Thread: dramatic loss in power

my fuel gauge has been acting up a lot as well, is there anyway the fuel sender affects the mix? making it run to rich or lean?

Carb and cleaner and brake cleaner work but can catch fire if the engine backfires, I have had this happen so I know what I am talking about. It is safer to use propane and a scan tool to watch the fuel trim and O2 sensor for any changes. The computers today are so quick at adjusting to compensate for the added fuel that you may not notice the change. Make sure you work in a well ventilated area and not in a garage so if a fire starts your...

Quote: Originally Posted by gransport38 yes, i have a Haynes manual for it and i haven't needed it for a lot of things buts it definitely has helped. ok thanks i must have been thinking of something totally different with the whole engine degreaser thing. what could cause those symptoms though? i know thats kind of a broad question but what are some possibilities aside from a vacuum leak and a fuel pressure regulator? haynes doesnt say...

Quote: Originally Posted by dr.gizmo I have never seen a 3800 with a distributor, I thought they were distributor-less. Open the hood and start the engine in a dark area, then take a hand spray bottle and spray down your spark plug wires with water. Look for a change in engine operation and sparks jumping around. If you see any the wires are bad. remove the spark plugs and look for black carbon tracks on the ceramic insulators, if you find...

ok cat then what about the intake?

Quote: Originally Posted by gransport38 the spark plug wires are good but i checked and mine is distributorless so where does that leave me, same place? how can i test the ignition coil? if i test and find its ok what could it be aside from ignition and exhaust? fuel and air would be the only two remaining suspects and from what i could find the airway is clear leaving only fuel. sorry just thinking out loud. but the fuel pump should be ok...

My guess is that it's because it has no muffler installed. Hook a muff up to it and the power should come back. I know it sounds crazy, but I've driven two stock vehicles with and without mufflers and both produced more power with the muffs installed.

Quote: Originally Posted by Olds88 I suspect the distributor coil. That's what I would too. Especially as the car was being driven in the rain.

Quote: Originally Posted by gransport38 hey thanks i got a two row so its fine haha, so i had my dad sit in my car and rev the engine with the lights out to see if i saw any sparks and once it got to the point where it lost power i saw a faint blue glow coming from around the boots of all the three front spark plugs and i couldnt see well enough to check if the rear three were doing the same and where the rear three wires are clipped to the...