I have a 1989 2.0 automatic. I race this car at the local Speedway (Oval, Asphalt). About Six laps into each run just as I'm reaching the end of the straight and the car is reaching it's peak RPM point the RPMs drop off dramatically. There isn't any vibration accompanied with it but the car seems to be gasping for fuel. The power doesn't come back until the car sits for little while. I'm getting the RPMs up to about 5,500 - 5,600. We're trying figure out what the problem is. It was suggested to me that there may be a Rev Limiter but after looking through the FAQs on this site I couldn't find anything dealing with this.
We're looking at the possibility of a Bad fuel filter and maybe a bad Oxygen Sensor.
Any Ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Rev limiter!! It will only rev about as high as what you desribed, then it cuts fuel or whatever and the rpms drop. It sucks, but still better than blown engines
yep...rev limiter. that, and you're dragging a 2.2 AUTO...they're not meant to have great performance.
R.I.P. Brian St.Germain
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** correction, not dragging...but you get the idea.
R.I.P. Brian St.Germain
Buy my iBook!
Thanks for the info guys. You already know what my next question is.....How do I get rid of it. : ) Remember this is the 1989 2.0, not the 2.2.
I know I will be running the risk of blowing the engine but thats a risk I'm willing to take. I have a junkyard sponsoring me so if I have the resources to get a knew engine.
only way is to get a custom chip burned for your ecm.
or
another way would be to go back to something that uses mechanial/vacume advance and points, so the ecm wouldnt controll the timing at all. mabey a distributor from an 82 1.8l would work. im not to farmiliar with those, so i couldnt tell you if it would work.
Is there a way to disable the sensor that runs the rev limiter?
i don't get that about that 89 having a rev limiter i had a 1990 cavi RS with a auto and a 2.2 and i did not have any governs no top speed one or rev limiter i rev ed my cavi up to 9 grand AND DROP IT IN TO GEAR and no limiters or anything would happen. and the car ran great. (I COULDN'T BLOW THE TRANNY UP OR ENGINE DOING NEUTRAL DROPS AT 9 GRAND EARTHIER)
Team Zero
M.S.C.C.
I agree, I don't think there is a rev limiter on a 89 2.0l.
On my 94 2.2l, the rev limiter engaged like you dropped an anchor on a chain link fence.
On my 89 2.0l, I think you actually start to float the valves at a little over 6k rpm. You could feel the power drop off and there a little noise coming from the top end - enough to make me back off - but no rev limiting.
Be careful.
AFAIK, the code for the 89 engine does not include rev limiter.
There are a few things you can do. Make sure you don't have an intake tube or air filter which is collapsing. This stuff happens. Rule out trans issues. Disconnect the TCC if you haven't already. You're running without cat and muffler, right? If not, lose 'em. If you're using a dump pipe, make sure it's larger than OE by at least 1/4" diameter.
Make sure you have good wiring from the front of the car to the pump. Replace the wiring if necessary. Also make sure the pump is grounded well.
Sometimes the TBI pumps don't do so well under high loads. It doesn't hurt to switch to a pfi style pump. If it fits, a pump from a 95 Caprice with an LT1 is a great all around pump and will supply enough fuel for 400hp.
Look into using a different ecm which allows some tuning. The timing on that engine is extremely mild and midrange torque can benefit from a bit of advance.
Good luck,
-->Slow
the rev limit you feel is because of lack of power and top end flow... port the hell out of the head and the exhaust manifolds and you'll notice a big difference... also you might wanna upgrade those tired old valve springs to something that can handle the higher RPM's..
what the tech guys don't know won't hurt them
Chris Pauwels wrote:I have a 1989 2.0 automatic. I race this car at the local Speedway (Oval, Asphalt). About Six laps into each run just as I'm reaching the end of the straight and the car is reaching it's peak RPM point the RPMs drop off dramatically. There isn't any vibration accompanied with it but the car seems to be gasping for fuel. The power doesn't come back until the car sits for little while. I'm getting the RPMs up to about 5,500 - 5,600. We're trying figure out what the problem is. It was suggested to me that there may be a Rev Limiter but after looking through the FAQs on this site I couldn't find anything dealing with this.
We're looking at the possibility of a Bad fuel filter and maybe a bad Oxygen Sensor.
Any Ideas would be greatly appreciated.
it is not any sort of a rev limiter problem.
If it was an electronic issue, like a limiter, the problem would instantly go away when the RPM dropped. Same goes for airflow issues.
Since you said "The power doesn't come back until the car sits for little while." none of that applies.
Fuel supply issues would likely be the problem.
A stuck oil pressure relief could be a problem, too.
High oil pressure could be pumping up the lifters and holding the valves slightly open. Rare, but still possible. Would be hard to restart immediately though.
There are probably half a dozen more issues that could cause it.
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Check the coil packs like iv'e said before they can f up real easy i went through 6 with my 89 and 8 with my friends. glassback gave me an edge against the strait pipe
