backfires and hot driver's cat
 

So my 92 has decided that I need something to fix again... I'm just trying to pinpoint exactly what's wrong here being i'm stuck out of state visiting family. Here's what I have:
-the engine idles a bit rough, the exhaust comes out in bursts like there's a misfire,and makes backfire sounds, but the engine itself runs smoother at idle than i've seen with a dead miss
-the engine bogs out with any swing in rpm, up to about 2500, where it decides to suddenly get off the couch and run more or less correctly
-the driver's side pre cat glows after a while

i've been doing some reading and see it is most likely a stuck open injector, or the engine jumped time on that one side. is there anything else i should check, or anything with those very specific symptoms I should investigate?

Re: backfires and hot driver's cat
 

Fouling plug on the left side, or coil arcing are the first things that come to mind for me.
Both are relatively easy to check, if you got the patience.

Re: backfires and hot driver's cat
 

My vote is for timing belt jumping one (or more) teeth.

A compression test would give you the results in a hurry.

Re: backfires and hot driver's cat
 

Check your spark plugs on that side, and see if its limited to one cylinder or all 3. That will give you a clue as to what to test next.