Pontiac Repair: quad 4, intake manifold gasket, vacuum leak

Question
i have a sandrail that has a quad 4 engine in it. the casting number on the block 22534033. i have no idea what vehicle the engine is out of. since i bought it it has never ran correct it seems to be very under powered. i tried to hook it up to a tech 1 scanner but did not have the proper vehicle info so i was not able to check the computer for codes. it seems to me like the timing is too far advanced since it has lack of power,heats up after running for a short period of time, and seems to have some engine run on after the key is turned off.  any ideas to check for codes or where to start with my problems would be greatly appreciated. also the fuel pressure is at a constant 40 lbs even under acceleration. thanks for any help you may be able to provide.                                      jasonv

Answer
how old is this vehicle that you have the quad 4 engine in? does the top of the engine cover say Quad 4? or does it say something else on the top of the cover. Do you know if the engine has a cam sensor on the intake camshaft housing? that would indicate that this is 1995 and newer. if it does not then it's 1995 and older. The stamping # on the block will not help me at all I'm not a parts guy I just fix'em. with the tech 1 build in say a 1994 "N" body with a quad engine and see what happens or older say 1990. That engine was primarily used in grand ams achiveas and skylarks. There were a few grand prix's with them but a VERY small #.  try that first and see if any codes are stored. if not start looking for a vacuum leak maybe going to the MAP sensor or an intake manifold gasket leaking. As far as the timing it's electronically controlled so that is a non factor unless the cam timing is off on the timing chain, that is possable especially if this is a real old quad 4 from say 1988 to 1990 the tensioner for the chain would break and the engine would jump time but when that happens there is a lot of noise from the chain housing on the front of the engine to go along with the timing being out.. Good luck :)