Yes
Timing is out your distributor could be one eighty out try turning it one eighty.
Check for a broken timing belt.
broken timing belt or chain....
Sounds like the timing is off.
Yes, a loose distributor can rotate so that the ignition timing for the engine is lost.
If you have the 3.8L engine, ignition timing is controlled by the computer and cannot be altered without making changes to the computer. If you have the 3.1L engine, which has a distributor, you can set the timing as you would on any engine with a distributor.
I would replace distributor cap & rotor button, plugs & wires, and if necessary distributor. Also, check your ignition timing, if you broke a timing chain you wouldn't have any spark.
If the timing belt was broken, obviously the engine would not run. If you crank the engine and the distributor does not turn, that would be a good sign.
If it broke, yes.
Sounds like your timing chain might have jumped a notch. Timing is set by rotating the distributor. There is a nut underneath the distributor that locks it down. Timing mark is on the harmonic balancer, sorry I don't have the setting handy. I would start by checking the timing with a timing light. VBdenny
An engine does not go off-timing all by itself. If the timing chain fails, the engine would usually be too far off to run. If someone forgot to tighten the distributor hold down, the distributor would revolve counterclockwise until it got to a point where the engine would be very low on power.
i suggest changing the distributor. i had erratic timing for a while, during cruising speed the emgine would chug here and there. One day I decided to replace the distributor cured my erratic timing, and stopped the chugging.