Nissan Repair: 1987 Nissan sentra e16(s) power problems in gear, air inlet hose, nissan sentra

Question
I have a 86 sentra with the e16(s) motor in it and it seems to be having a strange issue. after having a starting problem that required replacing the entire ignition system and the starter, I have it starting up just fine however, now when it is in park the car idles and revs fine, however,as soon as you put it into gear the idle drops down considrably and it is very sluggish and accelleration is minimal( does not seem to get up past 25-30mph). you can feel the transmission going into gear so I dont think it is siezed. any help would be greatly appreciated. thank you

Answer
Jeff,

You did replace the distributor since it is probably has oil on the optical trigger under the cover that is under the rotor?

Check all the vacuum lines to be positive they are where they should be.

Make sure the air inlet hose that goes from the air meter to the throttle body is not cracked or that there are no hoses that connect to it loose or that the hose clamps are tight.  Unmetered air will cause the problem you are experiencing too.  When you put the car in drive the hose stretches a bit and if there is a crack it will let in unmetered air.