Hi everyone

I posted this in other forums so I figured I'd post it here too.

I put my 92 Formula 350 on the road last Wednesday, and it was running great, and It's awesome to drive. First thing I did was goose it a tiny bit when I pulled it on to the road and left a nice pair of streaks in front of my driveway lol

But, starting yesterday on my way commute home from school, I noticed that the car just didn't seem to have the same "oomph" that it should for the torquey 350. In fact, this morning when I came to a stop on my road, I gave her a good bit of gas, and she wouldn't even spin the tires!! She just accelerated at a fairly quick pace, which also felt slower than it should. I'm so confused lol

So I have been told to check the fuel filter, or maybe even the fuel pump. I haven't gotten the chance to do this yet. I have also been told by another friend that I'm just getting used to the power and I'm not giving the posi a chance to lockup or something lol, but the car still seems less like it should, so idk.

I know that the car will probably need a cap and rotor and some wires and plugs maybe soon. idk if that would have anything to do with it, but I'm just throwing it out there.

So, any suggestions? It's confusing to me lol, and it's my commuter car for the next few weeks until school is over, so I need it running perfect!! Thanks!!

 

Do a full tuneup and report back. Any engine lights? Your friend is full of crap.

 

Man, I hope everything works out. I know you just bought the car too. I am sure it is only something minor. Try disconnecting the battery for a while and reset it all. And I agree with the full tune-up.

 

Yeah I hope it works out too. I'm sure it's something very minor. It certainly doesn't stop me from enjoying the car or anything, I still love driving it. She probably needs a tune up for sure, new cap and rotor and plugs and wires and stuff, which could definitely help. I hope to do that very soon and see if there's a difference.

Nope, no lights, other than the lights that flash upon start up. Everything appears normal. No SES light or anything.

I took the car out today to run an errand, and she actually seemed alright today. It's confusing lol. She definitely needs a tune up though to run better. But maybe my friend is right, maybe I am just getting used to the power lol. She took off fine, spun the wheels when I wanted her to and everything lol, sounded good, gauges were all normal. She ran like a top.

Maybe I'm just going crazy lol

 

Dan, I'll be keeping an eye on this thread to see what it turns out to be. As you know, I drove that car daily, 30 miles each way and never had an intermittent loss of power like you describe.

I can tell you that the last time the car had a full tune-up was 12/01/05, and the odometer read 139,018 at that time. I don't know what the odo says now, but I don't think the plugs, wires, cap and rotor would already need replacing. I had the work done at the local GM dealership, so the parts used were all quality GM pieces (air filter, PCV valve, cap, rotor, plugs, wires.)

 

Update:

Well the car was in the shop for a bit because of a leaky oil cooler. It was a hassle finding a replacement too!! GM no longer makes them and neither do any aftermarket suppliers. I ended up pulling the one off of my 89 Formula parts car. I also had the egr valve replaced.

Anyway....I haven't had any problems with the power anymore. The car's been running great!!

I did notice a bit of an idle surge every once in a while at idle though. I thought the egr valve would have taken care of that, but it didn't. I'll look into it, but it's not a huge deal so I'm not concerned. Any ideas as to what it could be? When it idles, usually when it's warm but sometimes right on startup, it'll jump up a few hundred rpms for a split second, and then fall back down. It'll just keep fluctuating like that every few seconds. Again, it's not a huge deal, I was just wondering what it could be. It doesn't affect driveability at all.

Thanks!

 

It could surge if you are a little low on oil. I would check that.

 

It just got back from the shop for the oil cooler, so they drained it and gave it new oil, and I'm guessing they filled it up all the way, but that's a good point. I'll check it tomorrow. Thanks!