Help, leaking oil, smoke, and no pickup, engine shaking a lot Options

[Akimbo]

Need someone mechanically inclined...I rarely ask for help because I'm not exactly 6GC's poster boy.

My car recently started freaking out...it has no pickup, which initially led me to think that I was down a cylinder. After talking to a friend, he said I was having a dead miss. I wasn't sure what that was, but I think it means a spark plug isn't firing. Anyone care to elaborate on this?

Also, my engine is leaking oil pretty bad. It's visible on the lower part of the engine, and it drips under the chasis. When the motor gets hot enough, it burns it off and creates embarassing blue smoke coming from under the hood.

Are the two related? I know I need a new air filter, but that's kind of unrelated.

Only things I can think of is spark plugs, wires, distributor cap, and maybe the gaskets. Any advice would be great, I moved to Florida and I don't know any mechanics yet...

[hurley97]

Are you sure the blue smoke is burning from the engine compartment where its leaking or is the blue smoke coming out of the tail pipe?

Normally blue smoke while you are driving is oil burning off the cylinder walls internally. If it's just burning off the exhaust or something external like that it's usually more of a white color and you would smell it a lot more since its closer to the cab.

If it's burning oil internally then oil could be leaking past your rings and fouling the plugs which would be related to what your friend thinks is a misfire. But I know 96+ you'd get a CEL is there was a misfire, I would assume 94-95 would as well.