backfires and hot driver's cat

[It's Just Eric]

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?

[ShiuludeSVX]

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.

[Nevin]

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

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

[SoCal LS-L]

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.