Adam Richman

I just had the timing belt replaced (as well as a couple other things) and driving home (now 350 miles after timing belt change) the car started bogging dramatically. Anyone have any ideas as to the cause?

Ergo, what am I looking for?

TIA

Skip

Bad gas maybe?

Other ideas: Sticky AFM, FPR or pump failing, bad injector, intake leak.

Try running some Techron fuel injector cleaner through it... might as well use a fresh tank of Chevron Supreme also.

All this, unless you suspect the timing belt skipped a tooth?

Good Luck!

Dave

I had the same problem on my boat last week, checked out the fuel system to no avail. As I was closing up the hatches (making it dark around the engine) I happened to notice a few small flashes @ the coil. Replaced the cap, rotor and wires, cause they were obviously overdue, didn't think it could be related to an intermitant loss of power. On the 30 min. trip home, mostly WFO, it didn't bog at all.
Pop your hood tonight while the engine is running, it may be a long shot, but it couldn't hurt to check.

TomH

Dave, sparking flashes around the motor in a boat are NOT a good thing. Glad you got it fixed, I would hate to have heard your story, had there been gas fumes present.

Adam Richman

Actually ended up being TPS - thanks keith for bailing me out again.

keith

"that's two you owe me" (- Han Solo)

Skip

I'm curious, how did you fix? With a new TPS, or just an adjustment and/or cleaning?

Skip

Michael Stephenson

Could we get more information on the solution to the TPS problem? Was it a loose wire, a bad unit or what?

When it comes to solutions to problems, we want specifics. You never know when we have to face the same demon.

Adam Richman

The Death Star is surrounded by a . . .

Whelp, we pulled the thottle and got no clicky-clicky. Basically all told, Keith took a pair of chanel lock pliers from the top and grabbed the plate on the rear side and the notch on the top side and tightened the grip to force the plate to slide forward. We then loosened up the idle screw (???) and we pulled on the throttle until it started to click again. Then we tightened the screw up.

Keith should correct me where I have mispoken but I think that's the gist of it.

Skip

That's a great fix... but I don't know how it worked

The TPS click is to set the "closed-throttle" position... telling the DME to send signal to the Idle Stabilizer to open and regulate air for proper idle.

You initially described bogging... unless we misunderstood your description of bogging. Did you mean that, at idle, the car would hunt up and down looking for idle... maybe seeming to "bog" as it reached the lower rpm?

I'm possibly way off the mark here... though I've never been wrong before [joke]

Skip

Adam Richman

Here's how I'd describe what was going on. Everything seemed whacked power wise - shift light comes on after I
lift, clutch in and the rpm's drop to 400 (and threaten to stall), give it gas and it bogs badly. When I did give it throttle while the shift light was illuminated and I had recently gotten off the gas, the car would burble for the next 400 to 500 rpm until it "caught" again (like a lawnmower as it runs out of gas). The only thing I could do (I was 30 to 40 miles from home when this started) was to keep the revs over 2K all the time and it wouldn't lose power.

My best guess is that the TPS never knew that I was off the throttle so it continually sent a signal that I was giving it gas (explains to me somewhat why the shift light would come on when I'd lift). I guess that at those moments, I was running very very lean making the motor bog.

I can guess at this stuff but at the end of the day, I am sans clue.

Skip

AHA! This explanation is most definitely the TPS microswitch. Adjusting it is a great approach... hopefully it'll last. If that is the OE TPS, you may be seeing this problem again soon. Relatively inexpensive part at ~$50.

This is the infamous cycling engine... with my open exhaust it sounds like this:

Bwahhh, ugggg, Bwahhh, ugggg, Bwahhh, ugggg

Glad you got it fixed... Keith's a smart dude, eh!

keith

See? I've been telling you guys...