Car doesnt have the power it should.

91LX_5L said:

I have the following mods:

BBK 70mm tb
e303 Cam

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i have the EXACT same set up as you except for these two parts.

nmcgrawj said:

Thats why degreeing it in is crucial

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noone seemed to answer this guy or comment on it. YES this is crucial. cam timing/degreeing will kill power. somethin u should definately check because a clogged pcv or dirty maf will not kill anywhere ner as much power you are describing

94gts said:

noone seemed to answer this guy or comment on it. YES this is crucial. cam timing/degreeing will kill power. somethin u should definately check because a clogged pcv or dirty maf will not kill anywhere ner as much power you are describing

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I wasnt asking if it was crucial...i was saying it is crucial.

91LX_5L said:

how the hell do I check cam timing/degreeing? Sounds hard...

Like I said my car is pretty much even with stock mustangs...

My timing is at 16*. Could it be a fuel issue? I dont notice any sputtering or anything even on a very low tank so I guess not?

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Its actually really easy once u have access. I BELIEVE you could get away with just getting at the rockers but i would rather take the lower off to get at the lifters. You can get the kit from summit(actually i have one if ya need it ) and you set up the dial indicator of the lifter. You spin the motor over and watch the dial indicator...once its at .050" lift, stop and check the degree wheel to see where its at. The degree its at should match your cam card for say the intake. Then switch to the exhaust lifter and repeat. When its off, you gotta take the cam/crank gears out and advance or retard them depending on which way you need to.

This is why the e-cams can be great....and others can suck. They arent made on quality cores so the actual grind and what the cam card says can be different. But if u install it straight up, you could be right on...or u could be off. Thats why u need to degree it in so u know exactly where its at.

91LX_5L said:

humm, seems like too much work for me to do right now. but wouldnt you think the previous owner knew what he was doing? he was pretty smart in automotive. or do most ppl not know about degreeing the cam? mabye ill try to get a hold of him.

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Its not a matter of not knowing what you are doing...its just that some people dont "think" they need to do it. Its a given with custom cams but with other off the shelf cams, most people just throw it in dot to dot....which isnt very accurate especially with Fords letter cams.

91LX_5L said:

ok. so i gotta remove my upper and lower intake? thats about it? thats not too hard to do is it? think I could handle this?

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Well....to CHECK where you are at...thats basically all you have to do. BUT if you have to change it...then you gotta get the timing chain cover off...which means the balancer also. Im not sure if you can keep the accessories on the side, i suppose if u can get the timing cover off with them on, then you will be good to go.


But to check, it would be easy. Upper...lower...valve covers. First find true TDC on the #1 piston and set your degree wheel to 0* and tighten it down. Then use the dial indicator and spin it over until .050" lift on the intake lifter, check your degree wheel for the degrees before TDC and make sure it matches what the cam card says. With that e cam, it probably wont so you will have to adjust it so off comes the timing cover. Im not sure what timing gears you have but you will need a multiple key way set. I have a 9 position key way set on mine. Im pretty sure you just move the crank gear depending on how much advance/retard you need. Then go back and recheck where its at with the degree wheel. Then do the exhaust...hopefully the exhaust will follow in line once u have the intake right. If it doesnt....well...i dont know if it doesnt. Lets just pray it does


You have the e cam? I forget what exactly happend. Did you ever have power and now its not there? Or was it never has powerfull as you thought? If its the latter and no power was there to begin with, i would guess this could be the problem. Jay Allen taught me enough about Fords alphabet cams that without degreeing it in...you have about a 50/50 chance on a good performer or a slug.

91LX_5L said:

is it possible that my timing is too high hurting performance (16*)

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I thought that too much timing will only cause detonation which does hurt your motor. But thats not a lot...can u hear it rattling?

From the other guys that dyno and make changes, it seems that there is a point say 18* where they make best power....19,20,21 all give the same power so there is no point of running it that high so they leave it at 18*. The power does go down...it stays the same. The chance of detonation just raises up.


I dont know man, i say degreeing the cam will be worth your trouble since it is probably off and that can take power that you never had to begin with away.

91LX_5L said:

Ok im going to try some other things, sensors etc if it all fails I think ill have to do the cam.

I dont notice a pinining, will it be noticable? upper rpms or what? One time I ran midgrade and didnt notice any pinging.

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It is noticeable. If you turn your timing up really high and go up a hill in say 5th going 30-40 you will hear it. But not keep doing it...just real quick so u can hear what it sounds like.