Automotive Forums

I have a 1997 Buick LeSabre with almost 170,000 miles. This car has ran fine until recently. About a month ago, the water pump went out while my wife was driving it, and the drive belt was broken. I replaced the water pump and belt (had to remove engine mounting bracket to replace belt), and since the car has lost a lot of power, especially on takeoff and when going up hills. The engine hasn't died out, but there is a lot of sputtering and I sometimes wonder if it will make the climb up certain hills. Another thing I noticed right after I replaced the water pump and belt is that there is a 3-4 inch hole in the back of my muffler which wasn't there before. The car has gotten considerably louder also. Another thing I should mention, is that while I was replacing the water pump and drive belt, I also went ahead and installed a new fuel filter, which hadn't been replaced in some time.

With the way the car is running now, I personally think it might have a timing issue, but I could definitely be wrong. Could the hole in the muffler possibly be causing the loss of power? And is there something else I might be missing? Thanks in advance for any help with this issue. BTW, I have the 3800 V6 engine.