loss of power?

[97scoob]

i have a 97 leg. outback wagon (2.5) and recently after i put my new exhaust on, i have had a real lack of power in the low rpm range. from like 2000 rpm to around 3100 rpm, if i give it more than like a quarter throttle, it just kind of stutters and jerks and does not make any power at all. if i am going up a hill, i need to downshift so i am revving at over 3000 rpm because if not, i feel like i wont make it up the hill. i have replaced my first o2 sensor (old one crapped out), coil pack, wires, plugs, battery and alternator and air filter. i do have a pretty nasty exhaust leak coming from my header though, but i dont know if this could be related? also i have a very rough idle. if i have been driving for a while and then i stop at a stop light, it has a wicked lopey idle and it doesnt feel right. it will idle at around 720 rpm perfectly though. i watch my tach and the engine speed never fluctuates. it is wierd though because sometimes it will idle perfectly smooth for like 15 seconds, and then shitty again for like 15 seconds and then smooth again Etc... i have had the rough idle since i pulled my motor and did the hg's and clutch. when i replaced my o2 sensor, the lack of power went away (but the idle was still messed up) for a day and a half, and then randomly it just lost all power in the low rpm range... then when i replaced my alt. and battery, it did the same thing and now boom lack of power in low rpm range again which doesnt really make sense to me. someone HELP PLEASE!! i dont know where to go with this or what it is and i dont want to keep spending money on random things to see if it helps...

[decke48]

. i do have a pretty nasty exhaust leak coming from my header though, but i dont know if this could be related? also i have a very rough idle.
your o2 might be getting false reading causing this problem. thought its weird you haven't triped a fuel trim CEL

[97scoob]

yeah, thats what i thought too, i thought it would trip a cel. been driving it for about a month and the only cel that came up was a cylinder 1 misfire and i replaced coil, plugs and wires and reset ecu and it went away. been driving for about 2 weeks now and no more cel's... i am going to pinpoint that exhaust leak and fix it and see if anyhting changes. i should do it anyways because it is sooo anoying... :!:

[1996Battlewagon]

If I didn't know better, it sounds like you've got a misfire again. But no CEL....... huh.
It probably is your exhaust leak. Get that patched up and see what happens. If it doesn't fix it, you might have to go vaccum leak hunting. Good luck man.

[99SUS SFD]

I had an exhaust leak in a previous vehicle and it didn't have shit for power until it was repaired.

[Huffer]

i have a 97 leg. outback wagon (2.5) and recently after i put my new exhaust on, i have had a real lack of power in the low rpm range. from like 2000 rpm to around 3100 rpm, if i give it more than like a quarter throttle, it just kind of stutters and jerks and does not make any power at all.....i do have a pretty nasty exhaust leak coming from my header though

Fix the leak, and you will run better.

[97scoob]

alright thanks guys. i will update as soon as i fix that exhaust leak.

[97scoob]

so i checked for that exhaust leak today by sucking in some marvel mystery oil into my brake booster line to see where the smoke came out, and it only came out my exhaust tip...? so no leak i guess.... it still sounds like there is an exhaust leak though. :smt017 could it just be that my new borla replicas, the material is so thin that i can hear the exhaust flowing through them? i am confused. also today my hood was popped and car was running and i looked at my harmonic balancer and it was like off centered a little bit so i am pretty sure that is why the idle is messed up...

[Huffer]

If your crank pulley is not mounted correctly, reinstall it properly. That will mess a lot of things up.