My Ford 302 idles like crap,but if I close the choke almost all the way,then it runs much better..Not only when I 1st start it but when its up to operating temp. WTF?
vacume leak. check the intake and the carb. did you put a base gasket on?. spray chok cleaner along the mating surfaces of the engine and the intake manifold witht the choke open. Im fat.
Vacuum leak, could be anything that uses vacuum (brake booster, vacuum amplifier, smog junk. Don't forget stuck PCV.
I guess vacuum leak wins. I am old school and believe that permatex is gold,however I know that when the intake gaskets were installed,(by a "professional?)it was done using blue RTV only on the small gaskets on the front & rear,none on the intake at all.I expect that to be the reason for the leak.The engine is almost 40 years old,should'nt a gasket sealer have been used?Should I pull the intake & do it over?? When I 1st start it,there is a noise coming from the front of the engine that could be a vacuum leak that goes away when the engine warms up.
this is a matter for many, many debates. I prefer to use edelbrock gasgacinch, with a touch of r.t.v. around the water ports. I always use r.t.v. instead of the end gaskets. having torn apart about 2500 factory fresh top ends, I can say that g.m. and ford both do not use any type of sealant there at all. use good gaskets, and there is no problem. if You use crap ones, or they are the "steel shim" type, better get some pookey on there.
possible that your main jet is plugged..never use RTV on carb or base gaskets..RTV hates Gas But as far as the choke closed running deal..I just got done with an engine that had the same problem..I found shit in the carb..and the main jets were fouled pretty bad with the crap. pulling the choke enrichend the mixture enough to keep it running..although like shit..it did keep running. Once cleaned out of all the grabage it ran fine. sorry just re read your discription..only when at Idle?..than its the idle circuit that is full of crap..
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