So i took the car to get the mechanic who charged me 140 to change my intake manifold gasket...Car runs like **** now starts but backfires and has no power what so ever...i almost wanna cry just talking about it he is telling me its the tps sensor making it act up...i popped my hood and the guy who did the work screwed my car up my coil was not even tied down he told me i left it like that cause i was not sure if u wanted it tied down..to top it off he says my tps is bad but when i took the car the car was running like a champ he tells me to take it when i get the sensor so they can set it and that will fix the problem...what do u guys think i need as much help as possible thanks guys.

 

Check the firing order and the timing.

 

are you sure he even changed the gaskets. i would be looking for a vacuum line off somewhere. or the intake leaking.

 

yepp sure he changed the gasket was there when he put them on checked for a vacum and nothing i asked him if it could be the firing order but he said it should not matter when u change the manifold it should be the same...im f*****n pissed off right now cause how can a tps be the problem if it never gave me problems.

 

wait i thought if you changed the manifold gasket you have to remove the distributor. did he remove the whole intake assembly.n heck for that matter he could have stabbed the distributor wrong

 

YEPP he removed the whole intake distrubutor and everything but he left the cap and wires connected i saw it the distributor itself was off.

 

man dude oit sounds as iff it is out of time. but a bad tps could do it. i would be going over the firing order with a fine tooth comb. do you have wire seperators or are they kinda hangin there. find #1 and trace them out. or have someone do it for you.

 

but i they told me they adjusted the timing right dead on...and before i took the car in that sensor was good..dont u think if it was bad my car would of been running like that along time ago..and i check my codes every month and not once has the tps came up only one time when it was loose i tightened it and never got the code again. and i do not have wire seperators i also had just done the wires and cap and rotor.

 

start here and check all the wires out. remove #1 plug and roll the engine around until it is at tdc on that cylinder. remove the cap and check the rotor. follow that wire and then see where the rest go in order.

 

so the firing order does change then..its cause i put another intake manifold on cause the other one had a hole in it...i know exactly what ur doing...but my friend said its possible they put the distrubutor on backwards..

 

no the firing order never changes. if someone tries to change it the computer will not allow it. it will run bad. like it is. it needs to be the same. 18436572.

 

thats what i was thinking so im like stumped like i dunno what to do and smoke comes out of the right side of the motor like something is buring or something.

 

Part it out ... end of problem!

 

hell nah not part it out this is my baby ive kept her running nice til this stupid problem now i just gotta take some time and trace everything one by one again.

 

My car was doing that after I had a new intake installed. It ended up being a vacuum leak coming from one of the runners where it meets the base. You can check your TPS sensor really easily. I learned how to do it from posts on here. Do a search and all you need is a cheap voltometer from walmart. Mine was a little off and it is simple to fix.

 

After you verify timing, & if still not running good--& if all vacuum lines are hooked up properly--
Get some carb cleaner & spray a small mist around the intake gasket--
as you spray, if the motor acts different, there is a vacuum leak in the area sprayed. Don't spray into the intake itself.

Did they get the bolt out?

 

http://www.iroczone.com/2009/10/adju...on-sensor-tps/

If this link gets deleted PM me and i'll email you the link.

(Mods, if linking to other sites isn't allowed accept my most humble apology)

 

well I don't know about you.. but if I had someone do the work.. And you paid for it.. bring it back and make them correct the issue..or bring them to small claims

 

You are correct. I have a do-it-yourself mindset and if I can do it, i usualy do. If i had payed for it, then i would expect it to work, at least as good, as when I brought it in.

That said, i would still test the sensor myself. It doesn't look to be that hard, even for an old man like me.

 

i had checked the sensor once before and set it perfect so thy pulled it off to test it i dont know why but they did....and i am really hesitant to take it back cause i just wanna fix my car whatever it takes if they messed it up once they must not know nothing...so tomorrow i am going to go check it out at my grandpas house and go step by step i sparayed the thing with throttle body cleaner and everything checked out good so its just going step by step...i mean for all i know the stupid man probably put the coil connections on backwards.

 

Did they get the bolt out?[/quote]
No they didnt get the bolt out...They did a compression test and it came out positive so at least they did 1 good thing.

 

Parts fail. It is a fact of life. I always hated working on other peoples cars, especially doing the major jobs, because from then on, ANYTHING that went wrong with the car was My Fault.

Have them change the tps, and take it for a test drive, didn't fix the problem? Go right back, and let 'em know.

Trouble is, there are a fair number of shops that really don't 'diagnose' problems, they look at codes, and just change parts. A fair percentage of the time, it doesn't fix the problem.

 

It sounds like timing to me personally, having changed multiple intake gaskets and making the mistake of putting the distributor in 180 degrees off. Even having the distributor off 1 tooth would cause similiar problems.

 

Hello I_R_O_C_Z_2_8!!!

Usually if the engine backfires, and lacks power it's got something to do with the timing, since they took out your "dizzy", it's possible that they put it in wrong, turned it while installing it, just didn't care really about the quality of the install, and want to soak you for some more money!! Try setting up the "dizzy" yourself, if it all checks out, tell them to fix it, or you'll see them in small claims for ripping you off!!!

Yes, parts do fail, and usually at the wrong time, doesn't sound like a TPS to me!!!

Post #23 by camarorsssss stated the same about the "dizzy"!!

I have done the same 180 mistake with a "dizzy" on a 1970 RoadRunner with the 383, but that's because I turned the engine over once to remove the flex plate bolts!! I forgot about that when installing the "dizzy"!!



Bottom line, check the "dizzy"!!!

 

well despite these so called mechanics i checked the computer a good 5 times and had no sign of a tps faiure..i got the car to fire today and running but shut back off its something with distributor and wires they messed up and are not making contact i will check the dizzy and get back to u guys..i am going to replace the cap cause i noticed the cap was cracked on the side from where they overtightened it..so tomorrow i will be redoing my cap and wires from square 1..thanks to all who are helping me with this problem it really sucks but sometimes u learn the hard way but thanks again to all who are helping me.

 

Not sure if anyone mentioned this but the dizzy may be a tooth off. That would do it . But a vacuum leak or plug wire error can cause that as well. I would not get too worked up . Bottom line is you took it to them to get it fixed . They messed it up more so they need to fix it. I would take it to a trusted mechanic for a second opinion.

 

well car is running again thank god..but the idle is bad like when i start it and everything it idles good..but when u start driving and come to a stop its real choppy like it wants to die...is it possible they messed with the little screw that controls the idle??

 

what did you find wrong with it

 

the injectors where wrong and he tore off some connections to the coil i had to sauder...but now its just the idling thats a little bad i have a feeling he moved that little screw in the back of the throttle cable.

 

but did you check the Distributor? when you come to a stop does it kinda sound or feel like it has a mild cam in it?

i put my distributor in 1 tooth off and it wasnt horrible but it deffinately wasnt right, even though everybody that pulled up next to me seemed to think i had "something under the hood" lol

 

not really it sounds a normal not too loud or cammed...its just a choppy sound ima try to clean the throttle body.

 

choppy would kinda describe off one tooth, if it was 180 degrees out it sounds like its got a mild cam(kinda)

so it still might just be your off a tooth on the distributor i would think

 

but when i first fired it up it was perfect and smooth its just when i drive...how can i fix it then?

 

It could still be your timing, do you have a timing light you can check the timing with? I've installed a few distributors slightly off after doing engine rebuilds, or other top end work on my cars, and had similiar issues, idles fine at idle, but not when in gear, and stopped, etc.

 

that will happen with one tooth off i believe, because its not too far off to notice until you accelerate then the timing is too far off and you feel/hear the difference

to check your distributor bring the motor to top dead center cylinder 1, then take the cap off the distributor and your rotor should be pointing straight(Perfectly straight) to the number 1 wire position on the cap, if its not then your off a tooth, unbolt your distributor pull it out far enough to turn it one tooth back or forward, its tricky to do and it gets frustrating if you keep missing it, but your not gonna do any damage to your motor as long as your not running it hard.

 

well i set the timing today and it was good maybe if i advance it a little it will change?

 

i dont think you can advance to correct being off a tooth, if you are off a tooth that is, none of us can really be sure because were not there to literally see and hear everything you can, best i can tell you to do is try the moving the distributor forward or back a tooth and see where it takes you, its not gonna destroy your motor to play with the distributor as long as your not gunning the engine or driving a long way

 

Had my dizzy off one tooth and I couldn't get the timing right. I was thinking that it was 180 degrees off, but I pulled it and put it back in. You know when it goes in right. There is no question. That is my guess.

I am pretty sure if it was a vacuum leak then the car would want to die when you hit the brakes.

 

There is no "off one tooth" it's an old wives tale.. The timing can be adjusted to factor the difference.

 

mines been off one tooth many times, unless i was going crazy

one tooth out could mean the motor was not at TDC when the distributor was dropped in, thats how it ends up 180 degrees out as well, if its not done the right way your gonna end up with a messed up acceleration/ or idle

 

It is possible, if you cannot rotate your distributor all the way around. But need be in "theory" it can't be off a tooth.

He is referring to the ability to turn the dizzy around in circles until you find the right timing...

 

Hello I_R_O_C_Z_2_8!!

Did you re-set the dizzy to #1 TDC?

Did you set the timing with the black/tan EST wire disconnected?

Did you replace the cap, and the rotor?



Obviously, the "mechanic" had to remove the dizzy, in order to replace your intake manifold gaskets, therefore it makes sense to re-set the dizzy, back properly, as it seems that the "mechanic" didn't!!

Start there!!

 

Hello Kevman!!

The dizzy can be "off one tooth", and yes, the timing can be adjusted to factor the difference, however the amount of spark advance won't be the same!!

I_R_O_C_Z_2_8's problem lies in the fact that his dizzy is probably out a bit more than one tooth!! Also the fact that the cap was cracked, after the job had been done, doesn't help!!

Obviously the "mechanic" removed the dizzy, so that is a logical starting place!!

He should re-set the dizzy, with #1 at TDC, then undo the EST timing wire, and then set the timing to factory specs, and clear the SES code!!

That will eliminate all possibility of the dizzy not being correct, providing that he does it right!!

Then we can all take the next step in figuring out his problem!!

 

well the car officially took a s**t on itself today i believer water got into the motor and is seized...was driving home from school smoke was coming out the maf and dip stick and where u put the oil in....cranked it started right up heard a loud knocking sound tried to turn it over again and at 1st it srarted to go real slow then eventually it just stopped and does not crank over...when i turn the key to crank it smoke starts to come out of the maf and dip stick!

 

And now is when you contact that Mechanic and allow him to try to resolve the issue, if he refuses then take him to small claims court, you will get the car back to running that way

you said the car ran OK when dropped off so it had to be something he did that screwed it up

.......
but you were driving it with the issue at hand???
if it was your only transportation then ok, but i would have been taking the bus

 

Yes its my only transportation thats why it sucks...but it was running fine like normal but what i thought was weird is when i popped the hood my manifolds where not even hot like they usually where...and the car does not even turn over anymore at all...

 

doing it the proper way is the only way i would ever do it, therefore off a tooth does exist lol

 

call the mechanic and see what he wants to do, if he fixes it good, if he tries to charge you take him to small claims for that as it is his fault it happened and you should have proof that you paid him

 

he probably is going to say he fixed the leak and thats what the job was...im thinking water got into the motor but the oil is good and clean...man this sucks

 

idk where to start with that problem because im not there to litterally see whats going on, the car does attempt to start though right you can hear the click when you turn the key and the starter tries to turn, just wont turn over?