Hey guys here's my problem: My 350 TPI has absolutely NO power off the line. Engine idles good and has more response on the top end (700 R4 trans) when giving it gas, it seems to run "not quite right" but clears up periodically and runs good. However, from a dead stop there is NO power at all. Any ideas what would cause this? I pulled the ECM codes and turned up nothing. any info appreciated.

 

check plugs, wires, cap, rotor, clean fuel injectors, check timing, air filter, coil the genral stuff first, try and rule out others as you go.....

 

might wanna run a compression check. that's pretty odd, TPI motor is basically only good for off the line power. put some injector cleaner in and see if it cleans up any, you might have a lot of filth clogging the injectors. And all of what he said above

 

Thanks fellas. The Plug wires, plugs, cap, and rotor are all Brand spankin' new (they have about 20 miles on them) It almost feels like something in the ignition, I'm not sure what though. It's not setting any codes so I'm about clueless. Is there an easy way to clean the injectors by hand?

 

Did it have more than 2hp before you put in new wires, plugs, cap, etc.?

 

That's just it, I don't know. The engine was just ran today for the first time.... I did a V8 conversion. Trust me, EVERYTHING is hooked up properly, the ECM is hooked up... I would think that a 350 would be a lot more "peppy"... and yes, I did change the fuel pump to a TPI fuel pump, and the radiator and everything else... I can't figure out why it has no power. Would EGR be a cause?

 

What is your fuel pressure at idle w/ the vac line disconnected from the plenum?

Whip out your timing light and report back on the spark advance w/ ESC disconnected.

These are good starting points.

 

which vac line?

 

The vac line that connects the cap of the fuel pressure regulator to the plenum.

 

ok I'll check it out and see I'll have to wait until tomorrow until I can get back down to the garage and get my hands on the tools.
Thanks I'll keep you posted

BTW how do I turn up fuel pressure on the regulator if it's not right?

 

you need an adjustable FPR and a gauge to put on the schrader valve on the fuel rail to do it. Also make sure you disconnect the vaccuum line to the FPR when you set pressure otherwise it could be inaccurate.

 

have ur ignition module tested an an auto parts store...its under the distributor cap 2 7mm screws hold it on i beleive

if thats good id say its a fuel pressure problem...like stated in the previous posts

good luck

 

I have a similar problem.Is it possible its the magnetic pickup on the distributor,and if so how do you test it?

 

I still haven't run a fuel pressure check, but here's what else I did:

Last night the car wouldn't hold an idle at all when I started it, so this morning I unplugged the IAC valve and what I believe is the ESC bypass (single wire connector, black and tan wire near the heater motor). The car fired up and Idled allright. I took it down the street and it had NO throttle response whatsoever. I brought it back, cursing it up and down, opened the hood, plugged the IAC back in, and the ESC bypass, tried it again, and it felt like the car ran a 6 second quarter mile. WTF?!?!? I was pleased, so I took it farther up the road, and it had better response, but the low end power was gone again.
I have a vacuum question. On the plenum, there are (as far as I can see) 4 vacuum ports coming off of the rear passenger side of the plenum. 3 of them are right there, and the 4th looks like it comes from somewhere underneath it. Starting from the back, I'll explain where they are plugged in (since I don't really know). The rearmost one goes into the fuel pressure regulator. The next one forward, I have plugged into the MAP sensor, the next one up (looking like it comes from underneath the plenum) has a bolt in it. I didn't put it there, I don't know why it's there, and the most forward one goes into the little "T" connection where a couple other lines meet up. Is this correct anyone know? Also, my heater when it's on "vent", will automatically start to blow out of the dash vent for the windshield when the RPM's start climbing on the tach, once the RPM's drop, the heater returns to blowing out the vents. As of right now, my head is spinning. Can anyone offer insight?

 

Here's some insight...do these.

 

Ok found the problem... the TPI was putting out proper pressure (42 psi at idle) so that eliminated that problem. I took the timing light to it today, and 10 degrees AFTER TDC. WTF?!?! Where that came from, I don't know. After resetting the timing, everything ran perfect, and the engine runs like you wouldn't believe. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. Anyone know what would cause the fan wires to look burnt underneath the insulation? I received the engine with the fan wires in that condition, there is no burning or melting visible on the insulation, but underneath looks like a sooty, black, as if it got hot. The fan won't kick on either, and I don't know which relay is the proper relay for it.

 

my fans died on me on my TPI too, replaced the relays and the coolant temp switch in the block and they still dont work... if you need a temporary fix until you can get it figured out.... take the wiring harness for the primary fan out of the relay and there shoulc be 4 wires, 3 in a row, a space and then the forth.... jump the first and third with a wire..... now the primary fan will kick on as soon as you turn the key to the on position.

 

I ran a wire from the relay to a switch in my car and ran the switch to ground so I can turn the fan on and off. Starting the car with the fan always on may do harm to your electrical circuit.

 

Should be the relay next to the radiator on the front passanger side. Easy to see, I think there are two, but one is the fan.

 

as of right now, I have the fan wired to a switch inside the car, that way I can just turn it on when I need to. However I didn't jump the relays or anything, I wired it straight from the battery. I only have one fan there. I'll have to get the camera out and show you what I see. There were 2 other wires on that part of the harness, same color as the fan wires, but they had been obviously cut. I don't really know what they go to, maybe it was a dual fan setup in the original car. It was hard for me to tell, because there wasn't much left of it. I'll search those relays and see what I can turn up.