steverino

In your first post, you talk of getting timing readings both with the TPS plugged-in and unplugged. Checking the timing with the TPS plugged-in is meaningless unless you are curious to see what the ECU is doing to it during normal operation. Simply unplugging the TPS will not get you into timing mode. Unplugging TPS, restarting the engine, then 3 revs past 3000 is vital to set the ECU into timing mode. The timing mark should be rock solid when you're in timing mode, and will jump around any other time you hook up the timing light.

I don't think it's possible to install a distributor "a little off". So, if you are really in timing mode (please list the steps you take to put your car in timing mode), and have a new distributor, and the car basically runs ok, then I would suspect that the timing between the crank and the cams is off a link or 2 on the chain. You could try a Top Dead Center test to see if the engine timing is properly set.

Good luck

Steve