there is something terribly wrong with my 1997 svt cobra...

i just bought this car and it does not have the power it should.... i can floor it and the gas if deffinately there being wasted judging by the gas i consume
but the power is not... i had trouble racing a stock v6 gallan the other night (my friends car) brother who is car mechanic doenst know fords just says feels like u have 5x the
wieght in the car when there is only me and ideas anyone?!?!?

 

sounds like a bogged engine.

Any smoke or odd noises?




Sure you didnt have the ebrake up? (KIDDING! )

 

no smoke no odd noises.... when i get around 3200 rpm's and up the throttle kinda gives out then catches back up then give out again... its odd...

 

one thing that might help a little is to take off the MAF sensor and spray the terminal with dust off,clean or get a new air filter, put a new fuel filter in, and change the oil while your at it. your problem might be beyond all that but it helped mine

 

ill try that tonight any other ideas?

 

spark plugs can be a tell-tale sign, check them to make sure there's nothing serious going on. Know the last time the fuel filter was changed? it may be getting old and clogged. Other than that, if your throwin any codes, or have had any erased latly...may be there

 

ok did the spark plugs last night and they were litterally rusted into place.... this could be a problem!!! i just bought this car from some1 that just like me doesnt know what they are doing so the sparkpluggs are from 97 as well as the wires and i swear he hadnt cleaned the air filter since he got it..... minor power increase from puting in new pluggs and im getting the wires tomorrow.... still really low on power though any other ideas?!?!?

 

Check for any codes. Auto parts stores will loan/rent you the tool to pull codes.(If you got codes look at troubleshooting that part/hardware) MAF is a great to start. Make sure that there is no leak paths for air to enter the engine between the MAF and the Intake manifold. If no codes and everything looks good under the hood check engine compression (all eight cyl.) .
Compression (psi) can vary slightly based on cranking rpm and throttle open vs closed. You are looking more for consistancy between all of the cylinders. (FYI 175psi is about an average compression reading) A 50 PSI differance between any of the cylinders should make you question if there is a mechanical problem with that cylinder.
Did the plugs you pulled out look black (carbon foul)?
How does it idle? (smooth, slight miss, )
Any aftermarket parts? (exhaust, Intake, induction, chip.......)
How many miles on the vehicle?
What can the original owner tell you about the vehicle?
Time your 0 to 60mph time. That may help us understand how much power you are really lacking.

To verify rolling resistance. Put the car in neutral with the e-brake off and vehicle should roll easy on a flat surface.
Good Luck....

 

When I had my Cobra and asked about changing plugs at the Ford garage.....they said they didn't recommend it until 100,000 miles. My car never saw that many miles.....but unless someone was in there doing work or the car has a lot of miles, probably not your main problem.

 

yeah, but a few variables can go into fouling out plugs. My other maf car acted like that just before the maf pooped out on me, wasn't throwing any codes either. If you can find a know good one, swap them and take it for a spin