FivePointOhh

so for some reason my car is running really crappy.

i havent done a compression test yet, but all the other things ive done makes me think its a blown head gasket or mis adjusted valve. i can hear a "puff clickity puff clickity puff clickity" noise from my passenger bank of cylinders. i have lots of power still, like it'll spin the tires but it feels stock again, nothing compared to when i first took it out and it was all *** end crazy throw the first 3 gears.

codes show nothing of concern(emissions)
i have unplugged each cylinder and ran it, i feel/hear no difference on any particular cylinder. it always seems to run the same. all the plugs look just fine. im not losing any coolant. no white smoke at the tails. dizzy is stabbed correctly. what in the hell is going on?

kweb288

Im sorry buddy!
That sounds like a whole lot of no fun, good luck.

Is there any oil leaking? whats your timing set at (double check just to be on the safe side)?
Other then that right now i cant think of to much

racin66coupe

like you said, i would check all the valves and make sure their adjusted correctly, check the timing. do you have vaccum lines on the 5.0's? it sounds like it could be a vaccum leak, check all your intake mani bolts and such....
good luck!

FivePointOhh

timing at 13* its all right, changing the timing doesnt change anything else, same half assed performance. idle is fine, starts up fine. revs up just fine. just pure lack of power. cylinder balance test shows nothing, unplugging spark plugs does nothing, i just dont get it..... codes show nothing but missing emitions.

FivePointOhh

i have no bad idle issues, it idles steady, no issues. i have cchecked for vac leaks and nothing. i even unplugged my a/c vac line and there is almost no change in idle. i unplug the BB and it lopes a little. the motor is solid. so i think maybe a valve but i cant narrow down to which cylinder it is

86 5.0L

header gasket leak? i have one and it sounds alot like valve tap

baddestmofo

When you say it idles fine and revs fine but has a lack of power I'm inclined to think you're running lean. It may not be a mechanical issue, could it be that sound is not related to your lack of power?

I don't know enough about these cars yet- but at least some newer cars, specifically some fords that I own or have owned, have a "learning mode" in the pcm processing. My police interceptor was the most dramatic example. I found that if I cut power to the pcm long enough for the memory to clear it would run more rich, shift more responsively and just plain haul *** compared to how it adjusted over time under "normal" driving conditions. I know these computers have some memory but I don't enough about them to know if what you have on your hands is anyting like that. It's just what comes to mind...

5.0stanger

How do your plugs look? Hows the gap? Do you have the right heat range? Maybe you have some fouled plugs? How the fuel? New? Do you have your spout in? Are you getting your computer advance? Just some things I am thinking

Is it getting up to temp?

FivePointOhh

temp is up, plugs look normal on all 8, spout is in, computer advances ~20*, fuel is about 3 months old but i have filled up since then so it has new fuel running through it, gaps are still at .050, plugs are autolite 45's(18mm plugs)

its weird, everythign seems absolutely fine....but the power is so limited compared to what it was a week or so ago.

mjr46

maybe your a$$ometer has just gotten use to it and now the bug that bites us all it telling you more!! lol