ok my i had a leaking head gasket so my buddy put 2 news ones in, we made sure the timing was good, it didnt feel as fast as before, it was backfiring sometimes and the secondaries dint always open, i drove from mass to jersey and the further i went the less power i had, on the way ack home it was hard to go 60, and uphill i could barley do 30 in 3rd gear, by the time i got home it felt like a lawnmower, and yes i did change my oil after the head gaskets, i found out my #6 and #8 wires were in the wrong plugs so i swithed em, it ran a lot smoother, but still not much power, i checked the timingand it was good, and i took out the q-jet and put in an edelbrock with mechanical secondaries, i sounds pretty mean, but still no power, me and m freinds have no idea what it is, we dont see why it gradually got worse as i drove it, the oil mark is where it should be, HELP ME!!!!

 

oh ya it smells like gas and has a lot of exhaust

 

please help!

 

i sorta have the same problem now. just rebuilt my old 305, pretty much all stock still ecept for cam . finnally got the timming right. now since i got the coreect timming it seems i have no power anymore ecept when i very slowly accelerate the throttle and sometimes it dies out. maybe if you advance the timming alittle it may correct the situation...im going to try that in the morning.

 

oh yeah...one more thing...does your engine get really hot after just a few mins of running it? im in the 200-250* range.

 

ya im thinking timing, naw its my normal temp

 

Start with the basics. Pull the plugs and inspect them. Their condition may give you a really good clue.

There are several things that san cause a gradual power loss:

Plugged fuel filter/failing pump;

Restricted cat converter;

Failing ignition coil or coil wire;

Contaminated/wet fuel;

Overheating;

Excessive friveline friction.

Does the engine start easily? Does it start differently when hot of cold?

 

I have an 89 trans am with the 305 TBI -- it will not accelerate over 55 mph, shifting is smooth sometimes, sometimes not -- it hesitates during the entire acceleration process and if you stomp it it will not get up and go -- it bogs down and will only do 55. We pulled the cat converter thinking it was clogged and now it runs even worse than this -- hard to crank - have to put accelerator to the floor to get the engine to crank and it won't drive over 15 mph now before shutting off!!!! WTF is wrong with this car? all my sensors are fine - MAT sensor is plugged in, no engine codes. Anyone have any ideas?

 

Sorry for another post -- but can a bad throttle body cause this condition? This car was sitting for 3 years - we did clean the injector screens and we can see the fuel spray going into the engine, but will a bad unit cause this? Car acts like it doesn't get any fuel - stalls out.