Loss of power

In the mornings, is your car easy or hard to start ??, 1991 Laser had a few problems here in Australia with bad engine rings. Owning a KB series, the rings wore out with-in 10 years, I would test your compression to check. Could be several things.

Double check the timing marks and make sure you didn't retard the timing a tooth. As for the cat, it's possible, but not likely. The way to test them is to get the car hot and read the temperature of the pipe in and out of the cat. If there is a large difference (out is colder), it is clogged.

It is possible but loss of power, especially on hills, sounds like a fuel pump, fuel filter, or evaporative emission problem. To check for the later (the least likely) try going up the hill with the gas cap off. TG

"Nobody U. Know" wrote in news:0x6Jd.2138$ snipped-for-privacy@fe1.columbus.rr.com:

Well I checked the timing. There appeared to be two marks, and one was right on a 5 degrees. But after much looking, it might be that it was just a flake of paint. If I read the mark correctly (it isn't much of a mark) the reading is about

10 degrees ATDC, with the test point grounded, and TDC ungrounded. The mark appears off the stationary guage , toward the firewall side of the engine. So if my timing is retarded, which way do I move the sprocket. Would that be one tooth clockwise.

Would 10 degrees affect performance that much, and is ten degrees really one tooth.

Coincidently, the "flex" portion of the exhaust pipe, between the exhuast manifold and the cat, has spung a significant leak. With the pipe off I'll be able to look into the cat.

Thanks for the help so far.

10 degrees retarded timing is a lot, and in my opinion, would definitely negatively impact the operation, especially when (attempting) accelerating. I have no idea how many degrees for each timing belt tooth, but you can estimate by dividing 360 degrees if you know the number of cogs on the cam shaft sprocket.

Bob