Hello yall, im having a problem that has officaly stumped me and im looking for some help/advise.

Problem: Car has no power what so ever. Wide open In a half mile i can maybe push 35-40mph depending on the wind. No joke. The throttle repsonce in netural or park is very slow and takes for ever to build rpms.


Parts so far: Fuel filter, Fuel pressure regulator, all 8 injectors are Bosch 4 hole remaned. Plugs, wires, cap, rotor. Intake plenum gasket set new air filter. Coil and Ignition module will be this weekend. Ecm was replaced by the previous owner from a scrap yard, i still have the orginal one. not sure why it was replaced. Engine and Transmssion were rebuilt less than 20k ago, transmission shifts strong havent been able to go fast enough for 4th gear yet tho. been in 1st-3rd Its not hardly driveable unless you have 20 miles of flat land witch i dont.

The car sat in a feild for 2 years before i got it. Its my girls car she got 4 years ago and it ran just like this when they got it. She Drove it like this for a year before the tires wore off of it. (small own Usa)

Extra info: Fuel pressure is 40psi Key on eng off. 39-45psi running and 45psi with regulator unplugged. I have changed the timing several times starting at 0* to now im at 6* advanced. Idles 1000-1100 in park and 650 in gear. In gear it runs kinda rough but still will move the car, hasnt stalled on me yet. There are no vacuum leaks ive sprayed starter fluid all around the intake while running. The check engine light works but goes off soon as the car is started. Tried flash codes but it only shows 12.

I disconnect the battery every night to prevent parasitic draw.(not saying it has one just not willing to risk it right now)

Im looking for some advice/help on where to turn to next before i just throw more money at it with no avail. It has a off brand Red coil on it currently. Not msd

Will work on the car toight to start testing sensors with a mulitmeter.

Thanks

 

Bad MAF bad/dirty will be my 1st guess. Unplug it and see if it runs better.

 

Ok ill be home in 2 hours that will be the first thing i try. Thanks for you input.

 

But it could be any number of things..

 

Ok so I unplugged the Maf.




car hesitated to start and took a min to warm up, but now it has regained some of the power/ throttle response back. Couldn't test drive due to coming home to a flat tire that leaks down just as fast as I air it up. Will fix tomorrow.



With it running better without the maf suggest that the sensor is bad ??

 

It means that the maf is probably bad. You might also want to check the ESC module which is behind the relays on the drivers side firewall.

Also check the VIN, if it is a swap car and someone just swapped the block from a 305 to a 350 and not the electronics, it could cause funny issues.

for a 350, it should be 1G2FW**8*K*******

if that 8 is an F, then you have a 305 from the factory, and you might want to start checking part numbers on the prom in the ECM, ESC module, and knock sensor

 

Checked the vin it is an original 350 car. I guess I'm going to bite the bullet and replace the maf even tho it wouldn't store a code. As far as the esc what exactly should I check power, connection, ? Thanks for the info

 

I don't think anyone makes a quality MAF for TPI cars anymore. I keep seeing that anyone who buys one is returning it within a month cause it failed. As far as the ESC module, I can't remember off the top of my head. I will post a link to the online version of the 88 manual, it has the same diagnostic trouble tree as 89 cars. It should help you figure it out

 

http://depositfiles.com/files/ty1vrpu5x

Regular download should work fine

 

Have you checked for a clogged cat(if it's still on)or clogged muffler? Sitting in a field for 2 years it's no telling what might of crawled up in there. Wife's TA years ago, cat went to pieces, no power. Changed cat out, still no power. All the pieces went to the muffler and clogged it up. Replaced muffler, ran like a champ.

 

Well crap that was gonna be my next question was who makes a good one I see prices of $150 and up. Thanks for the manual I will download today after work and post back what I find. Thanks for the help

 

I have thought about it but the exhaust sounds fine. If the cat is clogged won't it glow cherry red when running ? And I can unbolt the muffler when I get off work.

 

+1 on the clogged exhaust idea . i would remove the Y pipe from ith manifolds /headers and see what happens

 

Its easier to remove a manifold checkvalve and do a PSI check on the exhaust while running.

 

Check the exhaust, prolly clogged cat....

 

Thank you everyone for the responses/replys, sorry its been so long, I've been so busy and haven't had any time. So today I unbolted the exhaust from both headers and started it up. Made a world of difference, (plus sounds so much better.) Throttle response has improved greatly and acceleration has Greatly improved. (now it will easily power break and light the tires up no problems)


However it still doesn't have that seat of the pants pull in first and second gear that its supposed to have. Also I didn't run it more than 5mins and drive more than a mile if that matters at all


Any tips or tricks to get this car on point ? thankyou again everyone for you help.

 

Richporter MA157 are good MAF sensors. Different design (single screen).

 

don't know how many cars I looked at that say this. and not a single one with receipts. LIES.

now that you got it running decent I would pull plugs and do a comp. check and look at plugs. might help