Bad ground?

[CManT1914]

Has anybody heard of an electrical problem causing a car to run slow. In my 94 GT, I was having the problem that anytime I tried to romp on the gas, it would just not go anywhere. My friend told me that it might be an electrical problem causing that. Anyway, I had just recently changed the spark plugs without setting the gaps, and so when I went back and redid that, the car ran a LOT better. But sometimes I still wonder about what my friend told me about how an electrical problem, I.E. a bad ground could cause it to do that. Now it has me paranoid because sometimes the GT just doesn't seem very fast. Could it actually be an electrical problem, or maybe it just has good days and bad?

 

[jerry beach]

Pull the codes and see if the puter has set any. I am guessing maybe clogged cats, how many miles are on them? They will slow your car way down if they are clogged up. You can check for possibe excessive back pressure in the exhaust with a vacuum guage. This will also tell if you have any vacuum leaks. Go get one, read the instructions and test away. It will tell you alot about general engine health. You can run a compression test to see if all is well with the rings and valves... If you dont know how to pull codes search for posts by me and you will find a recent diagram I put up.

 

[CManT1914]

Pull the codes and see if the puter has set any. I am guessing maybe clogged cats, how many miles are on them? They will slow your car way down if they are clogged up. You can check for possibe excessive back pressure in the exhaust with a vacuum guage. This will also tell if you have any vacuum leaks. Go get one, read the instructions and test away. It will tell you alot about general engine health. You can run a compression test to see if all is well with the rings and valves... If you dont know how to pull codes search for posts by me and you will find a recent diagram I put up.

Everything is bone stock on the car (except I put a K&N Cold Air Kit on) and it just turned 83,800 today. How much does the vacuum guage cost?

 

[CManT1914]

Pull the codes and see if the puter has set any. I am guessing maybe clogged cats, how many miles are on them? They will slow your car way down if they are clogged up. You can check for possibe excessive back pressure in the exhaust with a vacuum guage. This will also tell if you have any vacuum leaks. Go get one, read the instructions and test away. It will tell you alot about general engine health. You can run a compression test to see if all is well with the rings and valves... If you dont know how to pull codes search for posts by me and you will find a recent diagram I put up.

I was driving back from the post office, and was thinking, if my cats were clogged, would it cause my exhaust to "pop" a lot whenever I am revving the engine etc.? Just a thought.

 

[jerry beach]

I was driving back from the post office, and was thinking, if my cats were clogged, would it cause my exhaust to "pop" a lot whenever I am revving the engine etc.? Just a thought.

Maybe you have some small leaks somewhere in the exhaust, but thats not the issue right now. I paid $15 or so for my vac. guage at the auto parts store nearest me. My compression tester was around $20. this is a good indicator of general engine health too. I like to know these basic things about a motor before I start spending time troubleshooting elsewhere. Codes are a good start most of the time though.

 

[URNEXT]

Jerry is right. Do some simple engine tests (VAC, compression, leakdown) first. Then you can start the elimination process. I know a guy who had severe tuning problems and threw parts at it for months only to find (after he went to the basics) that his heads had different size combustion chambers. Yup, One head was stock and the other was not! Creepy..........I hate buying used cars.