more than likely the dist. is failing

Howdy wrote:

> Hey All!
>
> Kind of a long story here so I'll try to shorten it up as much as
> possible... sorry if I miss a crucial detail... just ask if you need
> more info...
>
> 1999 Chrysler Sebring Jx Convertible - 2.5L V6 with 102,000 miles. I
> bought the car used at 65,000 miles for my teenaged daughter.
>
> When purchased the car got around 17 mpg. I had a tune-up and the fuel
> injectors cleaned and mileage went up to 24 mpg.
>
> Mileage stayed stable for awhile then started dropping around 95,000
> miles. I had another tune-up with plug wires replaced (this past
> January). Car ran fine but at only about 21 mpg.
>
> In April the engine started missing horribly and I took it to a new
> shop (I had moved from Fort Lauderdale to Atlanta, car was trailered
> up). New mechanics said the wrong plugs were put in and the plug wires
> were oil soaked and needed replaced. I did new plugs, wires plus a new
> distributor cap and rotor button (another $450).
>
> Car ran great for about a week and then started missing again, I took
> it back to the shop and they found a defective plug, replaced it and
> the car was running good again.
>
> Now, three weeks later the car is missing horribly, backfiring
> especially at low rpm's. I took it back to the shop and they said the
> plugs, wires etc. are fine but that the oil is not draining from the
> heads back to the oil pan and the hydraulic lifters are not
> functioning properly so the valves are not opening and closing when
> they should and this is causing the engine to backfire and miss and
> that I need to have the heads reworked. (I'm no genus but this sounds
> like utter BS to me.)
>
> I believe the car has always had a barely perceptible miss... at idle
> you can watch the rpm guage jump (and not just when the fan comes on).
> Mechanics who've hooked the car up to a scope tell me I'm nuts.
>
> There is no check engine warning light. The one time it came on it
> was reset when the mechanics in Atlanta replaced the plugs and wires.
> It has not come on since. (I have run the diagnostic on the
> instrument panel and the check engine light (all lights for that
> matter) works great.
>
> This problem does not occur when the engine is cold. After the engine
> warms up however its very noticible on acceleration and when the RPMs
> is under 2000. At 50 mph, and 1800 rpms up a slight hill with no a/c
> you'd think you had a transmission problem the way the car jerks and
> lunges. Dropping the gear down or accelerating and the missing and
> backfiring goes away... once the ride stabilizes out to crusing speed
> (70 mph) you can feel the missing again but you can't detect (hear)
> any backfiring.
>
> So, now I have a car who's engine misses so much its hardly driveable,
> new plugs, wires, cap and rotor.
>
> Suggestions?
>
> Phil