Nissan Repair: 1991 Nissan Maxima problems, nissan maxima, hurricane season

Question
My Maxima has had a history of minor problems since I got it, current mileage is 153k.  However, the most recent is the most troubling.  The weather has been rainy due to hurricane season, (in case that's a factor) and the engine has begun to skip badly; just to make it several feet I must press the accelerator to the floor repeatedly, and then the car jerks almost violently back and forth.  Then the engine stalls, then cuts off completely.  The engine has a rattling sound (to be honest it sounds like it's coming from the fan, and no mechanic I've taken it to seems to know why it does that), especially when idle, and when I change gears, sometimes from park to reverse, it jerks badly, but that is rare.  There are also a lot of popping noises as I drive, that mostly seem to be coming from the front wheel area, and there are lesser ones in the back.  Money is not a luxury for me, so of these problems, I'd love to know which one is most important aside from the engine problems.  PLEASE HELP ME!  :( Thanks in advance for your time.

Answer
Hi Kami -

Without the vehicle in front of me, it is very difficult to tell you exactty what is going on, however, I will suggest to start with an engine tune up and fuel pump check. Do you know when the last tune up was? I think all your issues are related, so do the tune up and see what happens. Ensure you replace all the ignition wires, cap and rotor, and of course, spark plugs.

Hope this helps -
aloha
calvin