1989 Ford Tempo lack of power

1989 FORD TEMPO
150,000 MILES • 4 CYL • FWD • MANUAL
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WOJONES2794
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altenator belt broke on the road. It eventually died. replaced belt Since then, it ran kinda rough and would jerk fromj lack of power in any gear. also drove through deep water after a rainj. Replaced dist. cap. and replaced plugs. It runs better, but still lacks power but does not jerk as bad.
Dec 29, 2009 at 5:40 PM
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RACEFAN966
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Ok so tell me have recharged the battery and check the alternator? If not take it to you local parts store if you can and have them check the battery and the alternator. If either one is bad it may cause this. The car needs a good battery with full 12 volts for everything to work properly. Just had an escort do the same thing and it was a bad battery. Let me know what you find.
Dec 30, 2009 at 10:42 AM
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WOJONES2794
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[quote:22383cbf38="wojones2794"]Engine Performance problem
1989 Ford Tempo 4 cyl Front Wheel Drive Manual 150000 miles

altenator belt broke on the road. It eventually died. replaced belt , also drove through deep water after a rainj.Since then, it ran kinda runs rough and would jerk fromj lack of power in any gear. Replaced dist. cap. and replaced plugs. It runs better, but still lacks power but does not jerk as bad.[/quote:22383cbf38]

Battery and alt. work good. Still runs like on "limp on home" mode. Need details on how to check ignition system. Is it possible to check codes on this model?
Jan 9, 2010 at 5:07 PM
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RACEFAN966
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Ok I would check the air filter make sure it isn't wet and dirty. Then remove the distributor cap and check it for moisture is it looks like it has tracking (carbon) they look like hair line cracks, then replace the cap and rotor. If the cap looks good then pull the plugs and look them over and check the gap and such. Let me know what you find.
Jan 11, 2010 at 10:06 AM