Engine Skipping Under Power

jpetillo

Registered User
My 1989 SC with AOD and 80,000 miles seems to skip up around 70-90 when decked, and it seems to be getting a bit worse.

I expect it to be wires and plugs, and maybe ignition (distributor) components. I'll find out from the previous owner when the plugs & wires were last changed.

If anyone thinks it might be something else causing the skipping in these quircky SC's, I'm interested in hearing what you think.


I have two questions...

1) What's the current concensus on which plugs & wires to get? The car's bone stock.

2) Have people had problems with any of the distributor components and/or are there any distributor parts that I should swap out as regular maintenance?

Thanks
 
yes

Plugs and wires....go with stock stuff Autolite plugs ang wires...Stay away from aftermarket stuff..including Bosch!!!...my .02

Rick in FL :cool:
 
If plugs and wires dont fix it. Fuel filter and or pump. I had a problem with mine that tuned out to be the fuel pump. Only skipped a wot.
 
Sweet90SC said:
Plugs and wires....go with stock stuff Autolite plugs ang wires...Stay away from aftermarket stuff..including Bosch!!!...my .02

Rick in FL :cool:

Okay, that sounds good. I think the wires are original, but the plugs have been changed by the previous owner. Who knows what they put in. It was done at a garage, not at Ford.
 
scbird1 said:
If plugs and wires dont fix it. Fuel filter and or pump. I had a problem with mine that tuned out to be the fuel pump. Only skipped a wot.

Well, now that you mention it, let me tell you what I feel it do. There's one highway entrance ramp that I pull onto every day. It's really tight, and a steep uphill, and it throws you right into highway traffic up at speed. So, this is a place where decking it is the safe thing to do. As it goes through the gears (AOD), when up at about 80 or so and around 3K, it skips. But, it was clean through the first two gears.

The other day, a few minutes after the onramp decking, I gave it 2/3 or more throttle while I was up at about 80 and it skipped again rtight away.

I think it's still worth swapping out the plugs & wires first, but I can see where the fuel pump could cause the same problem, especially the onramp issue.

Thanks, guys, for the reponses.
 
Last edited:
I'd think you would have got an indication if it was fuel pump. They tend to fail in hot weather. Fuel pressure is easily enough checked...
Have you recently had any work done on car? Whens the last time you replaced the fuel filter? You runnin' premium?

SC's are a pain.. :D
You gotta love'em...
 
scbird1 said:
A fuel pump can throw you for a loop as mine tested fine but could not keep up under wot.

I can understand that. I found out that the plugs are stock plugs with 20K on them, the wires are original, and the fuel pump has been swapped out wome time ago.

I'm leaning towards the following order:
-Changing the fuel filter first
-The wires
-The fuel pump
-Plugs
 
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