1991 talon es n/t

[schweermo523]

sorry, 1993, not 1991

when I started my car and put it in reverse...it was fine..
when I put it in first...
it sounded like it was backfiring until I got up to X amount of RPMs.
i put it in 3rd (2nd is out) and it seems like its SEVERELY underpowered.
same with every other gear now.
Every gear is severely underpowered and it sounds TERRIBLE.
also, it smells terribly of gas, but its not coming from under the hood.
I popped the hood and no smell.
help!?!?
I'm afraid to even drive it!

update: timing belt is off a notch.
would this cause it?

 

[Bud92gsx]

Timing would cause bad things to happen if it's too far advanced. The exhaust smells like gas you say? Unburned fuel getting thrown out of the header and into the exhaust.

 

[kottyking]

Timing belt is off? No second gear? Sounds like it could be a number of things? I don't know about the gas smell, but check your coil pack.

 

[schweermo523]

Timing belt is off? No second gear? Sounds like it could be a number of things? I don't know about the gas smell, but check your coil pack.

you called it.
When I got back to my car...and looked at the TB, i thought it looked fine, so I checked to see if I was firing all 4 cylinders...
turns out I wasn't firing 1 or 4.
Power Transistor tested fine.
It was the coil pack.
got it replaced and it ran fine until I got in an accident saturday. =[
thanks for the help, though!