So what I got going on is completely random. it has happened at idle, accel and cruising. it will run and drive great and all of a sudden run terrible, throttle unresponsive, sputtering and backfiring. then 5 seconds later it will start running just fine again. I've put a new fuel pump, filter, Ngk plugs and wires, new distributor, Done a timing belt and oil seals not too long ago. I have no check engine light, it doesn't flash when it happens either. Only thing left I would think would cause this is either injectors, fuel pressure regulator, or something to do with the throttle body. Just wondering if there's something I'm missing here.

96 DX Hatchback Auto Trans, everything is stock.

 

Backfiring occurs when the spark timing is way off, having it happen intermittently would likely be something related to a distributor sensor or possibly the ECU itself.

Does your CEL work at all? It should come on for bulb test if you turn the key on but don't crank.

 

Yeah, the light comes on with the light check. I've hooked a scanner up to it to check for pending codes, got nothing. The problem still occurred before and after distributor replacement.

 

Check the mechanical timing.