when the motor warms up? Could also be a bad ground to the distributor Via the motor grounds cauing your ignition to choke up and when this happens you fry up your TFI and Pickup.. I can not even tell you how many times i went though this and lost my mind. In our area were prone to the ground cable corroding from inside out even though we don't drive these cars in our crappy winter. I ran a deticated ground to the distributor with new components and the car ran better than it every did.

09-25-2004, 05:40 PM	#8
jimdrechsler Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2001 Posts: 167	what is "in a while?" the wires and distributor are new a couple years (forget the damn name of them , but they are blue wires as afar as the plugs are concerned, i think they havent been changed in a while. it did seem to happen when it was warm today cause it seemed fine when i left my house cold. is this an easy fix that a dumbass like myself can do. we were thinking of going to the track this wednesday for the last time to see how she does against that eclipse with the supercharger. __________________ OLD CAR-89 lx convt- Flowtech II headers, H-pipe, 2 1/2 "flowmasters- pulleys- 3.73's, ripper shifter- ram air- Best 1/4 mile time- a measley 14.2 at 98.6 PRESENT CAR- 90 LX BBK long tubes, h-pipe with cats, flowmasters. 3.55's holley systemax II kit- 70 mm TB 30#injectors, jacobs ignition, black magic fan, 180 thermostat, 75 shot of NOS- NITTO DR'S STREET TIRE BEST RUNS 1/4 mile13.2 @112 w/ NOS 2.17 60' 13.5 @103 2.1 60' *new time with Dr's 12.8 at 111 w/ 75 shot

09-27-2004, 06:23 PM	#9
jimdrechsler Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2001 Posts: 167	i called my mechanic and he asked if it is tested with an ohm meter. can you tell me how to test it so I can swing by his house and have him test it for me? thanks, jim he also suggested fuel filter, which i may change fo rthe heck of it. any thoughts? __________________ OLD CAR-89 lx convt- Flowtech II headers, H-pipe, 2 1/2 "flowmasters- pulleys- 3.73's, ripper shifter- ram air- Best 1/4 mile time- a measley 14.2 at 98.6 PRESENT CAR- 90 LX BBK long tubes, h-pipe with cats, flowmasters. 3.55's holley systemax II kit- 70 mm TB 30#injectors, jacobs ignition, black magic fan, 180 thermostat, 75 shot of NOS- NITTO DR'S STREET TIRE BEST RUNS 1/4 mile13.2 @112 w/ NOS 2.17 60' 13.5 @103 2.1 60' *new time with Dr's 12.8 at 111 w/ 75 shot

09-28-2004, 06:32 AM	#10
BLACK85GT Registered Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Tampa,FLORIDA Posts: 340	An ohm meter is an electrial tester that measures the resistance between the open ends of the wires. Too much resistance and it means the wires are broken, frayed or melted on the headers usually. __________________ 5.0, Holley heads, 1.7 Scorp Rockers, Stealth intake, Holley 600 carb, Holley Mech. Fuel pump, MSD 6Digital, MSD distributor, Hotchkis upper/lower rear control arms, FMS B Springs, 3:73 (8.8) rear. Production # 9,377

09-28-2004, 01:12 PM	#11
jimdrechsler Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2001 Posts: 167	so this is what he needs. thats all he needed to check the TFI? he was just wondering before i brought it over. I changed the fuel filter last night and drove it around. it didnt hesitate, when i test drove it, but you never know! __________________ OLD CAR-89 lx convt- Flowtech II headers, H-pipe, 2 1/2 "flowmasters- pulleys- 3.73's, ripper shifter- ram air- Best 1/4 mile time- a measley 14.2 at 98.6 PRESENT CAR- 90 LX BBK long tubes, h-pipe with cats, flowmasters. 3.55's holley systemax II kit- 70 mm TB 30#injectors, jacobs ignition, black magic fan, 180 thermostat, 75 shot of NOS- NITTO DR'S STREET TIRE BEST RUNS 1/4 mile13.2 @112 w/ NOS 2.17 60' 13.5 @103 2.1 60' *new time with Dr's 12.8 at 111 w/ 75 shot

09-28-2004, 05:26 PM	#12
Ieatcamaros Domestic Rice really sucks! Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: KY Posts: 973	Take the module to autozone or what ever parts store you choose. They will test the module for you. __________________ The sig says it all.

09-28-2004, 10:46 PM	#13
BLACK85GT Registered Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Tampa,FLORIDA Posts: 340	the ohm testing is for the spark plug wires. __________________ 5.0, Holley heads, 1.7 Scorp Rockers, Stealth intake, Holley 600 carb, Holley Mech. Fuel pump, MSD 6Digital, MSD distributor, Hotchkis upper/lower rear control arms, FMS B Springs, 3:73 (8.8) rear. Production # 9,377

09-29-2004, 07:04 AM	#15
jimdrechsler Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2001 Posts: 167	well wither way, it hasnt done it since i changed the fuel filter!! so maybe it was that! when i changed it, iut had a lot of pressure built up and spewed all over. so maybe it was clogged a little. i dont remeber it doing that before when i have changed them before! __________________ OLD CAR-89 lx convt- Flowtech II headers, H-pipe, 2 1/2 "flowmasters- pulleys- 3.73's, ripper shifter- ram air- Best 1/4 mile time- a measley 14.2 at 98.6 PRESENT CAR- 90 LX BBK long tubes, h-pipe with cats, flowmasters. 3.55's holley systemax II kit- 70 mm TB 30#injectors, jacobs ignition, black magic fan, 180 thermostat, 75 shot of NOS- NITTO DR'S STREET TIRE BEST RUNS 1/4 mile13.2 @112 w/ NOS 2.17 60' 13.5 @103 2.1 60' *new time with Dr's 12.8 at 111 w/ 75 shot

09-29-2004, 04:23 PM	#16
Ieatcamaros Domestic Rice really sucks! Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: KY Posts: 973	The fuel pressure from the pump is why is spewed all over. Did you try to blow through the filter and compare it with the new one? I have seen some that it was a wonder the car still ran. __________________ The sig says it all.

09-29-2004, 09:16 PM	#17
jimdrechsler Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2001 Posts: 167	actually i did not do that. i figure with the amount that was on my head and arm was good enough for the day it is still running good though, so i bet that was the problem! what causes it to build up, bad gas? __________________ OLD CAR-89 lx convt- Flowtech II headers, H-pipe, 2 1/2 "flowmasters- pulleys- 3.73's, ripper shifter- ram air- Best 1/4 mile time- a measley 14.2 at 98.6 PRESENT CAR- 90 LX BBK long tubes, h-pipe with cats, flowmasters. 3.55's holley systemax II kit- 70 mm TB 30#injectors, jacobs ignition, black magic fan, 180 thermostat, 75 shot of NOS- NITTO DR'S STREET TIRE BEST RUNS 1/4 mile13.2 @112 w/ NOS 2.17 60' 13.5 @103 2.1 60' *new time with Dr's 12.8 at 111 w/ 75 shot

09-30-2004, 08:49 PM	#18
88fivepointoh Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Rochester Posts: 553	Well if its running good.. awsome.. the fuel filter will do that. As for the reply on the ground.. it grounds from the engine grounds which corrode over time cause random problems, weak spark etc.

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