'89 puttering from 1000 to 2000 RPMS

My car is puttering and is acting like I am flooding it from a stop light. It only does it from 1000 to 2000 RPMS... It does it when I rev it up. Its also a 5 speed, and it seems to do it more with a load on it... Please help!

If it's missing under load, I would start with the basics; plugs and plug wires. I believe on your engine (assuming it's a 4 cylinder 3SFE) that the wires and the cap are a one-piece unit.

Mike

Yeah its a 4cyl 3SFE. I just put new plugs in about 5000 miles ago and i guess the cap, rotor, and plug wires are about 2 years old... I heard some where that the camrys around this year get a hair line crack in the distributor or in the coil pickup and that causes mositure to get in and ground it out. I guess I'm hoping someone will tell me that its not the distributor so I don't have to shell out all the money for a new one.... I will change the wires, rotor and plugs and see how it works.... Thanks.

If the cap and wires and rotor do not fix your problem, then my next guess would be the coil inside the distributor. These engines are famous for having the coil develope that hairline crack you mentioned. If the problem is most noticable in damp/wet weather, then either the cap and wires and rotor are your problem, or it's the coil. I changed one (the coil) out about 5 years ago on my niece's 91 5SFE 4 cylinder when the cap and wires and rotor didn't cure her problem. It wasn't too hard of a job but it is easier done by taking the distributor out of the car. FYI, I got a replacement aftermarket (Borg Warner) coil at Pep Boys for around $40-$45. The dealer wanted to replace the whole distributor for around $500 - $600 parts and labor. The car is still running perfectly today with just the coil replacement.

If you are not experienced in doing this then I would strongly advise you to get some sort of manual to guide you through this. You might also go to AutoZone's web site and see if they show step by step instructions for coil replacement.

Mike

Well I changed the cap/wires, plugs, and rotor.... So far it fixed the problem... I had put autolite plugs in it before, and today at the auto parts store they told me that autolites are the wrong plugs to use, he said NGK only. Thanks for all the help Mike.

You're welcome. Glad it worked out well for you.

Mike