88 cab big power loss at low rpm.

[straight88]

there's to many posts to search ........someone give me a hint as to why all the sudden i can barely get up my driveway or any kind of hill??? has good power at 3500 rpm but takes forever to get there shes being a real dogg.

[bbrown]

Welcome to the forum. It kind of sounds like you have a cracked distributor cap. It could be a number of things, but without some specifics it is difficult to pinpoint your exact problem. I would be looking at the distributor cap (its orange or sometimes red) and look for crack or even holes. Also check the rotor (its what you see on the inside) and see if the copper contacts are any good. Good luck.


Pics of the car please.

[straight88]

Guess I won't post a question when I'm in a hurry, I'll be more specific.it has a new distributor,cap,rotor,wires,plugs...etc I bought the car it came with that a new clutch. So its not those. From what I've read in this fourm the cis fuel system seems to be a big issue could my symptoms be in the fuel delivery? Would dried out injector rings cause that...thanks for responding

[kamzcab86]

Vacuum leaks: hoses and hose connections, injector & idle adjust screw O-rings, air-flow sensor stuck, etc.

Fuel delivery: fuel pumps may be faulty, fuel filter could be clogged, injectors could be faulty, fuel pressure is inadequate.

Air-fuel mixture and/or idle is off. The Lambda (oxygen sensor) system could have a fault. Go to http://www.cabby-info.com/cis.htm to see how to check both.

Timing could be off.

[gull]

Besides checking the ignition timing, you might want to make sure your timing belt didn't skip a tooth. Incorrect cam timing would make for a pretty weird power curve.

It could be a CIS problem, but that wouldn't be the first place I looked. CIS isn't as troublesome as people sometimes make it out to be, and it's generally easiest to troubleshoot CIS if you've ruled out everything else first.

Vacuum leaks (due to dried-out fuel injector seals, etc.) are probably not causing this problem. They usually cause poor running at idle that clears up when you open the throttle.

What happens if you try to rev the engine with the car in neutral? Does it rev OK, or does it sputter and complain? Does it idle OK? Do you have black smoke from the exhaust at idle?

[straight88]

it revs the same in neutral the same as it does in gear, its REAL slow to reach 3000 rpm then from there its got all its power after 3000. i have to rev it up to 3000 just to get enough power to take off. and it idles fine, i know i have a cold start issue i haven't fixed yet but that cant contribute to the power loss, and no black or any smoke at all....cant wait to get it figured out miss drivin it!

[straight88]

oh and when this all started happening the oil pressure light comes on at just under 1000 at idle..then stops flashing just over 1000.. oil level is normal.

[Calimus]

Could be ignition timing causing a lack of power down low.

As for the oil pressure light. There should be an oil pressure guage down by the shifter. It's the one that measures in BAR. At idle it should read no less then 1 bar. If it's below that, then it could be several issues, though the most common is a worn oil pump. worst case is worn intermidiat shaft bearings/gasket leaks.

How many miles are on the car/motor?
Does the car idle smooth or seem to stumble a bit?

[SoCal_Cabby]

this totally sounds like you skipped a tooth on the timing belt

[straight88]

I finanally found time to fix the prob.......was ignition timing thanks for all the replys!

[gull]

Cool, glad you got it sorted.