...Is my mustang broken? need help

[Violentv8toy]

Well, coming back from a party this morning i decided to get on my mustang. I was going about 2000 in 3rd gear and dropped it into 2nd and stuck it to about 4000 until i got to about 80 and put it back in 3rd and kept going....well as i exited rock prarie, the car would idle roughly.

It has a 302. I played with it today and it will start and idle, but really roughly and after a bit, die. I don't think its timing or vacuum....and i've got oil pressure. When you give it gas from rough idle, it will go up to about 2000 with what sounds like a miss......then it will sort of 'clean up' and seem like its hitting on all cylinders again and get power back. Its has been starting to burn a little oil in the past few thousand miles. It seems like a primary fuel problem because like i said when the secondaries kick in it seems ok. There is a little wet spot where the fuel line meets the fuel pump, so maybe thats the problem.

This car hasn't given me any trouble at all and i really really hope i didn't fawk it up internally. I may need to drive it home next weekend, but if i can't get it fixed by then, i'll just hitch a ride and leave it here (which is what i'll probably do).
I've got a few finals coming up and i won't have time to work on it. If anyone would like to mess with it i'd be willing to pay to have it troubleshooted/fixed....otherwise i'll have to take it to a shop.

[agjohn02]

bent pushrod?

[Violentv8toy]

actually thats what i was thinking....but right now im in denial. If anyone wants to come over and look at it for a few minutes you're welcome to. Its by Wellborn and Rock Prarie. 979-220-3108. I'm sure there are a few on the board can diagnose it just by listening to it.

[mudtoy67]

Have you checked the plugs to make sure that one didn't foul out? I seen some engines have a miss at idle but "clean up" at higher rpms and it was just a fouled plug.

[Violentv8toy]

when i set the choke up to where it will idle without dying....i pulled the plugs off the distro while it was running. When i pull a wire that goes to a driver side plug, it doesn't lug the engine down. But when i pull one that goes to the passenger side, it will lug the engine. This leads me to believe that possibly the driver side carb idle circuit is plugged? I'd mess with it, but its got a holley carb. I've only taken q-jets and edelbrocks apart and i'd hate to learn to take a holley apart on finals week.

i read that if its a pushrod, you can feel the header tube and feel which one is cool (showing a dead cylinder). But all my header tubes feel fine.

[Violentv8toy]

i'll get some plugs tomorrow....but i don't think thats it.

[mudtoy67]

A holley is really not that hard to dissassemble and clean, it's tuning that can be a MF sometimes. If you clean it just make record of how everything came apart and where adjusting screws are set and you'll be fine. Are you saying that it doesn't lug the engine down when you pull any driver's side plug wire, or just a particular one?

[Violentv8toy]

i can't remember now, but i think it was 3 out of 4 of the driver side doesn't make a difference. Theres no backfire or anything. It just feels like boggy and like it needs more gas. i'll have to play with it more tomorrow. if anyone wants to take a crack at it, give me a call.