Why is my 3.2 so slow??

[rcaradimos]

The chart shows 1/4 mi. in 15 sec. speed 90/94mph

first gear pulls you to 40
second gear pulls 30 mph more to 70
third gear 25 mph more 95.

[1990C4S]

Good info. Looks like you should be able to do 0-60 in about 6 seconds, shifting out of first at 40 mph.

Now, what do you guys with 'slow' cars actually see when you do this test?

[bklyn]

I really need to figure this out, Steve Wong spent an hour on the phone with me making sure his chip was properly calibrated and he came up with several checks which I performed and all checked out right but something is dead wrong. Its been in the 50,s here in florida and thats when I used to feel the extra pull but now nothing!

[1990C4S]

If you go for an emissions test you can often get a lot of useful data quite cheaply. Mixture would be #1.

[911st]

It has all been covered but here is my two cents worth.

Make sure the brown wire is un-plugged under the seat at the DME. It changes the setting to meet smog requirements in Japan and California.

Verify that when the throttle is floored, the throttle plate if fully opened. They typically need to be adjusted to reach there stop. Also, some times the hose clamp on the elbo will block its full engagement.

Verify the TPS contacts close at full throttle by hooking a Volt Ohm Meter to it. They are known to fail and the WOT maps are not triggered if it is falty.

I might add that you could try unplugging the O2 sensor where it goes through the motor sheet metal in the motor compartment. This will also trigger the WOT map.

I am assuming you do not have something like big aftermarket cast wheels or such.

Being a G50 cab the weight difference is probably about 150+ lbs or like driving a 915/3.2 coupe with one of your buddies aboard. The spare, jack, & tool kit can be removed for a 50lb saved. The battery is 65lbs and can be down sized for a little additional savings. Rear seat backs and belts for another 20+lbs. Thus, you can get 100lbs off pretty easily without much expense or loss of comfort.

I am a big believer in verifying ones AFR's on a dyno. Even if running a SW chip. If you do this, you should get about 215hp to the rear wheels with a chip & cat bypass. It typically only costs about $100-$150 to do this and should put all to rest.

[paulgtr]

brown wire? is there a picture of this wire? I have a 3.2 and never heard about that trick before. not saying mine is slow by any means. but every little bit counts!

[rcaradimos]

Results are in:

Three pulls form rolling @ 40mph 3rd gear to 90mph 10.1, 10.2, 10.5
I didn't do the 10mph to 60mph pulls

Add 4 sec to the 0 to 40 mph on chart, plus the 10 sec. from 40 to 90 = 14 sec. 90mph on the chart looks to be 13/14 sec..

It's a bit sluggish nailing it in 3rd from 40mph for the first 3 seconds then she starts to wind-up nice.

Taking it from 1st with a shift @ 40 (4 sec.) into second could take a sec. for the shift (add 1 sec.), but the rpms would be higher catching second up to 70mph (add 4 more sec.) shift to third ( add 1 sec.) within 3/4 seconds you should be at 90.
4+1+4+1+4 = 14

I would say that the 40 to 90 test in 3rd gear you should be able to do in 10 sec. for a good running 3.2.

I'm stock, no chip yet... how many sec. from 40 to 90 in 3rd gear dose it take for you ( Steve Wong ) chipped guys???

I really would like to know that.

TIA,

[rcaradimos]

What is a "California Car"?

Brown wire link:

[paulgtr]

nice tip mate! thanks a million

[stlrj]

Originally Posted by blacklotus99

has an idle switch problem or something so it stalls occasionally but other than that it drives well.

That's a great hint if anybody noticed. What it is telling me is that it's running rich which also happens to be one of the most effective ways to kill 3.2 performance.

[Goth]

My SW chipped 84 used to stall sometimes when I pushed the clutch in to down shift or just come to a stop. I verified no intake/vacuum leaks, head temp/switches/linkage/plug wires/cap/rotor all OK.

Then I adjusted the base A/F mixture as described by Steve Wong in this post (about half way down the page): Carrera 3.2 idle fluctuation Thanks to Steve Wong & others for all the good info in this link.

This is what I did:

Warm up motor (took it for a drive).

Turned off motor.

Unplugged O2 sensor.

Connected volt meter.

Started Motor.

With the motor at idle and normal operating temperature: Used a digital volt meter to measure the voltage off the O2 sensor.

The idle mixture properly adjusted should swing evenly between 0.2 and 0.7 volts (as mentioned by Steve Wong).

Mine was pretty much a constant 0.9 volts (rich mixture).

Mixture adjustment is performed by adjusting the air bypass screw under the air flow meter with a 3 mm allen wrench (will need to remove the plug if it is still there).

I backed out the adjustment screw until the voltage bounced evenly above and below 0.5 volts.

Then I adjusted the base idle speed (as mentioned by Steve Wong as well).


No more stalling, more top end power, and another benefit: my car starts much easier when warm.


Hope this helps,

[bklyn]

Can someone post a list of things for me to check, remember 87 3.2 no cat/sw chip/bursch exhaust/93 octane only and the engine was re-built approx. 20,000 miles ago. PO bill was almost $10 grand for upper and lower using euro pistons and cylinders. I do have Waynes book and a Bentley manuel. Went for a long run today along the beach, my wife said, I feel like your driving your work vehicle which is a six cylinder ford. HELP, Thanks!!

[88-diamondblue]

bklyn,

Get the care on a dyno or lat least a Innovate Motorsports LM-1or 2 to get a baseline. It will tell a lot about how the car is running. It helped me immensely in finding out what was going on.

I did a rebuild and the car was running really well but only dynoing at 151 hp and running as rich as 9.8:1. I have an SW custom chip and DC22 cams from camgrinder. Talked with both of them and got a list of things to check. Make sure the throttle is opening all the way, + activating the full throttle switch, the signals getting to the DME, checked AFM with battery and meter to make sure it was smooth output throughout the full range of motion + signal getting to DME.
Fuel pressure check and make sure all fuel injectors are firing and plug wires are functioning properly. I also did a compression and leak down to make sure everything was alright there.
Last but not least I put the dial gauge on the cams and checked my initial timing. 12 degrees advanced! Ok, screwed up the initial cam timing. HP output now in the 260 range. And the AFR is around 12.5 -13 range now.
It can be any of the above. Start with he throttle to see if it is opening all the way and go from there.

[450knotOffice]

Originally Posted by bklyn

Can someone post a list of things for me to check, remember 87 3.2 no cat/sw chip/bursch exhaust/93 octane only and the engine was re-built approx. 20,000 miles ago. PO bill was almost $10 grand for upper and lower using euro pistons and cylinders. I do have Waynes book and a Bentley manuel. Went for a long run today along the beach, my wife said, I feel like your driving your work vehicle which is a six cylinder ford. HELP, Thanks!!

1) Check to see that all plugs are firing. With the engine running (be careful) pull one plug wire at a time and note if there is an RPM drop. You should hear one. If no drop, the cylinder is not making power.

2) Check your WOT switch. See this link: http://www.911chips.com/C1INSTR.pdf Go to page four of the .pdf file

[bklyn]

Thanks Mike, I will start there. Checking the Bentley now, other checks will have to wait until next weekend.

[1990C4S]

I would go even more basic on a car that feels like a Ford 6 cylinder. Like 88 D says, do a compression check.

[kidrock]

Originally Posted by bklyn

Can someone post a list of things for me to check, remember 87 3.2 no cat/sw chip/bursch exhaust/93 octane only and the engine was re-built approx. 20,000 miles ago. PO bill was almost $10 grand for upper and lower using euro pistons and cylinders. I do have Waynes book and a Bentley manuel. Went for a long run today along the beach, my wife said, I feel like your driving your work vehicle which is a six cylinder ford. HELP, Thanks!!

Man, if your wife notices something like that, it must be pretty bad....

[bklyn]

Guys, had a few min. to check the throttle plate. Wife pushed it to the floor but it still had about a quarter of and inch the plate could open, would this cause the problem? I plan to ajust anyway, guess that would be the cable under the vehicle. Thanks

[88-diamondblue]

It is adjusted at the linkage that is on the transmission linkage. If you look at the top of the picture (just right of center) you can see the ball socket that needs to adjust the throttle. Also may be able to adjust behind the gas pedal.

[450knotOffice]

That could certainly do it.