So I was driving the XJ home from my parents the other day when it started missing a little. it's a dead miss (only in drive under a load). It was idling fine. Funny thing is it ran like a champ on the way there tho. I immediately leaned toward bad gas cuz I just tanked up the day before.

Tonight I drive to town and it's missing worse but if I put my foot in it it'll smooth out. I shut it down and run into Taco Bell. When I come back out and fire her up she'll barely run even in park! It dies once as I'm backing out my parking spot. I pull onto the road and mash it. OMG it was jerking so bad I thought my rear end was falling off! I could hear it back firing through the intake. Barely made it home!

I was a mechanic for a few years but I'm no certified tech. I just wanted to drop a preliminary report of what it's doing. About to head out and yank fuel filter and see what surprise I find. Still hoping it's just bad gas. To be continued...

 

Anyone with opinions or experiences with the same symptoms are free to chime in! When my coil was failing that ran me crazy for 2 days. It only died once it got hot. The wire in the rotations would expand and separate once warm. So...advice in the direction I should go in for this would help. Gonna throw in a new fuel filter and intake cleaner tomorrow. If that doesn't work I'll check compression and cross my fingers.

Oh also a little history...coil, cap, rotor, plugs, wires, fuel filter, and oil filter are all about 2 years old. I'm due for the fuel and air filter...I know! Oil has been changed on time every time!

 

Ok I changed the fuel filter, poured some seafoam in the tank, and down the intake. I noticed as I'm pouring it into the intake with the engine running that I've got fuel smell then I see fuel on top the intake manifold heat shield. That's when I see the fuel pressure regulator is leaking. Ordered and will be here tomorrow! $75 later!!!

 

Installed the regulator. Still being stupid so I disconnected each injector one at a time spraying cleaner into each plug. Not it! Came inside to research and leaned toward TPS. Went back out and messed with stuff then it started running like a champ. This was all Tuesday.

Fast forward to today...it stormed like a **** last night out here. Get in it to go to town and it's doing it again. Then it hit me...

HOOD VENTS + RAIN + NO DRIP PANS = REALLY BAD DAY!!!

Looks like I'm building drip pans this weekend sometime...I'll keep everyone updated!