Lately I have been running around in a 96' Tercel borrowed from my sister while I am looking for a new car and she is away at college. I have been using it for about two weeks now and come across two problems I would like to fix one is what I think to be an engine miss and another a rear bearing issue.
I had been hearing an occasional squeak from the rear of the car and though maybe the tiny brake shoes had finally been used up and it would be a good time to check them out. I bought new shoes and hardware yesterday only to get five minutes down the road from the parts store and hear a horrible noise from the back of the car. I thought something had finally broken loose, and perfect timing too. I limped the car home and found that the outer bearing died and welded itself to the axle shaft. Somehow my sister managed to remove nearly all of the grease from the bearings and start them rusting. That'll all be fixed today.
But what I need some help on is the miss. In an average week of driving I'll feel it maybe twice for a split second. It always happens on flat land/light incline, low load situations, where you have been cruising at a constant speed. Ambient temperature doesn't seem to make a difference as it happens year round, but coolant temperature is always at normal operating temp, not cold. As you are driving it feels like the engine stops firing the plugs for one second and resumes normal operation immediately after. No OBD codes have been logged for months and the plugs are about 20k old. One person thinks it could be a bad oxygen sensor?
