my symptoms ?? > sorta long...

anlo

Registered User
1990 auto. purchased car 500$ gave it a little tlc and ironed out abs issue drove it to work a couple times about 60 miles . got in leaving work today and suddenly no power on acceleration almost couldnt get up a hill would not idle cranks fine but will not idle on its own.. limped towards the house 15 miles away .. managed to maintain a regular speed couldnt floor it .. until about 6 miles from home it wouldnt maintain a constant speed cutting out /loss of power at regular intervals the intervals were about 4 seconds apart and progressively got worst to an up and down cycle rolled into the drive way and died of course.. cranks right up and when i keep rpms up enough to stay running there is a constant surge effect up and down --up and down and will die when you let off gas.. also smells like it is burning gas fuel smell from exhaust after about two hours reading the boards im leaning towards crank sensor or hb as there is a significant wobble on the pully.car did sit for about four months could it be the fuel filter/pump clogged injector . and then theres the f. p. r. i cleaned iac motor no change. cats removed. i have another 90 was going to trouble shoot by switching out components where should i start dis? cam sensor i have a new crank sensor these symptoms come from about 6-7 things.. i guess my big ????????? is how much could a failing harmonic balancer/crank sensor have to do with these symtoms because thats where my gut is.. just feels like someone is turning fuel delivery off and on... im pretty confused. any ideas????????????/
 
Like I told you before....harmonic damper. The Crank Pulley should have NO wobble. Now the HB has slipped and messed up the timing signal to the DIS and that is the reason for your lack of power. If the crank sensor itself was bad the car would not run AT ALL.
 
cool thanks duffy i really feel that as well from my extensive post reading im going out to remove stupid plastic cover and pully for an inspection what am i looking for as far as a visual confirmation that this could be my issue??? i dont think i have the tools for breaking the large shaft bolt.. but if visual inspection shows h b is shot i will aquire bigger wrenches... thanks again todd
 
If the hub is broken on the HB you may see it depending on where it broke (If you clear all the other stuff out of the way). If the outer ring of the HB slipped you probably won't see anything. Just replace it...it is bad. Do a search for suggestions on how to replace it. If the hub broke you may have fun getting the broken part left on the crank snout off without damaging the crank snout. Plan on replacing the timing cover to crank seal.
 
duffy is/was right

got in there was able to turn crank bolt a little popped belts back on fire it up wobble was greatly reduced and symptoms up and down rpms still there so im with duffy balancer is bad cracked in the ring just cant see it ..crank sensor was completely dirty contact coveres with dirt/oil ......called ford balancer/pully assembly was discontinued april 2010 still a few in about 4 states. list was 489.99 but the man said dont pay over dealer cost due to the part being discontinued about 289.00...
so another valuable lesson learned on the sc thanks to you guys....
 
Your car your choice but I would install a BHJ Harmonic Damper since it is made from all steel and would not break in case you have to remove and install it again. The OEM unit is essentially a single use item unless you are willing to take the chance on it (like some have).

Do a board search for details and the need to properly hone the BHJ Hub for sizing to your particular crank snout.

Spinning Wheels and SuperCoupe Performance did sell them...I assume they still do.
 
Crankshaft pulley

I went through a crankshaft sensor replacement recently. It had been replaced by Ford in 1995 and the pulley had wobbled since then. When I replaced it recently I found that the holes only line up one way with the threads on the harmonic balancer. The Ford dealer had put it on without the correct pattern match, hence the wobble. If you remove all 4 bolts and try all 4 possible positions, one will be correct and the bolts will line up perfectly. Don't tighten the pulley bolts too tight. They are M8x1.25 which is close to 5/16" and thread into fragile aluminum. The aluminum will cross thread and strip very easily. You need to be able to get a few turns by hand before putting a wrench on it. Good practice for all bolts threading into aluminum. Once assembled right, the pulley will run perfectly true.
 
ALso these idle bypass valves do not like to be cleaned a sthey are plastic and will fall apart/crack when exposed to any type of cleaner
 
HaroldJ,

Good and correct advice but not likely the cause of this particular problem. A wobbling pulley won't cause a crappy running engine BUT may have contributed to the Harmonic Balancer breaking in the the first place.
 
my symptoms ?? > sorta long...

Duffy,
I agree with you. He was talking about tightening bolts on the harmonic balancer. The pulley bolts will strip quite easily, especially in aluminum. I have been in maintenance and engineering a long time and coined a phrase, "maintenance man's nightmare" which is trying to repair something and making it worse. We've all done it but some of the young mechanics may learn from our experience.
Thanks, Harold
 
Just as an update. I heard by PM that the HB was indeed broken at the hub leaving a portion on the crank snout. I imagine he is working on it now.
 
update pics

anlo_33
pics of the situation still trying to get the patience and guts to remove the other part from the shaft
 
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stuck here

not sure how to proceed from here ring is pretty snug any ideas before having to remove water pump/ timing cover/etc /etc
<a href="http://s989.photobucket.com/albums/af17/anlo_33/?action=view&current=ffffff001.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af17/anlo_33/ffffff001.jpg" border="0" alt="stuck"></a>
 
If you are good with a drill, you can drill 2 holes 180 degrees to each other....

Then you can try threading a small bolt into the holes and use them to pull the HB piece out or break it into 2 pieces....

However, at this point, I would just go ahead and pull the water pump and timing cover....

I know it's a pain, but how do you like your pain.....

Long and slow (drilling the piece out), or laborious and methodical (removing the water pump and timing cover to gain access to the broken piece).....

If you do remove the timing cover, be aware of the hidden socket head cap screw in the corner where the oil pan and timing cover come together near the oil filter.....

It will probably be covered with a fair amount of grease.....:rolleyes:
 
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