Nissan Repair: Engine problem, fuel cat, air leaks

Question
1994 Nissan Pickup 174k miles just passed emissions. You have to downshfit to go up a hill. There seems to be a loss of power(i.e. fuel,cat converter,timing).Any ideas? Thanks!

Answer
174k miles on a single cam 2.4 liter, this is just broken in!  i think its time for a tuneup.  take a day off and go to your parts store and purchase some plugs, wires, dist cap and rotor, air filter, fuel filter, some oil and some Lucas treatment and a decent oil filter.  these aren't hard to change and it give you something to do.  just make sure the oil pan bolt is on tight, and the fuel lines connecting to the filter are tight.  also check for loose vacuum lines, or air leaks in the system while you are taking care of the tune up, and also check for corrosion on the battery and terminals.  an easy way to remove corrosion is to make a simple solution of baking soda (or powder, i forget offhand) and some water and with the battery removed from the car, place the terminals one at a time into the solution and it will remove all the corrosion (terminals in the car, not the battery itself).  i hoped these tips help.  best of luck, any more help feel free to e-mail me at xxp_sebby@yahoo.com.