Buick 3.8 Series II engine miss

My 1997 Park Avenue has been running flawlessly, including a recent 2,000 mile trip. Suddenly, the engine has developed a miss under a load such as going up a moderate hill. The problem can be reproduced by accelerating aggressively. There is no engine code. I’m not sure if it is a fuel or ignition problem but suspect ignition. Is it worth throwing a set of plugs and wires at? I have owned the vehicle for less than six months so I don’t have a good history on it. Thanks.

Did you have a qualified tech/mech do a thorough inspection on the vehicle before you bought it?

Whenever I get a vehicle with little or no back history, I usually change all the fluids.

If it has a slight miss I will go further until the vehicle runs and stops as it should.

Without a record of maintenance you don’t know what has been serviced and what hasn’t.

Thanks for your reply. The vehicle is a low-mileage, original owner car. I am confident it was cared for properly. I’m not sure I understand how changing all the fluids as you suggest could prevent an engine misfire. This problem is new and has occurred after a good bit of highway travel. Thanks again for taking the time to reply… Mark

Replace just the spark plug wires.

I had a '92 Buick Park Avenue Ultra (Supercharged Series I engine) that would do exactly the same thing. Plug wires were only lasting me about a year on the car.

And no, my car never set off a CEL for spark issues, either.

BC.

I’m off to get a set of wires now. I’ll follow up with plugs if that doesn’t take care of it. Thanks BC… Mark

I would replace the plugs at the same time as the wires. Chances are they are due anyway and after you replace them you will know when they were last replaced.

I would replace the fuel filter as well.

Thanks!

A friend said the same thing. I’ll know by the end of the day I hope… Mark

Mark - what did you find out about the engine missing on your 97 Park Ave? I am getting ready to buy one. also a one owner car. Just wanting to know what i might expect