SYMPTOMS: car hesitating, shaking and misfiring on acceleration in
every gear, smoothing out at higher RPM. the behavior worsened as the
engine heated up.

CAUSE: faulty (old and worn) spark plugs that were well past their
expiration.

SOLUTION: replace them with new ones.

NOTES: well, it was the spark plugs. I don't feel bad about replacing
the fuel filter, distributor cap and rotor as well though, and I still
might replace the wires because these are all parts that needed
replacing anyway. Plus, the problem with my car not starting after a
heavy rain was not likely caused by bad spark plugs. I have yet so see
if that still occurs. I did the water spray test though and I didn't
notice a change. I also might need to set my idle speed. My car seems
to be idling at lower RPM than it did before I changed the distributor
cap and rotor. I would like to check the timing and do anything else
that might increase my gas mileage.

Thank you all so much for your help. I can't tell you how much I
appreciate it.

"Jacob" <jlongton (AT) gmail (DOT) com> wrote
Right on, Jacob! These will help your fuel mileage and the
longevity of more expensive parts, like the ignition coil.

I wouldn't say that just yet.

I have yet so see
Ebay has good deals on timing lights. One does not need
anything fancy.

Way to persist. Lesson learned is that many folks posting
here are kinda newbies to automotive diagnosis and
maintenance, so one should not assume something as basic as
the plugs have been regularly changed.

In article <1149681999.009890.252710 (AT) y43g2000cwc (DOT) googlegroups.com>,
"Jacob" <jlongton (AT) gmail (DOT) com> wrote:

If there's no knock sensor just advance the timing a small bit each week
until the engine sometimes buzzes or growls, then turn it back until it
always runs quietly. Otherwise have a shop to it for a few dollars and
let the knock sensor do the fine tuning itself.

How do I determine if it has a knock sensor?

I'm not sure if I should even mess with the timing. It's running ok.
I just want to make sure it is running at it's best possible
efficiency. It sometimes idles around 500 RPM. Seems low to me.

In article <1149774520.102289.195700 (AT) i39g2000cwa (DOT) googlegroups.com>,
"Jacob" <jlongton (AT) gmail (DOT) com> wrote:

You better not mess with it if you don't know whether or not it has a
knock sensor. Have a shop do it.