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Engine Power Loss Problem?

2K views 9 replies 5 participants last post by  pspringe 
#1 ·
Anybody been driving along normal and then just lose like 25-50% power from the drivetrain? Happened yesterday as I was hustling to ER where my son was taken after a car accident (he's OK).

So needless to say I wasn't in a state of mind to diagnose the problem, but it was bad. Felt like someone had turned on about 10 AC's. After leaving the hospital (2 hours) everything was normal again.

Best description I can give is like vapor lockout with carbs. Even as the power comes back on you get this very "muffled" sense. Even above 4K the car was bogging as if it was around 2K.

Just wondering.

BTW - Son managed to total the Suburban into the back of a Porsche Cayanne.
 
#2 ·
Check your DSI cable? How does it run above 5k rpm? Might also check to see if any codes were thrown because of that. If you have an aftermarket intake, you might check to see if it is sealed all the way around the TB as well (I don't think that would make that dramatic of a power drain, but anything is possible).

P.S. Glad your son is OK [:)]
 
#4 ·
Daeron said:
Check your DSI cable? How does it run above 5k rpm? Might also check to see if any codes were thrown because of that. [:)]
Stock Intake.
No Codes
Did have the Fuel Rail Pressure Sensor fail about a month ago but had it replaced (CEL P0190)
Where does the DSI connect? Into the fuel rail or directly to manifold? Don't know where to physically look for it.
Only ran to about 5-5.5K with no improvement noted (so I backed off)

ANd like I said, it fixed itself and now all is fine. HMMMMMMMMMM
 
#5 ·
I burned up my ignition module last week. I would guess I lost two cylinders. It was bad, coul donly do about 50 on the highway. But, I was supprised, it didn't throw any codes. Yours could be bad, intermittent, on one cylinder.
 
#6 ·
^^^^^^^^
Another good place to check, ignition coil :)
 
#7 ·
Haven't had time to check yet, but wouldn't a broken clip on the DSI cable make the problem occur permanently, and not intermittently?

I will check for air leaks too. But the ignition coil seems like a real suspect here.

I had the original 1983 Escort GT (really not a bad car given the general poor quality of 80s cars in general), but it always had a problem with the ignition system, specifically the TFI (Thermo Friction Induction) chip that sat on the distributor. Almost the same effects, until the TFI gave out all together then you couldn't start your car at all without replacing it.

How did you diagnose the ignition coil "pspringe"? That is typcially just good or bad with a voltage test. Anything else you did? Or is the module like the old TFI?
 
#8 ·
Sounds like for some reason your car went into the "limp home" mode, where timing and fuel are pulled, and power is reduced. Do some research, but I bet that is what happened - especially since it fixed itself. It should have pulled a code, I think.

Talk to one of the tuners here - Tom or Wayne, or Randy, Ray at McNews, etc.
 
#9 ·
I called the dealer and told him "come pick this POS up", even though I love my car. I had just gotten it back for something else and told them, "I don't know what in the hell you guys did to this thing!". I am sure they hate me there.
 
#10 ·
Now that I think about it, pull the plugs (leave them connected to the wires) and turn it over in the dark, looking for the spark.
 
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