Hi guys, this is my first post here and I could really use some help. Last night I purchased an 89 RS with the 305 TBI and 5 spd. On the drive home the first 20 miles went flawlessly, then after leaving a stop light when I got to 3rd gear the engine began to misfire badly with a huge loss of power. At this point I was about 2 miles from home so I decided to limp her to the house. When I stopped at the next light the engine was idling smoothly but when I started moving again same thing but worse, really bad misfire and no power, accompanied with a strong smell of fuel. I pushed in the clutch and gave the engine a few revs which did momentarily clear things up however it didn't last long. By the time I finally got home the car would barely move at all and struggled to even go 5 mph coughing sputtering and bucking her way into the driveway. Still the idle was smooth at 750rpm.
It may be important to note that I bought the car at about 1000ft elevation, drove it over 4000ft and back down to 2800ft elevation at the house, maybe the computer is having trouble adjusting?
It was late when I got home and I am now at work so I haven't had a chance to do any troubleshooting. the check engine light is not on and I did notice that the EGR valve is sticking a bit, so I plan to change that this afternoon, however I don't think that will solve the problem entirely.
Thanks for reading my novel. Any ideas on where to start with this project?

 

You may have fouled some plugs, especially if the engine burns oil. If the EGR is stuck open it will cause rough running. I don't know if your car has a MAP sensor, but if you are concerned that the ECM is not reacting to altitude changes, check the MAP sensor. Also you may want to look for plug wires shorting to ground. However if the misfire is really bad check the entire ignition system and fuel pressure.

 

Ok, i havent changed any parts yet other than some badly dryrotted and cracked lines from the charcoal canister to the return line.
After looking at all the electrical connectors for the various sensors i realized that the retainer clips are broken off every single one and some of the connections were loose. i tightened all of them back down and the car started and drove fine... Until it started to warm up. The misfiring and bucking started up again although not nearly as bad as last night. I checked all the connections again and verified that they were still tight. Then after a few more minutes the car smoothed back out again. So i'm thinking maybe the MAT sensor is toast. I still dont have an SES light but i threw in a jumper wire anyway and sure enough, code 23.
So now heres my dilemma, unless I'm mistaken the MAT sensor in an 89 305 TBI is mounted in the bottom of the air cleaner pan. When I go to all the parts stores they try and sell me something that looks like a coolant temp sensor which is threaded. Anybody have any input?

*edit* nevermind, i think i figured it out. Apparently what they are trying to sell me is the MAT sensor for a TPI car, for TBI engines its called an air charge sensor, yet it serves the same function.