98 GT: No power under load

[Shorty429]

I was cruising in my dads 98GT the other day and it began to cut out when I gave it throttle in 5th gear, it almost felt as if it was out of gas but it wasn't even close. I shifted to 4th and it stopped. Ran fine for a while then started doing it again and got really bad as I tried to get it home. It got to the point that it WOULD NOT RUN UNDER LOAD. Idles perfectly fine, and revs just how it should but when put into gear, the RPMs flutter really bad and then it dies.

I parked on the side of the road and checked fluids, and all the electric stuff to make sure it was connected and everything was fine except the oil was absolutely bone dry. (It's not my car so don't flame me!) I let it cool, added oil, and then managed to get it home. Now it runs fine until about 5-10 minutes of driving then gets to be undrivable. Hooked it up to the tuner and it's not throwing any codes. Has anyone heard of anything like this?

[cwh19]

Pull the plugs and change them. I had this exact issue with my 96 every 5k miles or so. It felt fine then under load it would buck like mad.

[Shorty429]

I'll check it out man. Thanks

[94gt5.0]

Could be the fuel pump had a problem in my 94 I don't know if the fuel pump is the same

[Silverhatch]

Pull the plugs and change them. I had this exact issue with my 96 every 5k miles or so. It felt fine then under load it would buck like mad.

How often did you change plugs then?

[95V6]

I think like your dad said on Sunday, start with the basics fuel and spark and go from there. Fuel filter is a good idea too.

[mustang50lx]

See if it runs with MAF sensor disconnected. They will act like that when they go bad sometimes.

[PaxtonShelby]

... everything was fine except the oil was absolutely bone dry.

Holy cow - what made that happen?!?!

Totally ignoring the lack of oil issue, I'd check plugs, wires, and fuel pressure ( at idle, revving, and under load ).

Good luck!

[95V6]

See if it runs with MAF sensor disconnected. They will act like that when they go bad sometimes.

I had mine disconnected and it wouldnt even start.

Curious about the lack of oil, doesnt sound good.

[cwh19]

How often did you change plugs then?

About twice a year. More than I should have to, I know, I just really didnt look into it further.

[Shorty429]

Holy cow - what made that happen?!?!.

He gets the oil changed at Jiffy Lube (I think) because he's lazy lol He likes to drive cars, not work on them. And that's why I'm always wrenching like a slave on this thing...

Any way, there's no oil ANYWHERE. No leaks or anything. So the only thing i can come up with is, there was never any oil in it! But I don't know how to find out if the put oil back in after they emptied the old...

[95V6]

Id check the oil drain plug and filter to see if they are tight if they changed the oil. You would notice oil poring out though.

[Warrior1670]

Wondering if you smoked the rings and getting blow-by? I did this exact same thing in some dirt bikes where the rings got too bad they wouldn't seal with a load on them but idle and rev'ing were ok. It's strange but it would suck if this is the problem. Try a compression test and see what they hold. If the rings are even slightly bad you should notice something.

How much driving was done since the oil change?
I guess this doesn't solve the oil mystery but it might find the current problem.