Power problems?
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From: Rochester NY
Power problems? (why can't I spin my tires?)
I think I have some power problems in the 1989 A4 Coupe that I am lucky enough to drive (father-in-law's).
It is idling at 600 RPM. Whenever I drive it I fill it up with 94 Octane, I don't know what he puts in there (claims premium). When I am sitting at idle and floor it I go forward, and there is no wheel spin. No smoky burnout just moving along...this doesn't seem normal. I would think that I would be lighting up the tires doing that. Is this a function of a crumby transmission, not a lot of power from the engine or what?
I guess I am just a little confused.
[Modified by RangerMan, 11:00 AM 10/13/2003]
It is idling at 600 RPM. Whenever I drive it I fill it up with 94 Octane, I don't know what he puts in there (claims premium). When I am sitting at idle and floor it I go forward, and there is no wheel spin. No smoky burnout just moving along...this doesn't seem normal. I would think that I would be lighting up the tires doing that. Is this a function of a crumby transmission, not a lot of power from the engine or what?
I guess I am just a little confused.
[Modified by RangerMan, 11:00 AM 10/13/2003]
Melting Slicks
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From: What did the 5 fingers say to the face? SLAP!!
Re: Power problems? (RangerMan)
You should be able to shred the tires at will from a stop. Without knowing anything else, it's kind of hard to start troubleshooting.
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From: Rochester NY
Re: Power problems? (flyersfan1088)
I figured that they should be smokey...
If I can smoke up a 135 hp Ranger with little effort a L98 vette shouldn't be a problem.
Some more information about the car. Oil pressure is around 30 psi at idle, and reads 50 psi when on the throttle. Temp was okay. Engine idles rough, kind of like the way a power boat idles. The car stalls out if it isn't warmed up and feels like it wants to stall a lot of the time (idle is ~600 RPM is this normal). The car has 47,000 miles and is only driven about 1000 miles a year now (half by me when I am in town).
If I can smoke up a 135 hp Ranger with little effort a L98 vette shouldn't be a problem.
Some more information about the car. Oil pressure is around 30 psi at idle, and reads 50 psi when on the throttle. Temp was okay. Engine idles rough, kind of like the way a power boat idles. The car stalls out if it isn't warmed up and feels like it wants to stall a lot of the time (idle is ~600 RPM is this normal). The car has 47,000 miles and is only driven about 1000 miles a year now (half by me when I am in town).
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From: Cincinnati, Oh USA
Re: Power problems? (RangerMan)
600 rpm is a little low, but not the cause of no tire spin. I would first check the initial timing. Retarded timing will cause the engine to have low performance. Also, shaking at idle indicates either fouled plugs or plug wires that are open circuit. An ohmeter check of each plug wire will find a bad one. You should measure about 5000 ohms per foot.
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Re: Power problems? (RangerMan)
Ya know, all corvettes are not created the same. There are different tools for different jobs. You don't use a sledge hammer for framing work. Your daddy in law's vette probably has a 2.59 rear end. It's hard to spin a tire from a dead stop if you have good tires with a 2.59. Now if you have a 3.07 or a 3.55 or even a 4.10, you can smoke tires with a stock engine. You have to remember that a lot of vettes are highway crusers. A vette with a 2.59 rolls up on 2500 at 90 MPH. That's only starting to get into the power band.
BTW, Does your Daddy In law know what you are trying to do with his car? :lol:
BTW, Does your Daddy In law know what you are trying to do with his car? :lol:
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From: Rochester NY
Re: Power problems? (87NassauBlue)
I hadn't even thought about the rear-end gearing being an issue. I don't have his RPO codes memorized or anything but his car is about as plain jane in the Corvette world as you can get so 87NassauBlue, if you figure he has a 2.59 rear end that is probably what he has. The tires on the car are not all that good so I would expect slightly smokier results. I would still think that the massive torque would rip em off the line. From a roll the car still pulls okay.
The car definitely needs a major tune up. The very rough idle worries me the most. I know it isn't my car but I have a tendency to fix family members cars when things start to misbehave.
And NO, the father-in-law doesn't know about my test and tune practices, but what he doesn't know won't hurt him. The car gets so sad sitting in the garage not being driven, it is the least I can do for her :)
The car definitely needs a major tune up. The very rough idle worries me the most. I know it isn't my car but I have a tendency to fix family members cars when things start to misbehave.
And NO, the father-in-law doesn't know about my test and tune practices, but what he doesn't know won't hurt him. The car gets so sad sitting in the garage not being driven, it is the least I can do for her :)
