Hello sorry if this is not the right place to post this but not sure we're else to go with the car. It has 125,000 on the car when I had bought it and now it's at 135 but I'm getting vibrations and shaking in it and also a loss of power. When you push in the clutch it drops below one on the tac.and I have to let off of it when get to about 65 or it feels like something is just going to break blow just not good. I thought maybe it was tires or suspension but I put wheel bearings in 3 of them the other looked done not to long ago. I put 4 new stuts sway bar end links front and rear front lower ball joints upper control arms, inner and outer tie rods and 4 new tires still happen. so then started looking into the motor. I have flused the cooling system,changed the plugs, distributor rotor and cap yesterday and putting on wires now. I have 2 O2 sensors and a map sensor coming tomorrow. But could they really be causing all this and to make it better not throwing any codes on the scanner. How tight should the timing belt be I was told it was changed a few months before I bought it. Thanks for any advice. And yes I relise I just was being a parts cannon and not really looking for the problem but I figured the car is 20 years old it needed it anyway

 

Just to be clear, the problem is the vibration? Start by figuring out if the vibration is the engine or the chassis.
1. Does it vibrate when you hold the RPM up to something like 2500 without moving the car?
1a. Have someone rev the engine while you watch under the hood. See anything vibrating?
2. Drive at 60 mph or some speed that makes it vibrate. Press in the clutch pedal and let the engine idle. Still vibrating?

Like you say, you don't want to just throw more parts at it, but maybe some of the tune-up items were good to replace anyway.

 

Thanks for the replys I know it's hard to do diagnostics from online from the internet. And what's worse ip

 

Sorry for the late reply but yes it does it still when you just rev it up to 2800 and it also dose it when you clutch it and hold in the clutch altho it is harder to tell. It sounds like going down the road that it has a miss but not throwing any codes. The only code I've gotten was a code for knock sensor today but that has been the first time. It is also loosing power. All and if was thinking axel I replaced the driver's side and it doesn't do it wose going up hill under a load. But it is starting to have to grab 4th in places that never had to before

 

A bad axle would not cause a vibration that happens when the car isn't moving and you just rev the engine.

You were told the timing belt was changed recently before you bought it. I wasn't suspicious of that because you've had it for 10,000 miles. But maybe it's worth a check? The timing belt isn't supposed to be TIGHT like an alternator belt. You should be able to take the long span of the camshaft-timing belt and twist it maybe 90 degrees but not more. Maybe the balancer belt?

 

Well the vibrations when it's not moving are minimal. When I took the top timing belt cover off I did not try to twist the belt however I did push in on it and I would say almost a inch movement. I changed the cap and rotor along with the wires and I did not notice the difference like I was thinking. I even put the ngk sticker in the window I thought that was sapose to give it an extra 25 horsepower and 50 in torque. But it is like it lost it. And here within the past 3 days my gas gauge is going down 2 times the ammount it normally would. ussaly I forget when the last time I put gas in it. All, 4 cylinders had a compression test of 175 to 180. I was testing it myself so I couldn't see the gauge as far to see how fast it built pressure

 

Those compression numbers seem fine to me.

It's been a few years since I had an F23 engine, but it really seems like an inch of movement in the belt is too loose. I'm concerned it might have skipped a tooth (that would explain the problems). Much farther than that and it would really run like $#!+. And I'm concerned that it could skip more teeth & be in danger of the valves hitting the pistons.

Would you be adjusting the timing belt yourself or taking it to a shop? (I could write some hints for you...)

And sometimes if the sticker is crooked, it only gives you 23 hp...

 

Well it's totally the timing belt. I had the water pump changed last year and the guy that was doing it said that there was no reason to do the timing belt and stuff bc it looked good to him that it was tight and all good. But I took all the covers off and there not lining up the marks then the belts are so lose I don't even have to let the pressure of for me to slip them off. But I haven't taken them off off yet bc I am having someone come look at it before I go to far bc the harmonic balancer the splines are all pretty much smooth alog with the shaft that it goes into

 

Then I got pissed off when I seen green ooze leaking from the weep hole was hoping that it was going to turn into a turtle when I got up but no luck

 

What do you mean about the splines being smooth on the harmonic balancer? That pulley uses a key & keyway (not splines). If you mean the sprocket teeth for the timing belt, it's normal for them to be polished by the belt.

Sounds like the guy who changed the water pump didn't properly do the belt tension. Besides the water pump is now leaking again...