ive got an 89 crxsi. my first honda. when im under a load around 3000 my tach goes crazy, and my motor sputters and pops. and at idle, itll do the same thing, you can hear it in the idle. ive given it a complete tune up. when i pulled the old plugs there was sootyness on the top of the plug(where the boot covers) on three out of the four. the tune up did nothing. however, my valve cover gasket is leaking. is it possible that there is oil getting in the boot and miss fireing my plugs, or is it ignition? i love this car so help please.

 

Sounds like your coil might be taking a dump.