1 Lucky Texan

battery cables may be corroded inside - limiting current. other grounds may need to be cleaned-up.

I use a valve gadget like this; it works OK, I use a clip and a jar and sorta have to get creative when I attach it, but it lets me do the job alone. Don't open the bleeders too far, air can get in past the threads.

no mushy brakes before you started the work right? then is is almost certainly a problem still with air in the system. Occasionally, I have read that using full strokes on the pedal on older cars will tear-up the master cylinder seals. But, you need to confirm the lines are REALLY clear of air. bleed again - pay VERY close attention not to let the reservoir get low, and only stroke the pedal about 2 inches - not to the floor.

MTs definitely develop torque bind. read of it often on the forums. MTs though are sometimes good when cold, get worse after warming up - quite typical. Still, could be tires. They must be same brand/model/size and close to each other in wear. One new tire mixed with 3 nearly bald tires 'could' be a problem. If you have 2 old and 2 new tires, try putting the pairs on opposite corners of the car. that is, one new, one old on the front, one new one old on the back. If the noise is still there, it isn't the tires. (open diffs at each axle should prevent torque bind from mixed tires this way)

weird coincidence! what brand was that waterpump?

there have been reports in older models of a rod-like sound due to bad belt tensioner letting the belt slap the inside of a timing cover. Might be worth inspect the inside of the cover for a rub mark or run the car and observe the belt. I'm just suggesting this out of hope. I suspect your mechanic has correctly diagnosed the issue - too bad, unusual in a car that hasn't been overheated.

yeah - tell us more about the tires. also, there have been people in the past that swapped (or bought cars with swapped...) transmissions and got a different final drive ratio than the rear diff. That causes torque bind too. Is the problem worse after time/heat? After a highway run, try doing tight circles at idle speed on flat, dry pavement. The car should go in circles smoothly. No bucking or jerking or 'braking' feelings. definitely confirm the tire issue as noted above.

what car did the donor trans come out of?

if you think it's a single dead cylinder, carefully pull the plug wires one-at-a-time. The wire that doesn't kill the motor/makes the least difference in idle = the bad cylinder.

move the wires around if they'll reach and see if the misfire follows the wire. Some folks have found arcing by water-misting the coil and wires of their idling engine at night. If the easy tests don't find anything, might need a compression/leakdown test or drop the exhaust manis and see if a valve guide has shifted?

brake caliper sticking? also, try swapping tires back to front.

how old are the plugs and plug wires? Is there any oil on the plug boots?

it's available in liters now.

weird - are there 2 green connectors under the dash that someone has connected? those should normally be DIS-connected as they are used for testing purposes only. They will make fans cycle and relays click all over the car. Fan control relies on several things to work correctly - Engine Temp sensor, ecu, relays and of course, power and ground connections and intact wiring.

well, the system holds a lot more fluid than the reservoir volume, yet, the reservoir surface is the only place the fluid is not 'restrained' so, it must reflect ALL changes in static volume. Plus, there is no connection to any other fluid that can infiltrate the system. What kind of fluid was installed? Something exotic? Maybe there's some internal swelling of brake hoses????? If you also reported some kind of braking problem at a wheel after suspension work - OK, maybe a hose got twisted/collapsed, pushing a little fluid up, when a caliper was re-installed. But.....

check the crank position sensor and its wires and connector.

for one possibility, higher ambient temps in a 3 month period could expand the fluid. Also, brake fluid is hygroscopic, could be the volume increased from atmospheric moisture absorbed?

well, there is a 'general' fuse but, on the back of the port itself, there is a fuse/overheat cut-out so, the fuse in the fuse block could be good and still have a dead port. Probably have to remove the port from the trim and replace it.

Vacuum leak? only at idle? maybe IACV?

Dex 6 is backwards comaprible but, for the PS fluid, I'd get valvoline maxlife Dex/Merc(w'ever it's called). Probably a NAPA or any other brand-name Dexron ATF should be fine. Your manual 'should' mention what type fluid. basically, w'ever goes in the auto trans will go in the PS. There are ways to get more fluid out faster, but 2-3 trips with the turkey baster with a hose on it (new fluid/turkey baster/new fluid,etc.) should get you a good refresh on the fluid. Sometimes messing around the PS pump will disturb the suction hose or the o-ring on it's adapter and cause bubbling/foaming of the fluid. easy fix - just don't panic if the PS sounds or feels weird, do a search you will read about the fix. (mostly older model cars - just a possibility though)

I used my floor jack on the end of my breaker bar to bust the upper and lower plugs loose on the rear diff. Do the upper one first. Kinda a standard recomm. due to the remote possibility of draining the diff and not being able to fill it if the upper plug is stuck - couldn't even drive the car to the store to by some penetrating oil! be careful, there's no hurry!

T-70 Torx I think I got mine from Amazon but i also have read AutoZones carries it. maybe Lisle branded?

yeah, even the bottle says just take 5 oz w'ever out and add the conditioner. Turkey baster works. Don't dump in the overflow tank. don't let pets/toddlers near open/spilled coolant. It is a sweet but deadly substance.

how long since the timing belt was changed? could it have slipped a tooth?

seems a little like a leaking injector. Coupla things to try. easiest is, next morning/time when you feel the car would fail, cycle the key to ON (not START) and wit 8 seconds, then back to OFF, then back to ON/wait * seconds, then repeat 2-3 more times. Each time, you should hear the faint sound of the fuel pump pressurizing the rails. THEN start. You may still need your foot on the floor. But, if it starts more quickly, it means you are losing fuel pressure when the cars sits for a period. Another test would be to pull the spark plugs in the morning and look for one wet with fuel. That could be the cyl, with a leaky injector.