I own a 91 Firebird V6.

The starter went, so I had a local mechanic install a new starter for me.

I picked the car up this morning on the way to work. I was rushed for time. I started it and noticed the check engine light on right away. My office is only a few blocks from the mechanic, but it did feel like the car was running rough and down on power.

On the way home tonight, the check engine light again came on right at startup. The car is WAY down on power and I had severe trouble merging onto the highway and making it up a hill near my house. Furthermore, if you hit the gas hard while it's rolling, it stumbles and the RPMs drop for a second. Also, if you floor it, the RPMs rise to about 4000 then SLOWLY climb higher, while the car barely accelerates and feels so, so weak.

The car ran like a champ before this.

What could the mechanic have done while replacing the starter to cause this?

Any other ideas?

Feedback is appreciated.

 

Is this mechanic trustworthy? Before making any assumptions, check the little things...spark plugs/wires, that's usually what it is for me.

 

I say take it back to him. Also, maybe it's the computer relearn thing. i have a 1989, but I believe the 90+ have some severe computer relearn issues.

 

The only way I can see a starter replacement screwing up the engine that bad is if some wires aren't connected, connected wrong, or maybe a ground wire was removed and isn't connected tightly.

What code is it setting off? Maybe the o2 wire was disconnected somehow, it does run near the starter I think.

I can't see the computer having to relearn that much even if the battery was disconnected for an hour or 2. I've had mine disconnected for awhile and I never notice a difference when I started it. But then mine is an 89 too, so maybe they're different.

I would check stuff myself really quick, and then take it back to the mechanic if you can't find anything wrong.

 

If your engine is in good condition it wont take but a short time for it to relearn but if you have problems or mods it will take it a while to relearn. i have found this to be true by working on my car and every time i fixed something the relearn period gets shorter to where i dont even notice it now that i have only the EGR problem. I unpug it for a bit and plug it back in and it dont take but a few seconds for the car to smooth out and go back to normal.

The ECU will completely discharge its capaciters in just a few seconds, just like if you shut your PC off for only a short period it will completely reset. I dont know where people get the idea that it somehow looses more info the longer it is off? there is no battery anwhere in there and the capaciters are tiny the ECU will completely reset if you unplug it period (faster than you can unplug and plug it), they just want you to wait a bit before pluging it back in so that it can completely discharge the stored electricity first.