acting up

[sheldo]

k, so i installed my x-pipes last week or so and since i have no insurance on my car right now all i could do was start it up and see how they sounded, well half way through the week i couldnt take it, i decided to go around the block. man was i upset. my car wouldnt perform, its like it lost all power whatsoever????? i could hardly get it back up my hill, it just kept bogging out and stuff, whats the deal. could it be the o2 sensors??? i heard if they go they cause a whole world of trouble. anyways, help would be greatly appreciated. oh and is there any adjusters on the throtle cable, mines uber loose and so far lordco and napa cant find replacments.

[Darren5.0L]

Hi sheldo,
Just need a bit more information about your swap before I can start to properly trouble shoot here. The key question is what kind of X-pipe did you install? Brand is not really important but the style, Catted or Catless?

The symptoms you describe sound like you have installed a catless pipe system, and did you make any other changes to the car? (even minor ones)

When you install a catless pipe on any Mustang with a 4 O2 sensor system you have to also install what are known as MIL eliminators, these units plug into your system and replace the last 2 sensors in the setup.

They are available from BBK (and others) and mine ran me about $45 CDN or so.

The above may or may not apply to you, just add a bit more info and hopefully we can get you going again.

Darren5.0L

[sheldo]

ya i installed a catless. but my car only had two o2 sensors to start with, unless there are two more that im not awar of placed some where other than the mid pipe????

[Darren5.0L]

Right, I'm thinking 96+ cars with the 4 O2 setup, it was the harness extenders I used, got a little mixed up there. (Been away from my car for too long...)

Okay so lets backtrack a bit, did the car run well prior to instaling this new pipe? I would assume so.

Are you sure there is not an exhaust leak where the new pipe bolts up as this can cause improper readings with your A/F ratio.

Are you getting a Check engine light or any codes?

Also I just took a look at the BBK X pipe online what did you with the smog (Thermactor) pump line to the new X-pipe?

Hopefully we can get this thing sorted out for you ASAP.

[sheldo]

well the smog line is connected but it has a pretty good kink in it so maybe that would be it other than that im not sure, my car was running awesome befor i changed them. anyways, im getting some new o2 sensors so maybe it will clear up after i change them.

[Darren5.0L]

Well, this is a bit of a strange problem.
If the the new 02 sensors do not make a difference, then perhaps try to sort out that kink in the smog pump, it may be placing load on the motor. But I don't see it being responsible for a dramatic loss of power...

Still thinking...

Be sure to keep us posted.

[The Fox Master]

This is an odd problem indeed. The part of your post that jumped out at me is the reference to the throttle cable. You say it's loose? How so? There is no adjustment in the cable... its a sprung cable that should be secured in place and has no slack. The only adjustment is in how far to hold the throttle plate open. If for some reason it is not secured, it is entirely possible that your throttle isn't opening fully which could certainly explain the severe loss of power.

o2 sensors only work in closed loop at part throttle. At Wide Open Throttle (WOT) the 02 sensors are ignored completely and the computer runs off the software tables built into the ecm (computer) and only uses inputs from the mass air, ect and act sensors. So if the car is running like a Bag of $hit at WOT it is most certainly not the o2 sensors. Now bad or disconnected o2s at part throttle will cause a rich condition usually on stock vehicles which can translate in bucking and surging at low RPMs and part throttle sluggishness.

Is your check engine light on? If so you need to run the codes before you do anything else.

[sheldo]

hmmmm, so there is no adjustment on the throtle cable right, i only have about a inch of play left in it, like ya cable does strech but thats alot of strech. but hey if its the problem it needs to be fixed right, so i guess once i get the new cable on i will update u guys ok. im gonna hold off on the o2 sensors right now untill i get the new cable. thanks for all the help guys.

[The Fox Master]

Before you go spending money, pull the intake rubber boot off the end of the throttle body and have a friend in the car depress the gas pedal to the floor. See if the plate opens fully.

If it does, it's not gonna be the cable. I'm still not to sure what you mean by slack in the cable - can you take some pics?

Another posibility can be TPS failure (Throttle position sensor) if you probe the green wire with a volt meter you can varify that the voltage with the key on and the engine off is just under 1V when closed, and over 4.5V when wide open.

[sheldo]

ok ya, i'll try and get some pics up by this weekend k, thanks for all the help guys.

[The Fox Master]

Originally Posted by sheldo

ok ya, i'll try and get some pics up by this weekend k, thanks for all the help guys.

No prob! Let us know what your results are.

Where is Canoe BC?

[sheldo]

u know where salmon arm is??? its 5 min outa salmon arm heading towards siccimouse and revlestoke......

[shakes]

wow you're pretty close to us.

[The Fox Master]

That is close!

Nice part of the country up there around Mara Lake and Revelstoke. I'd not heard of Canoe though.

[sheldo]

ya its a pritty sweet little place. if u have ever been to the beach in salmon arm u have been in canoe cuz u gotta go through canoe to get to the beach but ya, it is close, im usually in vernon once or twice a month