what could cause loss of power while driving then regain of power while also losing 80%brakes at same time

1994 FORD EXPLORER
180,000 MILES
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JJARKO1
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Wife was driving the ford explorer, was fine all day long around town going to various places, it will still start up just fine and motor seems strong as it always has been. what happened is while driving she said she heard a loud bang and said she thought she may have been hit by a car or something but then noticed she a had loss of acceleration ability, she then heard the same "bang" as she described to me and was able to start going again. she said she had to pump the brakes in order to stop. back brakes were adjusted a yr ago which are drums and front brakes were replaced. transmission has never so much as slipped so I am confused as to how both things that normally have nothing in common can break at the exact same time. any clues?
Sep 11, 2011 at 1:22 PM
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PROMECHANIC
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It sounds like the engine backfired, then died and that is why the brakes didn't work well, then it backfired again and re-started.
This is my guess with the information that I have.
I would be doing a thourough check of the engine and checking the timing as well. You should also check to see if there are any engine codes set.
Sep 11, 2011 at 1:31 PM
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JJARKO1
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even with no lights on indicating any sort of failure, it was running when the brakes were not working well, we also noticed an odd smell under the hood but upon looking, master cylinder full and all. I do have a timing gun I can check the timing with. she stated the a/c was on and running strong the whole time as well which might tell me the motor stayed running
Sep 11, 2011 at 1:35 PM
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PROMECHANIC
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I would check the timing first. Then do a thorough check of the braking system. The only thing that makes sense is if the brake booster did not function properly at the time.
Sep 11, 2011 at 1:41 PM
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