Problem: suddenly my 1988 IROC-z 305 TPI 5-speed has lost a lot of its power/torque
it almost feels like a v6 now. also the needle on the tachometer twitches ever couple of seconds now, and the sound it makes doesn't sound like a knock but more of like the engine hitting something when it shakes.(the car shakes a lot more than it usually did).

noticed the problem when i picked my car up from the mechanic's shop.
the only thing the mechanic had done was replace the master cylinder.

i was wondering if the master cylinder being changed had anything to do with this problem?

 

I would head back to the shop that did the master cylinder. You can look under the hood and see if the vacuum line is hooked up to the booster, maybe he forgot that. You can check all the plug wires to see if any are loose or off.

 

Thanks for the reply my dad helped me figure it out. When they put the cylinder in they unplugged a spark plug and didn't hook it back up.

 

Thank God for dad's.

 

Why do you hear about this sort of thing all the time? One of the reasons I do all my own work. You think they'd have noticed this when they took it for a drive to test the replaced m/c.

Oh wait - bet they didn't test it

 

ya the mechanic i used to see retired and the owner hired some new guy. and i mean man is he bad. everytime i have had something fixed with them i have had to go back 2 more times just so they can fix it.(free of course) and its always some rigged up **** and not the proper way. anyways i bought an impact wrench and the clutch is all taken care of. now its time to do my own **** again. tired of wasting my money with these clowns that dont give a ****

 

You figure something as easily noticed as an unplugged spark plug wire wouldn't go out the doors. I know there are honest and really good mechanics out there, but that's why I've turned myself into doing my own work as well.

Hopefully everything turned out alright.

 

Agreed, it seems like anytime you take something to the shop now days, something is wrong. I guess that's what happens when they hire cheap labor and that's also why I refuse to take it somewhere to get something done. I would rather do it myself. Sadly, it kind of makes you wonder if some shops do that crap on purpose so that you have to bring it back to them.

 

For all the money one gives to the shops you can buy every tool you need. Then it is just a manner of reading and finding out how things come apart and go together. I have a house and family this economy is busting my *****, every penny saved is a plus.