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Help! I have no power!

R

rx7gslse

1/2 ton status
Joined
Nov 4, 2002
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Location
DFW, TX/Mexico
1st off, 89 Burb, stock stock stock, idles great, revs fine at idle. Put it in gear and it sputterscoughs and chokes! I was on my way home tonight, hit a bump & a puddle and othe the other side all at once I had no power.. Been running great for months before that, so I haven't messed with anthing in awhile.

Truck topped out at ~30mph, too much throttle it woudl buck & stutter. Engine also started making a giant sucking sound, but only under load. For the life of me I cannot hear the sound sitting still, only while traveling, which is making it a b!tch to track down.

Help! I'm suspecting a giant vacuum leak, but after a quick check with a flashlight I'm not seeing anything.. Where oh where do I start to look?!?

I know check all teh normal stuff, fuel filter, dist, wires etc, but it just went out all at once whiel running and that's what's confusing me..

TIA!

Eric..

(oh, did I mention this happened while I was across the border in Mexico and I had to limp it back home to the good 'ole US of A? that's always fun..)
 
I'll just take a stab without more detail on the motor, but it sounds like a plugged cat. Just a guess though, without more detail. Are you getting any codes from the ecm?
 
what more details do you need? stock 89 350, TBI...

the whole exhaust is only ~2years old.. plugged cat is possible, but doesn't reallly act like that. my last cart did that.
 
did you get water in your dist cap? how long after the puddle had it been bad?

To check vac leaks I use carb cleaner and spray around "stuff" egr , tbi, brake vac ect... Oh keep a fire extinguisher handy just in case!?!

bob
 
Wanted to know if it was a bb or sb. On the bb, the knock sensor is in front of the starter, down low on the block. But if their was an issue their, the ecm should be bitch'in anyways and that wouldn't cause a sucking sound anyhow. Either a vaccum leak or exhaust issue comes to mind.

The symptoms your describing sure sounds like a plugged cat. My old mans 94 s10 had this happen. Idled fine, would not go faster than 30 - 40 mph, then get a huge loss in power and kind of die out until letting off the throttle, made a rumble noise through smog tube/tbi when under load.

At any rate, good luck, hope you find the problem.
 
I'd lean more towards a weak fuel pump. It could be a plugged cat. Try checking the fuel pressure under load, if that checks out then unhook the exhaust at the manifolds and see if it runs better.
 
Thats a good idea, forgot about the fuel pump. Although I wouldn't think the motor would make a sucking noise if the pump was bad or plugged, but it's certainly a good possibility.
 
ok, you guys are kinda thinking along the same track I am..

I have a list of things to check, but I wanted to know if there was something glaringly simple 'check to see if ___ is loose" that may have been common..

Thanks for the suggestions so far, and keep 'em up.. I had the can of carb cleaner out sprayin around for leaks last night, but by flashlight I couldn't tell a lot. It just suprised me that it was an 'all of the sudden' thing, like somehow I knocked something loose, or got it wet.. but after it dried it didn't change..


FWIW, the puddle was pretty big.. like about a foot deep or more, and I was going oh.. ~30mph ;) I don't think the car next to me was enjoying it. We'll just say that teh drainage system on the Mexico side ain't to great after a giant rainstorm.
 
(oh, did I mention this happened while I was across the border in Mexico and I had to limp it back home to the good 'ole US of A? that's always fun..)
Click to expand...

Did you by any chance get your gas on the Mexican side? :thinking:
 
CanmoreK5 said:
Did you by any chance get your gas on the Mexican side? :thinking:
Click to expand...

nope.. gas always get covered on the US side... this tank has been in the truck about a week & a half with no issues..

It went wonky oh.. maybe 200ft after the puddle.. I *think* it's connected :wink1:
 
Thunder said:
Ditto!!! Before you get into all that the other stuff change the fuel filter first.
Click to expand...
Yes! Try replacing the fuel filter first. its only a couple bucks. I had this very same problem with my 89 k5. I had already replaced the fuel pump and a fuel injector a month or two before I had the problem.

I also though it might be a plugged cat, cut off the old one and put a new one on and didn't solve the problem. The Fuel filter was the cure.

Oddly enough this happened to me shortly after some wheeling after a big rainstorm. That fuel filter must not have liked water up to my headlights:D
 
muddermilitia said:
Yes! Try replacing the fuel filter first. its only a couple bucks. I had this very same problem with my 89 k5. I had already replaced the fuel pump and a fuel injector a month or two before I had the problem.

I also though it might be a plugged cat, cut off the old one and put a new one on and didn't solve the problem. The Fuel filter was the cure.

Oddly enough this happened to me shortly after some wheeling after a big rainstorm. That fuel filter must not have liked water up to my headlights:D
Click to expand...


Thank for the help guy... No real update yet... I've been traveling a lot lately and it's just been parked mostly.

BUT I have the day off tomorrow... Step one is replace the fuel filter. I've already got one, just have to put it in.. Then if that doesn't fix it I really think it's the cat. It's been making a rattling noise for a long time. I just assumed it was a heat shield, but it may actually have junk clonking around inside...

but yeah.. replace teh cheap stuff 1st ;) I'll give an update tomorrow for anyone who cares.
 
and the update...

Yet again, the 1st suggestion made on the forum was the correct one. Got up this morning and replaced the fuel filter (man, that was done in liek 5 minutes...) but no change.

Took it into local Mexican muffler shop, $95 and new 3" Converter later and WOW what a world of difference. I think it must have been partially clogged for a long time, b/c I never recall this truck running this well.

The entire ceramic 'brick' inside of the cat had been knocked loose and gotten wedged in the 'exit' at the rear of the cat. Was quite obvious once you could get a look at it ;)

Thanks for the suggestions guys!
 
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