Land Rover Repair: 96 Disco stuttering, throttle position sensor, sensor tps

Question
John, i recently bought a '96 disco and immediately noticed a problem while driving for trips over 10 mins. at approximately  50 mph it will stutter and decelerate and within a second kick back in, but continuously do it until i stop the car and let it cool off. i replaced the plugs and wires, but no resolution. could this be an electronic problem such as with the distributor board the plug wires are connected to, or do you think this could be a transmission problem. thanks for any help.
Jared

Answer
Hi Jared,

you mentioned you have to wait for the vehicle to "cool off" - is it overheating?

It does sound like a throttle position sensor (TPS) or ignition related problem.  I would replace the distributor cap and rotor if you don't know when it was last replaced.  Double check the plugs and wires to make sure they are seated properly and gapped correctly.  

I had a similar problem with my '95 and it turned out to be the TPS.  I've also seen problems where the amplifier module causes these same symptoms.  A failing coil can also do this.

If you suspect transmission, examine the tranny fluid.  

Best of luck,

JohnMc