My L98 has absolutely no power, I cannot figure out what the problem is... I checked fuel pressure and its a constant 39psi w/ vaccuum and about 48 w/o vaccuum, which sounds norm to me, also the plugs are fine, spark looks good, I disconnected the cat, no difference. The car is an '89 so it's MAF, so I don't think the CTS would be an issue (although, im not sure, i could be wrong)... Also this car has been sitting a while, maybe a month, but it has been started within that month, just not driven. The last thing done to it was i changed the fuel injectors with 50motorsports injectors (the ones that work with the L98) because the others were leaking, but I don't remember whether I ever really drove the car after I did that, or if i just checked to make sure it was starting okay (which was the problem with the other injetors), but i did check resistance etc on them and they all checked out fine ... i don't know where to look now, any help is appreciated. thanks.

 

Aren't those injectors a little big for a stock engine? In your sig I didn't see a whole lot of mods. Check for restrictions in the air passages and exhaust areas. I have to clean dirt dobber nests out of my car if it sits for a few days. Hope this helps

 

I don't think they are too big... 22lbs?

Bosch 0280150561 D9B-22lb

 

so how slow is the car actually, do you have any data? i know everyone around here thinks different but stock and mild 350 cars really arent that fast. dont expect low 13s out of an L98 unless it has been moderately modded. not tryin to be a jerk, i am just trying to get an idea of how fast the car really is, not how fast people think it "should" be.

 

dont forget timing, maybe ur chain jumped a tooth.. happened to me and had me baffled for atleast a week.

 

Well he said it is slower than a metro. That is a problem. I'd lay money that metros don't run better than 18 seconds or so.

EDIT: Just occured to me to ask:

was the "slower than a Metro" bit literal or figurative?

 

me buddies metro runs 14's, hahaha,

1.3 litre turbo engine, with boost turned up, good tires and a 35 shot of nos.

 

Sorry to digress even further into Metros but - a 35 shot of nos is helping alot more than you think there - spooling that turbo up significantly quicker - without it that geo would be a dog from a start. If your L98 is having any trouble with any Metros it is clear there is a problem as 14 seconds is not the common stock of Metros

 

i mean SLOWER than a metro, like take a 5 speed toyota corrolla, put it in 3rd gear and try to start from a dead stop like that, that's how slow I mean it is, like not really streetable... i don't mean like i lost a second in my qm, i mean like the ****ing thing hardly moves. It's weird though, cause it'll still spin the tires in the dirt, like there's some torque there... and I doubt it slipped a tooth, because you'd need to push a car to do that, and like i said, this thing has barely been driven and the last time i did drive it, it was normal.

oh yea, and my timing is right on. and no i did not race a metro, i have no idea wether it is really slower or not, i would guess it is however.... it was not meant to be taken literally as this is not the racing board.

 

I do appreciate the help though, i just thought i'd mention. Also, there is a post I put up after this one called "Another (related?) problem" so if you think you have any idea what could be wrong, you may wanna read that post, it will give you some more detail, thanks alot. josh

 

Perhaps a dumb idea but....have you done a compression test on all 8 holes?

 

I'm not sure I understand what you mean by needing a push car to slip a tooth on the timing chain; but if you have the original factory timing gears, the cam gear is fiber. They are famous for wearing out the teeth, and having the valve timing slip. If it gets too bad, pistons will hit valves and do serious damage.

 

what i meant was, this car has not been driven much in a while, and it ran perfectly before (or at least perfectly acceptable) and what little it has been driven, it has not been beat on, and that's what i meant by pushing a car... from what i have heard usually a car only slips a tooth when you're tooling on it. I'm not completely doubting you or anything though, is there anyway to rule that out?


Also, to update, it doesn't even want to start now, it turns over and catches like it's going to start, but then immedietley dies...:*(

 

How's the fuel pressure situation?

 

maybe the gaz is contaminated ?

check the fuel filter ..

It used to run, then has no power, then dies after starting.

I bet the problem is Injection related

 

fuel pressure seems good, im going to change the fuel filter tomorrow, ill post again manana.

 

thats a toughy. i say compression test. or leakdown test, best way to tell what the heck is going on in the car. And if al else fails you can probably pick up a junkyard carb set up (hei, carb, base) for 100 bucks or less. carbs are WAY eaiser to play with, efi rocks when its new and in good condition, the older it gets, the better it is to have a carb.

other idea might be, cloged fuel return line (flooding the engine), not enough fuel, bad connection from coil to destributor or something. missing grounds on the engine. (wires rust and get old, rust doesnt conduct electrons so well). excessive resistance somewhere on the drivetrain. you can try stuff like disconnecting the o2 and the maf seeing if stock tables run better, but i doubt thats gonna tell you anything because when the car is warming up it uses stock tables anyway. maybe you should just take it to a mechanic? sometimes just paying 100 bucks is better then spending 10hours of your precious time and possibly more money replacing unneeded parts, leave it to the pro's, its what they are there for.

sorry about the long post. im just throwing idea in the air.

 

oh and i know the nitros made a huge difference on the metro, the thing has like 115 horse stock or something outta that little 3 cyl engine, 35 shot was massive on the 1700lbs car. plus it added like 55 ftlbs more torque are 1500 rpm (180% what it made stock!) it was fun at 12psi, but after the nos we started blowing respectable cars aside. plus its a manual and parts are DIRT cheap. aka, a decent 5 spd tranny from the year 2000 model is like 200 bucks, with 50k on the clock.

 

this is a tpi board no carb bias here please