Chrysler Repair: HARD STARTING, spark plug gap, vacuum leaks

Question
HI, ROLAND

I CALLED THE AUTO PARTS STORE AND I BOUGHT A NEW TEMPERATURE SENSOR FOR 13.99.  I INSTALLED IT LAST NIGHT.  IT DIDDNT MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE, IT ALMOST SEEMED TO MAKE IT WORSE. I TRIED STARTING IT THIS MORNING WHEN IT WAS COLD, BUT IT ALSO STARTED HARD.  I WAS GOING BY WHAT MY WIFE WAS TELLING ME THAT IT STARTED OKAY IN THE MORNING BUT WHEN I TRIED IT IT WAS HARD TO START WHEN IT WAS COLD IN THE MORNING.  MAYBE THIS WILL GIVE YOU AN IDEA THAT IT WAS HARD STARTING WHEN IT WAS COLD AS WELL.  WHAT ABOUT THE IGNITION COIL?  

Answer
Well it was worth a try, and I assume that the temp sensor now reads 7,000 to 13,000 ohms at 70F and 700 to 1,000 at 200F. On the spark coil, the main test is to attempt to get it to breakdown around the tower. The spark test goes like this: remove the central wite from the distributor cap, and shile grasping the insulation position the tip of the wire 1/4" from the cylilnder head. Have a helper (wife) turn the starter over for 5 seconds and observe for a good quality blue spark to jump the gap. Then do the same 5 second crank but this time slowly back off the distance of the wire tip so that the maximum stress is placed on the coil and observe while backing off whether you see any arcing to occur around the tower of the coil. If you do, then that would be a failing coil. That is basically the test per the Chrysler manual. Don't forget to put the wire back in the cap when you are done.
According to the '91 manual, for the 3.3L coil the resistance of the primary should be 0.51 to 0.63 ohms, and the resistance of the secondary should be 11.6 to about 14 or 15k ohms (depending upon which coil you have). I notice that the spark plug gap is supposed to be 0.48 to 0.53 inches which is unusually wide; did you set them at that range when you replaced them? Type of plug is RN16YC5, I assume a Champion #. If you still have no codes, and you check out the coil and plugs are gapped properly then I'm at a loss, except to do the search for vacuum leaks. I assume you have the ignition set at 12BTDC with the coolant temp sensor disconneted.
Can you associate any occurence or maintainance with the inception of this hard start situation, or did it just creep up on you? How about doing a compression test to see if that is up to spec? And maybe read the manifold vacuum at idle.
I'm taking a break from questions tomorrow to help change out a distributor on my son's VW Jetta ('91) located about 2 hours from here so I will be tied up all day. But I'll be back Thursday to learn what has developed.
Roland