46 Burb,

You say "trouble in acceleration and steady power in hills". What other symptoms accompany these problems, backfiring or popping..surging slowly.

Fuel things usually happen "softly and gradually" as opposed to "instant" glitches caused by electrical.

If you sit in the driveway and accelerate the engine, does it exhibit the same problems as it does under a load going up a hill?

If you do some more sleuthing, maybe something will show itself!

As a parent of two teenage boys, I can assure you that wits have no end.

Stuart