Toyota Repair: Engine cuts off, spark plug wires, automatic transaxle

Question
My question is on a 1996 Toyota Camry 2.2L 4 cylinder with automatic transaxle. The car has 145,000 miles and all routine maintenance has been performed.  The problem is that the engine just cuts off abruptly - no coughing or sputtering - the engine just stops - all power lost. When trying to restart, the engine turns over but won't fire.  I can wait 15 - 45 minutes and it will crank right up and runs smooth until the next time this happens. It has happened cold and hot after riding for 30 minutes and after just a couple of minutes on the road.  It has happened on straight aways and on turns. At 45 mph and at a dead stop at a traffic light. I have replaced the fuel pump and filter, the spark plug wires, the distributor cap and rotor, and the ignition coil and ignitor.  None of these have eliminated the problem. I have taken the car to the dealer who says that until they are able to reproduce the condition, they cannot diagnos the problem and the car's computer does not store error conditions. Once when it cut off I didn't try to restart it but had it towed to the shop however by the time the tow truck delivered it, the car started fine.  What is my problem and how do I fix it?

Answer
This is going to seem like a really short answer to your question "replace the distributor" these engines are known to have this problem caused by either signal generator or pickup coil failures, parts are not available so the distributor assembly has to be replaced, the ones from the dealer are real expensive, try your local auto parts store for an aftermarket part.