Running Rich - 3 Miles/per gallon!?!?
 

After clutch install, i took my car out into town and it lopes real bad at idle and when i try to hold a constant speed in like 5th gear it hops like its going to die but pretty bad. I also am running extremely rich with black smoke out my exaust and getting litterally 3 Miles to the Gallon! I was told that this was a vaccum leak somewhere but am not sure. Could a vaccum leak make my car do all this and if so how would i find it?
thanks
bryan

Sounds to as though you forgot to hook something back up.

Have you thoroughly checked all hoses (vacuum), lines, electrical connections, etc? I know I sound like broken record here, but it's probably something relatively simple such as this that is causing your idling woes, poor gas mileage, etc.

Take another look through the engine bay.

Good luck,
E

The thing is that when we did the clutch install is that we only had to take off that emmisions hose that runs torwards the engine bay and the exaust and tranny and never messed with any vaccum lines so thats y this is kinda mysterious to me.

Also for people who have done clutch installs was there ever any shaking in your shifter after like 50mph? cuz mine does and was just wondering! and if so what could it be. sorry i have all these questions but u gotta ask to learn. thanks for the help!
Bryan

Hey man, no problem. We'll try to help you all we can. :)

As for your comment about the shifter shaking - no, mine never did that after my clutch install. Could be that you installed the driveshaft incorrectly. There should be a little yellow (might be really faded) paint spot on the end of the driveshaft near the u-joints (back of car) that will 'line-up' with another marking on the mating surface of the rear-end. (can't remember what's it's called but it's were you insert the four bolts that hold the driveshaft onto). I think the theory is that the driveshafts were balanced and then marked by Ford in order to eliminate vibrations such as you're describing. I may be off base here but it's worth a try.

Other than that, I'm trying to think of anything else that you could have done that would have..........AHHHHH , it's basic, but are you sure that you re-connected both O-2 sensors? That very well could be the problem. Let me know.

Hope at least some of this helps. I've been working 60 hour weeks lately and am very tired and probably not thinking completely clearly.

E

yea we did hook up the O2 sensors right, that was the first thing i checked. As for the driveshaft, we just disconnected it right at the tranny insted of the rear end cuz i did this with ramps for the front end only. Another thing is that we broke the U-Joint that connects the driveshaft to the tranny and had to buy another one. Could we have installed it wrong? Does the ends have to be in a certain hole on the drive shaft (for ex: would we have to take out the U-Joint and flip it or anything?) Also we seemsed to have got it in the hole pretty good. All the clips fit in but does it have to be in exactly centered?
Bryan

uhhh, how do you remove the driveshaft from the tranny first? unless you take off the u-joints? that would be complicated, maybe im not understanding......... but always pull your driveshaft tail first(rear side)...... if the u-joints need replacement, then do it with the d/s out from under the car, at least it will be easier.
i get a little vibration at around 80 mph through shifter but not badly, make sure your tranny bolts and belhousing are tight also.

It sounds like since you just replaced your u joints that is the problem for the vibration, if they're offcenter at all it will cause a vibration.

As for 3 miles per gallon, something is causing your computer to default to rich, i'd check the wire terminals in the oxygen sensors to make sure they're not damaged, i'd also try and pull any engine codes from the processor, and try spraying some brake/carb cleaner around the engine at sealing surfaces/vacuum lines to see if it starts to run better (for a leak). Also check all vacuum lines from the big vacuum tree...does your heater/air conditioning system work right, if it does the vacuum from the tree is good. It sounds like you have a MAJOR vacuum leak or you lost a primary sensor. double check anything to may have intentionally or unintentionally unplugged.

Good luck, hope this helped.

Thanks for all the advice, this morn. i went out to look around for a vaccum leak cuz i heard it last nite and something knocked off the main intake vaccum hose and i put it back where it goes and voila! 22mpg, no black smoke, not running rich, and it doesnt lope when idlesing! thanks
.

Bryan

cool, glad to hear you were able to fix it!