lost of power going up hill

[lakkham]

Hi All,

I got a 84 4wd SR5 wagon, it is a nice car but today ( sunday sept. 11 ) i was driving on 1-5 seattle all is well until i came to a hill then started to lose a little power slowed down all the way 45 mph . did not know what to make of it. but on level free-way was going 70mph ...after the hill was back at 70 no problem..i don't think its the tranny? what gives can anyone help me out. do not want to sell it if i can fix the problem, but if you want to make an offer i want to hear it.

thanks,

Billy

[arbskynxnex]

Okay, i have to ask the obvious. How steep was the hill and did you downshift? If the answer is not very and yes, you might want to check the engine compression. If it is a steep hill, the 3.73 gears on the 84 means you'll be a little more leisurely going up steep hills. It shouldn't be the tranny unless the car revved high, which would mean it was slipping.

[Petros]

Welcome to the list!

You have the classic symptoms of a partially blocked fuel filter. Normal driving starts and runs fine, but when you need more power only a limited amount of fuel can get past the filter. the uphill run put more demand on the engine, consuming more fuel.

Go with a filter upgrade: install the same year corolla fillter for half the cost. See:
https://tercel4wd.com/forums/viewtopic.php? ... ter#p51127

Could also be low float level in the carb, but if it just started doing that it likely is the filter, or a gummed up carb. If you carefully remove the top to the carb (watch out for the small parts!), you can clean out the gunk with carb spray and put it back together. remove the top carefully using an exacto knife on the gasket and you can likely reuse the gasket, so you will not need to buy any new parts.

Less likely is weak spark that cuts out under high load, easiest test is to swap out the distributor assembly with one from a wrecking yard (I think you can buy one for about $12 from PicknPull). You will need a timing light to reset it correctly.

Good luck.

[lakkham]

thank you both...i will see what i can do...i hope it is just simple like fuel filter and hope it is not the tranny..i did not see it slip.
thanks guys.

[lakkham]

oh...the hill was not steep at all..and yes...i did shift it down it just felt like it was losing power..
thanks

[tercel4wdrules]

This doesn't sound right at all, even with a 7% grade and the 3.73 final drive with a decent engine, it should still hold about 50-55 MPH in 4th gear, but in your case you said that the hill wasn't even that steep. Although the stock engine is quite anemic pushing the car uphill. Was the engine pinging by any chance?

[lakkham]

@ tercel4wdrules

No the engine was not pinging at all..im trying to find the fuel filter any chance that anyone know where it is?.
thanks,

Billy

[Petros]

it is almost under the brake master cylinder mounted just above the frame on the side of the strut tower/fender well, left side of the engine compartment. look at the link above and see what it looks like, you can also see where it is mounted.

[lakkham]

thank you to all ....this is a great place...!!!

[xirdneh]

could be a burnt valve too
compression test will tell

[lakkham]

i just got back from the mountian and miss the tercell..have not got the problem fixed yet..next i will see if the trans fluid is low, i justed check the carb, the whole air filter looks ok but it looks like there is oil spitting out everywhere around and in the airfilter itself any thoughts? also burnt valve? can you tell me how to check it also.

thanks

Billy

[dlb]

did you change your fuel filter yet? you didn't mention.

oil on the air filter is likely from the PCV valve, which is the thick hoses that comes off the top of the engine and attaches to the bottom of the air cleaner housing. this probably isn't the source of your problem but new PCV valves are cheap so you should do that.

also, if you're not sure of the age of your air filter, change it. they're only $5 and can look clean but be filled with fine dust, causing problems like the one you currently have.

[tercel4wdrules]

i just got back from the mountian and miss the tercell..have not got the problem fixed yet..next i will see if the trans fluid is low, i justed check the carb, the whole air filter looks ok but it looks like there is oil spitting out everywhere around and in the airfilter itself any thoughts? also burnt valve? can you tell me how to check it also.

thanks

Billy

All of that oil in air cleaner assembly sounds like a blow-by problem, although I would check the PCV valve like dlb suggested. Have you checked the cylinder compression? I would do a compression test first as that would give you a better indication of the condition of the rings, and very low compression in one cylinder could indicate a problem with a valve.

[xirdneh]

hows the oil level?
way too much oil in there will cause burping of oil into air filter housing

[lakkham]

hi guys,

I have not change the fuel filter yet..being that i get a problem with what this one looks like...this one is not what im use too i still cant find it....but then agian i dont know to much if anything about cars. i do not know how to check the compression can i get some help on that also?. oil level is fine, and i will change the air filter and replace the pvc valve too.
thanks to all..
Billy