by the way, the distributor cap and rotor are Blue Streak brand, I think by SMP.....I know they should be AC Delco but it wasn't available at the time. could that thing still cause a misfire? the thing has a 30 day warranty

 

Turn the distributor according to the measurements on the scan tool. Cap & rotor really need to be AC Delco. If camshaft retard is off too far, it will cause the cap to fail prematurely.

 

I did read somewhere that if the cam retard is off too far with a negative number, it will miss under a light cruising load, the same symptoms I'm experiencing. Makes sense too that since it was okay for awhile then went bad again. Thanks Captain, I'll be ordering an AC Delco cap/rotor as well.

I will post my findings

 

I called my mechanic and he told me that he already checked cam retard and described to me what he did and said it was within spec. He remembers because I brought the thing in to him a bunch of times. Just to be sure though I told him I want him to check it again to make sure.

What else should I be looking for? Someone mentioned on this thread somewhere or a different one that it might be head gasket related. When they looked at the scanner they said 1,2,5,6 had ~2,xxx misfires each, and cylinders 3 and 4 misfired ~33,xxx. A head gasket wouldnt cause all of them to miss would it?

 

A few posts back I mentioned that incorrect camshaft retard can prematurely kill a cap & rotor.... Back in February, (post #29) you replaced the cap & rotor and said it fixed the problem. In post #41 you mentioned it was a Standard Motor Parts, "Blue Streak" cap & rotor. Roughly a month later, you're getting misfires up the ying yang, and experiencing the same symptoms as before. Just my opinion here, but I'd say that's a little premature for the cap to fail This would indicate either a cheap quality cap or camshaft retard is off, or both.

There were also some issues with oxygen sensors, were they ever replaced? Accurate oxygen sensor readings are absolutely necessary.

Head gasket, depending on where it fails, will usually affect 2 adjacent cylinders, not all of them, and if that were the case, you'd have a coolant loss, and most likely some serious steam from the tailpipe, and probably overheating issues. With all cylinders misfiring, it has to be something that's common to all cylinders.

I would suggest: Install an AC Delco cap & rotor. Put a dab of silicone dielectric grease on each terminal, inside and out, of the cap. I realize you took it to your mechanic and he "said" he checked camshaft retard. I would get a second opinion from a reputable technician that understands what camshaft retard is, what it does, and how to adjust it. Slip him a $20, and look over his shoulder if you can. Scan tool must show "camshaft retard" or "CMP retard". Next, if the upstream O2 sensors have not been replaced, use either AC Delco or Denso only.

 

Roger that! I think tomorrow I will go to a different place to check out the cam retard, maybe a stealership because they will MOST likely know what it is.

O2 sensors were replaced with Denso about a month ago

I think what I will do is have it checked and even if it was off and they adjust it and it runs fine, Ill buy AC Delco cap and rotor anyways just to save me the time and labor later if it decided to take a crap. I will keep you guys posted on my results, thanks Captain.