Loss of Power

As maybe the least knowledgeable poster on this newsgroup, might I ask if it could be water in the gas? Did the 86 still actually have distributor points? I had an 87, but unloaded it long since.

J.

Pretty sure they were all electronic ignitions by then. The ignitors have been known to fail as well, but that would generally cause it not to run at all. If one or two cylinders aren't working, that would more likely be the distributor cap itself, the spark leads, or the plugs.

clogged catalytic converter?

Could be. If it's the cat, you might also have overheating (the exhaust carries off waste heat). Could also be fuel problems or ignition problems. Or internal engine problems.

Or, perhaps, you have gained lots of weight over the holidays and the car is working just fine. ;-)

Jeff

My old professor had a clogged cat. on her VW, long time ago. When she complained that it wouldn't go above 60 mph, the dealer told her she shouldn't go above 60.

We had a clogged cat once. Vet made us force-feed him a buncha fish-flavored vaseline.