Uh oh, compression test results are in. . . .

[Denny]

Finally got all six cylinders tested. . .
cyl 1 240psi
cyl 2 245psi
cyl 3 250psi
cyl 4 240psi
cyl 5 240psi
cyl 6 250psi

I take it those are good numbers? So why isn't it feeling like my motor is full of pep and vigor?!?

 

[AutoSHO]

Denny:
Finally got all six cylinders tested. . .
cyl 1 240psi
cyl 2 245psi
cyl 3 250psi
cyl 4 240psi
cyl 5 240psi
cyl 6 250psi

I take it those are good numbers? So why isn't it feeling like my motor is full of pep and vigor?!?

Have you checked to see if the timing is advancing? it seems like your engine just isn't ever getting the spark advance to go like it should. Or it has a static drag on it. Did you try taking off the accessory belts and starting it to see if it revved more freely? Good Luck...

 

[Denny]

I think HunterVF and I will try the all motor experiment on Sunday. . . This does sound very intriguing, but if something along the pulleys were really dragging the motor down, wouldn't there be some sort of whine or a broken belt by now?

And as for the timing, where are the timing marks I should be aiming at?

 

[fredhurderjr]

Denny - numbers are great (a little higher than I'm used to seeing).

My 91 ran 190-210. my low-comp 95 ran 165-175 range. I recently ran one guy's who had 3 cyl's at 230psi (and 1 at 160, 2 at 190)

Since the cylinders are all in the same range, you're looking good.

 

[luigisho]

Those are higher than I've seen for a SHO but there isn't a large spread so sounds good. Is the timing off or a vacuum leak somewhere? You can't possibly get that much compression and that little horsepower to the wheels. Unless you left the tranny off.

 

[fredhurderjr]

I thought he's been kidding about the hp rating!

are your brakes locked or something? WOW!

 

[AutoSHO]

fredhurderjr:
I thought he's been kidding about the hp rating!

are your brakes locked or something? WOW!

I am almost positive he isn't kidding on the power rating... He posted a dyno graph not too long ago. It really does have a problem!

I think you may be right about the pulleys not being it, but it still seems like a static drag somewhere. have you checked to make sure all the timing (belt, rear chain tensioners, spark, etc...) is correct? With those numbers you should have over 200 hp to the wheels. How many miles on the car? What oil pressure have you been seeing?

 

[Denny]

No, I WISH I were kidding!!!

HunterVF has a short vid, nothing special
But yes, that's the bona-fide dynoplot of my SHO... The cats were plugged up, and before I ever saw the plot I could feel the car falling short on itself at 5K. They're off now, but it's still not all there.
Fred, maybe you have something, is it possible that the front brakes could lock up a bit somehow? Could there be another drag in the driveline? What else could there be? The trans itself?
Wow 200horse at the wheels, I'd really love to have that, but right now I think I'd be pretty content with normal SHO power at the wheels, ever since my SLO days, I'd always wanted to have an SHO, now I do, but it's not that much stronger than my old GL

 

[Random]

Well, I know it is not much, but have you checked your Injectors out? it may be possible you had some dirt in the system and it clogged them up. That much of a drain on your power cant be just from a belt or a bad pulley. It has to be something more susbtantial. and since the compression looks fine, it may be a fuel problem.

 

[BeatDaSHO]

hahahaha. damn dude. i've seen bigger numbers with a geo metro. hahahahaha. i'm just playing man. i hope you get your SHO running like it should so you get to enjoy what everyone else enjoys. keep working at it. you will get it sometime. don't worry. good luck to you.

Greg

 

[luigisho]

I think it can't hurt to check both the injectors (get them flow tested) and see if the brakes aren't dragging. Maybe a kinked ebrake cable or a bad caliper. I have heard of people driving their sho's who thought the performance was decreased due to age and it turned out the caliper was bad and dragging the brakes.

How about we go system by system and see what's been done etc.? Fuel pump, injectors and relay control module ok? Has it been thoroughly checked for vacuum leaks? Is timing correct? Honestly if those compression #'s are correct you should have a very strong SHO.

 

[Huntervf]

ok here's what we have....

New fuel pump & filter, good fuel pressure at idle and at speed.

recent 60k, new plugs and wires.

Catless Y-pipe installed 2 months ago, along with dynomax catback.

bypassed FPR with same results, assume FPR is ok.

Swapped out DIS & coil pack with good replacements, same results.

TPS & voltage are good.

MAF is good.

No known vaccum leaks.

Compression test is good.

The MAIN symptoms here are:

1. The engine fights to rev...it seems like it just doesn't want to rev.

2. The car will stall if you stab the gas. It may hiccup once or twice before stalling, but it will just flat out die. Also, we can't run a correct KOER test because the car will stall midway through. No codes to speak of either.

Today I'm ATTEMPTING to replace the timing belt & CPS...provided I can get that last damn stubborn lug nut of the damn car We'll also check for accessory drag, though with the power loss on the car I highly doubt that's the problem. I also doubt the brakes are hanging up...they'd have to get pretty damn hot & they just aren't.

Any more ideas? I'll keep everyone informed of the progress!

 

[Random]

Have you looked at the cams?

But I still think it sounds like a fuel problem to me. or maybe a bad computer. But I would lean towards fuel. I believ fuel pressure would be fine, even if the injectors are messed up.

 

[Huntervf]

Problem solved thumbs_u Turns out the timing WAS off...the rear cam sprocket was off by about a tooth. New belt properly timed and BOOM...power is DEFINTELY there! Denny's beside himself...he was literally hysterical when we went for the test drive...couldn't believe how well the car pulled. Now he can move on to bigger things like detonating transmissions Expect a post from him somewhere (prolly in OF) about how fast it is now and how he's hunting down all the cars that beat him before

 

[Diameg]

Holy crap, that's good to hear!

I've been following this saga for a while and like Fred, I just thought the 125hp was a tongue in cheek joke. It must have been horrible driving around like that.

I'd be really interested in hearing new dyno results if Denny is going to get them done. Considering everything replaced, plus compression, I'm sure it has to be a major increase!

 

[drivinhard]

Yep, a tooth is like 16 degrees. Thing will run like an ******.

 

[Denny]

Oh yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
IT'S ALL THERE BABY!!!
And yeah, Chris is right, I'm literally hysterical about it all! I was camping this week, hence why I haven't been around, but I was coming home last night, and when I got back, I was shaking from it all. There have only been a few times I've come from a driving a car and I'm shaking from the unbelievable power and response!
This is the first it's been with my SHO

And I'm looking for two Probe GTs, a Corolla, and a Geo Storm that just whooped me before. They're toast now! shoot

THANKS CHRIS!!!!!!!! thumbs_u beer

New dynoplots and quarter mile slips to follow!

 

[Denny]

Looking back...

Wow...I can't believe I found this post. It would only be a week or two later that I would spin the bearing on the sixth cylinder and go SHO-less for almost two years.


Well now that this thread is bumped back up. I did a compression check on my 3.2 that's in the 90 now. It has around 110K on the engine now, 178K on the body/drivetrain.
All cylinders were at 210psi, dead even. I even decided to check the gap on the plugs. All were at .044" except for cylinder #6 which came out to .056" Would there have been something that could have caused the gap to increase? I remember checking the gap before doing the install last yeat on the plugs.

Compared to my former engine, my compression is lower, but it's all even. What would have given my older engine more compression, carbon buildup, bad bearings?