Progress Update / Very Little Power

[notdrphang]

this is getting a little depressing...

I reved it to about 3,800 and it seemed to have very little power....The timing marks line up correctly

I figured out what the clacking was. I forgot to tighten down the WP pulley all the way and that little metal plate was smacking around.

The car seems to run pretty good...when you try to give it a little gas the power seems to go flat. What could be causing this?

I would like to thank everyone for all the help that got me to this point. I hope I can get these little kinks worked out soon. I am sure I will have many more questions.

Thanks,
Adam S

 

[sdpatt]

Losing power with heavier throttle? That could be low gas flow or, more likely, a vacuum leak. The more I read the more I consider my fees very well earned.

 

[notdrphang]

btw how long does it take before the timing belt will shut up?

 

[AutoSHO]

notdrphang:
btw how long does it take before the timing belt will shut up?

It shouldn't be making any noise??

 

[Blast7]

I second the vacuum leak. I had a similar problem to what you are describing and one of the rubber intake gaskets where loose on the "snakes". Is your gas mileage getting any worse?

 

[notdrphang]

Well Before I can really drive the car I need to work the rest of the air out of my cooling system....I will check for vac leaks. If I got the timing a tooth off could it cause the car to run decent but lack power in the high end? I thoguht someone said a new timing belt would whine for a while.

 

[sdpatt]

The timing belt may soften its whine after one or two thousand miles. Are you sure that it is not the new accessory belts? The Goodyear Gatorback belts have lateral grooves on the ribbed side that produce a distinct whine even when old.

 

[notdrphang]

well the new gates acc belts squak a bit when I turned on the heater/climate. Is that an an indication that they are too tight or too loose? I am pretty sure the timing belt has a weird whine to it...it is not to loud but it becomes louder when I rev the engine. Just wondering if everything was normal. I would take the car out for some fresh gas but the weather is bad and I have no one to help me put the hood back on today.

The car sounds pretty healthy. I just hope some fresh gas will help the power out. The gas has been sitting at about 1/4th of a tank for about 3 weeks, and it has rained almost non stop here in VA. Perhpas all the moisture has made the gas become a bit stale.

I know this may sound stupid, but could having the accessory belts torqued wrong hurt power? Over the summer before I replaced everything my belts would always squak with the A/C on, and the cars power was a bit odd around 3k RPMS

<small>[ November 16, 2002, 02:24 PM: Message edited by: notdrphang ]</small>

 

[haydenm315]

notdrphang:
well the new gates acc belts squak a bit when I turned on the heater/climate. Is that an an indication that they are too tight or too loose?

If they're sqeaking when you initially turn on the ac but it goes away then the belt is slipping and grabbing which probably means it's too loose. If it's a constant bad noise I think you're too tight.

I am pretty sure the timing belt has a weird whine to it...it is not to loud but it becomes louder when I rev the engine. Just wondering if everything was normal. I would take the car out for some fresh gas but the weather is bad and I have no one to help me put the hood back on today.

Not sure about this. I can let you know once I get everything running again. As with others.. I blame the age of the car (parts availability) and shoshops notorious timeframe for most of my 50 days of downtime. I'm hoping to be online in the next week or so or soon after I get my lash cap.

I know this may sound stupid, but could having the accessory belts torqued wrong hurt power? Over the summer before I replaced everything my belts would always squak with the A/C on, and the cars power was a bit odd around 3k RPMS

If the accessory belts are torqued wrong there will be more strain on the bearings in your accessories because the belt tension is pulling on them to much. The bearings will wear out prematurely. If the tension is too great, so is the effort that is required to turn the system. In theory I think this will rob your motor of power. When the bearings blow it gets worse.
I used to race a belt drive transmission in an r/c car. It's very different but I think the concepts are similar. The tension of the belt affected runtime, acceleration, braking, life of the belt/bearings, and even a difference in noise. New belts will stretch out and loosen up with a breakin period. I think that's why you're supposed to recheck tension after 100 miles after putting new belts on.

The helms has a section on drive belts where they use a belt tensioning tool and give some specs for the belts. The specs for the 6 rib are 220-265lbs for a new belt, 148-192lbs for an old belt, and an allowable minimum of 120lbs. The specs for the 4rib are 154-198lbs for a new belt, 112-157lbs for an old belt, and an allowable minimum of 80lbs. This is for the 3.0L sho which I have. The 3.2L is easier because all the above numbers are dashes except the allowable minimum which is 74lbs for both. You can probably feel it out as there is a large range for the 3.0L.

 

[notdrphang]

Cool I guess the belts are too loose...When the A/C compressor would kick on there was a loud squeeking. I will tighten it some more. Also where to I get the tool to check the torque of the belts? Can it be rented?

 

[shojuan]

FYI the standard that is used in shop manuals to describe belt tension: "New belt" = belt that has never been installed. "Used belt" = belt that has 5 minutes of operating time. The "used belt" tension values apply as soon as you install a belt and the engine has run.

Rick