Engine has low power?

Tiny
GUNDA2002
  • MEMBER
  • 1994 HOLDEN RODEO
  • 4 CYL
  • 2WD
  • MANUAL
  • 50,000 MILES
When the rodeo is cold it runs very well as soon as it warms up there is a noticeable drop in performance almost like a flatspot/no minimal response while accelerating?
Friday, February 12th, 2010 AT 6:12 PM

1 Reply

Tiny
KASEKENNY
  • MECHANIC
  • 18,907 POSTS
There are a ton of reasons for low power so we need to start with the basics and these guides cover the basics that we need to investigate.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/symptoms-of-low-engine-power

https://youtu.be/U1RoG3I-Oww

I would start with focusing on the mass air flow sensor and making sure this is clean and reading correctly.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/mass-air-flow-service

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-replace-a-mass-air-flow-sensor-maf

If this checks out then the next likely cause would be an o2 sensor issue so we need to check and make sure they are reading correctly. If you have a scan tool then we need to monitor the voltage and it should be switching from around .2 volts to .9 volts which shows the engine is constantly adjusting rich to lean like it should be. If you don't have a scan tool then here is a guide that will help with this:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-test-an-oxygen-sensor-02-sensor

We should also check for any codes but I suspect you will not find any.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/checking-a-service-engine-soon-or-check-engine-light-on-or-flashing

However we can also monitor the short term fuel trims for this info as well. Below is a chart that helps with this.

If the o2 sensors are reading rich or lean then they could be the issue since the engine is running fine until it goes to closed loop which starts looking at o2 sensor data. This is when it starts to run poorly because it is getting incorrect info.

Please run through this info and let me know what questions you have.

Thanks
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Sunday, August 22nd, 2021 AT 7:50 PM

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