'89 SIdekick - Intermittent "Low Power" and Lots of Smoke - please help?

[fixkick]

Hi all - 

I've got an '89 Sidekick, manual, 4wd, 1.3l engine.  It is something of a beater - what I use in the woods to get firewood and haul other materials.  Over the last few months, it has started, intermittently, to run, but seemingly on very "low Power," almost like only 2 cylinders are firing and getting power to the transmission.  When this happens I have to totally floor the gas pedal to go anywhere.  Most of the times it has happened over the last month or so, it will finally get itself "right" again, giving me full power.  Today I struggled with it for 1/2 hour, just trying to pull it back into my garage - I'd have to rev it, then slowly let off the clutch, maybe move five feet before it almost stalled out, or did.  Finally, after about 10-15 minutes of that, and after I really floored it, it came fully back to life, a lot of smoke coming out of the exhaust - but almost like by giving it so much throttle i had pushed out some sort of blockage.  

I am not super-proficient with engines, so I'm really unclear as to what I should do.  I was going to do a compression test after reading some other posts about somewhat similar issues.  I was also thinking I should do something of a tune-up with new plugs, wires, and a fuel filter.  

It didn't seem like it would be a timing belt issue, since eventually it does seem to run on all four cylinders, but, again, i am no expert.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

wow a carb car still running , hold my breath wow. (carbs love to fail, and get gummed up inside for sure not driven 20 miles a day or with fresh gas every month)
ever do a tune up. full.?  60k mile listed things,?
bad spark  makes burning fuel impossible,   
is spark is good (and new spark wires HV)
then the carb is messed up
or that nasty distributor that is pure mechanical is bad. (advance failing or ignitor)



the 60k check is a new timing belt too.  and make  sure that 17mm bottom pulley bolt center is at 94ft/lbs torgue if not, ? kiss off the key and crankshaft end.

a car this old  31 years old, is like wow it runs at all , when is the last time you saw any car this old run, 99% do not,  (restored cars sure)
a full 60k is first.
id make sure the distributor is not bad. I if spark dies 100% or is intermittent this is it.
then clean the carb.
and tBELT.  timing belt. (if a belt is super bad/loose it can jump around and be ok 1 day not the next as it JUMPS wildly) we inspect them carefully.


I just saw a running 95 sidekick at walfart yesterday,  1st one this year seen. running. (I wanted to buy,it, yes I am sick)

This car is great offroad  2000 lbs is light and light wins offroad.  as does LOW CG. (and both wow) and it huge packed up snowed in roads. wow.2.(and fun)