tracker has no power and revs slowly

[thatotherdude]

just got a 98 tracker from my father in law it is in great shape has 156,000 miles on it he let his bro use it for a couple months and as the brother said it just started loseing power and idleing poorly over the last couple weeks now it will barely move when in gear it bogs and will not rev past 2000 rpm( by the way its a A.t.) but in park or neutral it will tack up only with light pressure on the gas if you floor it it boggs. I did remove and clean the egr valve and it now idles fine but still slow revs as if its not getting air also I cleaned the T.B. and mass air sensor. also the cel is on but has been for the last 4 years and the only code I get is p400 for the egr vavle. any insight would be great I have owned 2 other trackers and loved them but I am not familiar with working on the 1.6 but I would love to nurse this one back and get it on the road.

[stone101]

You May want to check for a plugged catylatic converter.If run on leaded fuel this can and will happen.Just disconnect the exhaust before the converter and run.You may also want to first see if the injector is giving too much fuel.The TPS or throttle position senser may also play in.Also try disconecting your O2 senser.I asume you have already checked your cap,rotor,coil, and wires.Bad wires become faulty under load and a cracked cap can fool alot of people.Good luck

[jdubofwv]

I've got the identical problem with our 96 tracker. Coded out EGR issues. Cat was fine, EGR was cleaned, all lines reamed. Timing is OK. I hate to start spending big money on little parts that may be OK. I may be headed to the dealer for an hour on their computer.

[thatotherdude]

cat is new, rotor cap wires and plugs are all new, new egr valve, tps is new. have not checked o2 yet or injectors they are next on my list. also the temp gauge has quit working and I have heard it plays a part in the air fuel mix on these motors this also makes me think the ecu may be shot. or the crank bearings but it is quiet and revs smooth when you give it less than 1/4 throttle but boggs out if you give it more gas than 1/4 throttle. any way my buddy is gonna come check it out this upcomming weekend and throw his lap top on it I'll keep yall posted on it. hopefully he can figure it out than I can let jdubo in on the secret to this prob. and thanks for the sug. stone I also suspect the injectors at this point.

[jdubofwv]

Other dude,

I broke down and went to see a pro. Have you ever taken your dog to the vet and the vet said he had to put her down? That's what this mechanic told me. We found the engine was losing vacuum when you put your foot in it. He thinks that's due to "blow by" meaning the vacuum is escaping past the rings. If you feather it, you maintain the vacuum until you need more power, then you get "blow by".

I'm not 100% convinced it's terminal, so I'm going to pull the intake and head and see what I can find.

[jdubofwv]

It turned out that the crankshaft gear had too much play. This is a chronic 1.6L problem. The motor I got from the junkyard had some also, but not nearly as bad. I was able to build up the keyway with JB Weld and put on a new gear.