OK, first thing's first. The engine has 264k on it and had a slight knock when I got it, my dad concluded it was just lifter knock and not a big issue. Did an oil change+Lucas.

Now, what's wrong:

It was running perfectly up until today. It just started sputtering and the whole engine shook at idle, gave it a bit of gas then it ran perfectly smooth, let off to idle and it started shaking again. Anyways, it suddenly cleared up and all was well again, went to work. Later in the day on my way back from work it dropped RPMs and lost power at around 40mph. Did that twice. I'm gonna be observing it for the next few days to see if any other problems come up. Just wondering if something might be catastrophically wrong and I should be looking for a new engine "just in case."


Thanks for your help!

 

a mechanical issue does not just "fix" itself and return to normal. most likely its a sensor or a loose wire.

 

That's what I was thinking. Perhaps a fuel/injector issue?

 

Your fuel pump could be taking a dump on you.