loss of power

hey everyone I have been noticing a very subtle knock in my engine...it seems almost like it would be a piston clatter but I am not truly sure...every time I go to accelerate fairly hard I get an engine noise that does not sound healthy. As a result in the past ten-thousand miles I have found a signifigant decrease in power...I have a 1995 thuderbird with the standard 4.6 L engine...as a side note I have had some ppl tell me that it was b/c I have not been getting signifigant octane...please help and if possible leave tips on the ways that I could efficantly restore my engines power...thanks all...
~me

When was the last time you had a tune up done on the car? Does it burn oil? Have a compression test done and check your codes, for starters.

yassir! more information definitely needed to take a deaf listen to your car . like 97 said, plus things like does it make noise on free rev or only when under load -- be specific as possible because it could be a whole bucket full of different things. list any recent repairs, even if minor

sorry about the lack of info on my post...I have kept this car under very detailed care...routine oil changes at 2500 and it burns about 1/2 quart every 2 grand...the only time when my car makes this noise is when under a half to three quater acceleration...I have not noticed anything when the car is sitting still...only repairs I have made to my car is the fuel pump and the motor fan...nothing more...bought the car with 100,000 miles and haven't had many problems with it until now, and I have put around forty thousand on it...if you need more info please let me [email protected] or leave another message here...thanks

the folks here still need mo info. i.e. does the check engine light come on? (very important)

it could be any # of things. if its emmisions related, it should display the check engine light, unless the bulb is out. if it mis-fires it should set ck eng. light. lean condition, rich condition should do the same. does the ck eng light come on when key is on but engine off( bulb check)? pull the plugs and examine them. are any oil covered, blackened, chalky white, clean?
a mis-fire due to weak spark or lacking fuel to any cylinder could create a knock that would sound like a rod knock and you would experience loss of power, but should also set the check engine light.
go to autozone and have them scan for codes. report all that are found if any

and remember: NOT ALL FAILURES WILL SET CHECK ENGINE LIGHT pcm determines whether it believes the problem to be serious enough for immediate attention.....on electronic cars its very important if you experience any out of ordinary performance to have the pcm scanned for problems.....BTW engine has a knock sensor in the block that will alter performance to protect the engine when a knock is encountered...i dont know what jobs you can handle on car (i dont know you, so i dont mean anything bad by that)but take serpentine belt off and drive around block and see if same noise is there, sometimes hardest problem has easiest solution , could be belt tensioner knock(spring weak),ac hub knocking under full load, water pump, alternator that would be my starting point

thanks for all the useful info...I think the first thing that I most likely will do is take it into the ford shop and have them run a check on it to see what the comps. can bring up...if they don't bring anything up I will take a look at some of the stuff that you have mentioned myself...and as a side note the check engine light was not on...I had a fouled plug about ten thousand ago...replaced w/ dual spark platinum plugs...also replaced plug wires...again thanks for the help...I don't know if this is the right thread to do this, but I was wondering if there are any fairly simplistic HP increasing methods...or if you could guide me to the right places...thanks

lets get it running good before we start adding power and there are some cheap tricks to get a little more power

Autozone will check for codes for free!

A ford dealer would probably diagnose the problem for the same price it will run your codes so I would just get them to do it(they will check the computer anyway this way)

BTW unless you're getting really bad batches of gas the octane has nothing to do with it. These cars were designed for 87 octane and running them with a higher level will not do anything for the engine. The only time you'd need to run more than 87 is if you slap a super or turbo charger on it.

BTW unless you're getting really bad batches of gas the octane has nothing to do with it. These cars were designed for 87 octane and running them with a higher level will not do anything for the engine. The only time you'd need to run more than 87 is if you slap a super or turbo charger on it.
Not completely true they are designed to be capable of running 87 octane fuel but with higher octane levels you get a more powerful and complete combustion of the fuel hence less fuel consumed for same work performed ie; better fuel mileage, less wasted fuel, less buildup in engine, and ever so slightly higher hp. higher compression engines do REQUIRE higher octane fuels and benefits are more noticeable but the everyday grocery getter with 7.5:1 comp also sees benefits. just my :2cents:

I'm having the exact same problem. And it only does not happen when i'm idle. My check engine light is on, i'm gonna get the codes as soon as i can.


Does anyone know anything else? Maybe someone has had the same problems.

I just want to fix it but i don't know where to start.

well I am back all and I do want to wish all of you a great thanks...I have great news my baby bird is back in excellent running condition...story goes as this...driving home from visiting brother check engine light comes on, car looses all power...starts to sputter...fourtuatly my bride to be is with me in the car and she has an uncle who happened to live in the st Jo area so we paid him a e visit...after a check on the scan he revealed that i was running way to lean on my feul and needed a few quick things done...we started w/ the MAFS(mass air flow sensor) and gave a quick clean to that reset the comp, and took it out on to the road...still the same problem...no power and still alot of sputtering...well back to the shop and we looked at the next thing and it turned out to be the winner...simple as could be it was a fouled spark plug line...I had replaced them a few years ago and had completly spaced that I had done this...in hte process must have bought some crappy aftermarket lines and thats the story( that will teach me to go cheap...now she is back to her old self again and it feels good to have my power back...of course now I wouldn't mind having a few more horses under the hood...any tips?