I had something similar with my '99, turned out a very small portion of one of the plug wire ends was exposed below the boot and arcing over to the block, so not all of the juice was making it to the plug. Not sure if 2000-2001 can have a similar issue with the coil rail setup, but check for any exposure along the connections.

 

Good to know. I actually pulled the code and it was a cylinder 4 misfire... which is odd, because I've had misfires on other cars and it was MUCH more pronounced. I decided to pull the trigger on new plugs and wiring, because I couldn't track down the last time they were replaced. When I swap them out, I'll check for any odd/poor connections. I'll be doing the swap tomorrow afternoon, weather pending. Any advice on putting in new spark plugs?

 

Champion copper or NGK copper plugs, proper gap, take care doing the plug R&R so you don't break the plug or strip the threads, start the new plugs by hand (or use a piece of hose) so you don't cross-thread them.. standard stuff. I don't recall any trouble or difficulty.

 

Blow out all the debris around the plug before you take them out to avoid sand etc. from falling into the cylinder. They may have been in there a LONG time so take preventative steps like a 6-point socket. At least loosen them while the engine is hot. Consider some PB beforehand.

 

And put some anti-seize on the new ones if they don't come with something already.

 

I swapped out my spark plugs on a chilly Sunday afternoon, and lo and behold the ones I pulled from the engine were incredibly burnt out. I swapped in the new ones and started him up, and hey presto, my hiccup is a fraction of what it once was, to basically being unnoticeable. It still seems a little sluggish and I'm worried about pushing the engine too hard (I tightened all the plugs pretty good but am still cautious).

Thanks for everyone's help, I think this solved the problem. my one issue is the distributor coil didn't seem to seat all the way back on, even though it clearly is. If you look underneath the distributor you can see that actual ceramic of the spark plugs between the rubber and the engine block... something I should be worried about? The car runs fine though, much smoother. I just wish it didn't feel quite so sluggish sometimes, and I can sense like a 5-15% hiccup occasionally of what I had.

Edit: I do actually have a small problem where now my temperature gauge only works about 1/3 of the time. Did I jostle something when I swapped the plugs?