Nissan Repair: Nissan Stanza loss of power, air inlet hose, nissan stanza

Question
I have a 1987 stanza,4cycl, automatic,power everything, with approx 130,000 miles. Here are the symptons. If it is or has been damp out, the car will not start. If the weather has been dry and no moisture for three to four days, car will start within three seconds of turning the key. Once car is started and running I can hit the accelorator and it will rev up to redline with no problems except for maybee a slight sputter. Now to put it in gear and take it on the road is another story. Once in gear and hit the gas the car is very sluggish. It will never pickup speed above 20 to 30 mph. and to get to the 20 to 30 is very laborsome. It seems to buck and heave and it never clears up. Three mechanics and still nobody has a clue. So far new cap, rotor, plugs, wires. I have sprayed vac lines with throttle body cleaner to check for leaks. Fuel pressure tested ok. Had one fuel injector changed about a year ago. Sprayed throttle body also with cleaner. Thanks for any info.

Answer
Ron,

First I would take the air inlet hose off that goes between the air meter and the throttle body and check for cracks in the hose.  Look where it is pleated and that is where the cracks start.  This will cause some of the problems you are experiencing.  When the engine is in drive and you goose it the hose expands and opens up the cracks.

Second, I would replace the distributor with a rebuilt one.  The distributor probably has a bad oil seal and the oil is getting on the optical pickup.