joelreid

plugs and cables replaced 2 months (4000 mi) ago.

trying to figure out what's going on, scouring posts I've found related problems but still no luck '88 GL wagon 4x4 1.8 First noticed jumping tach at around 2500-3000 rpm. Then the volt meter started reading low and the car died on me while driving with a dead battery. Had both the alternator and battery checked, alternator was ok but battery needed replacing so I did that. Still had the jumpy tach. After reading through posts here I tried replacing the distributor with one from a junkyard and it seemed to fix the problem. Everything was great for about a day then it returned. Tach jumps, especially when going up a hill and the car really lags. When this happens I notice the volt meter dropping down to about 10 volts. If I put it in neutral and take it up to about 4000+ rpm the volts jump back to just above 12 and stay there for a couple minutes before the problem repeats. Should I replace the coil? check the alternator again? Could it be that I need to do a better job adjusting the timing? Thanks for any help!