QuestionThe car has 150,000 miles. The first time it did this, I found out that the spark plug on piston number 1 was completely loose. The heat hardened the spark plug cable boot a bit. I replaced all spark plugs without anti-seize and used the old cable and everything was fine.
Just a couple of days later, I felt it struggling again in low RPM. First I treated the car with a combination of Dry Fuel and Fuel Injector Cleaner. After a filling up the tank several times, it was still doing it. Finally, I pulled over an Autozone and tried to pull the cable off the spark plugs to check if the spark plugs are tight. In the process, I tore one of the spark plug cable off the boot. I had to use pliers to pull the boot off the spark plug. I managed to repair and re-crimp the cable to the boot. The problem is still there.
The problem seems to occur when the engine reaches normal operating temperature and when I am using the A/C. It does not occur when the A/C is off. This is especially worse during summer when weather is hot and I need to use the A/C.
I am in the process of replacing the spark plugs, cables, distributor, and distributor rotors. Am I doing the right thing to fix the problem or am I just wasting time and money?
I also bought a timing light to check the timing. Somehow I could not even find the notch even after making sure I followed all procedures, including attaching a jumper wire between terminals E1 and TE1 of the diagnostic test connector, and moving the induction sensor back and forth on the number 1 spark plug cable.
Please help.
AnswerReplacing the spark plugs etc. is a step in the right direction and should fix the low speed engine miss, while the distributor cap is off check the coil for any cracks or burned spots, these can cause engine misfires also.
Rotate the engine by hand to find the timing mark on the crankshaft pulley, then mark it with white paint, it makes it easier to find with the engine running using the timing light.
