I had a few times similar experience like that. It took me more than two
years to finally nailed it. It was an ignition problem.

Try this: Before you drive it in the morning the engine will be cold and easy
to deal with. Remove the distributor cap and all ignition wires from it. Then
give it a thorough cleaning using a clean cloth towel. Remove the rotor and give
it some cleaning as well.

The next you can do is to clean the ignition coil's #1 ans #15 terminals. Just
unplug all wires from those terminals and clean the base on the coil.

I think there is a good chance the coil or the distributor cap is arcing intermittently.
After cleaning it the arcing will be gone. Good luck.

David

--- mad madeline <mac10wv@YAHOO.COM> wrote:

> We launched a trip from Phoenix to No. Calif.
>   At 450 miles into the trip our 87 engine, that has been running really good for the last 3K
> miles, began to stumble.  We've been using Chevron all along the way, the problem started 100
> miles after a fill up with Chevron.  Talked to our mechanic... but not being at the shop we
> haven't come up with an answer.
>
>   The symptoms are that it feels like it is cutting out intermittently.  We don't know if its
> ignition or fuel.  At first the cutting out was radical and we hardly made to our destination.
> Then at our mechanic's advice, we checked  the blue plug connecton that goes to the thermostat
> housing and wiggled the spark plug wires to see if they were loose... this may have helped it
> some... not sure, but afterward it seemed to not be as radical. We can actually drive it at high
> speed now and it cuts out only once in awhile.  Doesn't seem like it will die and we'll get
> there, just a bit obnoxious!
>
>   Sometimes it caughs several times, sometimes only once.  The tach drops each time, but not all
> the way to 0.  The fuel pump does not sound loud.  We had a new ox sys 2K ago and everything
> else was replaced  within the last 3K.  We don't find it related to hills or high temp or low.
> No overheating issues.  No head leaking.
>
>   We are in Carpenteria right now.  Tomorrow heading up 101 toward SLO and then San Jose.  Any
> ideas would be much appreciated... or a shop along the way that would pay to stop at.  I don't
> look forward to this for another two thousand miles.  Mad Madeline
>
>
> ---------------------------------
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