1988 Ford Tempo Runs Poorly After Installing New Battery
Posted in Car Batteries | Asked on Apr 12, 2010
I recently installed a new battery on my 1988 Ford Tempo (2.3 motor) .
Almost right after the new battery was installed , the Tempo suddenly started to have a rough idle and sluggish performance when accelerating.
It acted like it had a “bad” spark plug. So I checked all 4-plugs and they were all OK. I also changed a spark plug wire , and installed a new distributor cap and rotor . But the Tempo still has a sluggish performance problem. The car was running fine before I installed the new battery. So I would like some suggestions on what could be causing this problem . Thanks.
There are 3 Answers for "1988 Ford Tempo Runs Poorly After Installing New Battery"
On many computer controlled cars there is a little ritual you should follow when you replace the battery.
Try this.
Disconnect the battery again. Leave it disconnected for about 10 minutes.
Reconnect the battery.
Turn the ignition on but do not start the engine. Leave the ignition on for about a minute. This allows all of the sensors to reset and synchronize with the computer.
Turn the ignition off.
Start the engine.
It may not run perfectly in the beginning. But in a short time the computer will re-learn the settings to make your engine run better.
Give it a try. All it will cost you is about 15 minutes of your time.
Remove your battery cables and lcean them on BOTH ends. Power washt he engine bay, to remove damaging salt from roads, and make sure your “idle air control valve” is getting power!!! This is the reason things went haywire after you installied the new battery. Perhaps the connection to this IAC valve was disturbed. KEEP YOUR ENGINE AS CLEAN AS POSSIBLE, ALWAYS!!!!
i don,t think it is the battery itself. try cleaning the battery terminals then hook it up again.