You need to check ALL the vacuum connections for leaks, starting with the idle control valve hoses. I suspect you will find the idle hoses rock hard and leaking, probably will also find some other vacuum lines leaking. Could also be the plastic peice between the air flow housing and the intake manifold, too.


Once you fix the vac leaks, get the mixture set properly (do a seach if you want to do it yourself with a digita VOM).

If you also get occasional stalls when stopping abrupty, clean the idle valve with carb cleaner while replacing the hoses.

With a vac leak, you are running lean at idle. This is less of a problem with a cold engine (once you get past the initial stumble) because the computer is running it a bit rich until it warms up.

Check the cap and rotor, too -- if badly worn or corroded, I would suggest a new cap, rotor, and wires. This will not be cheap, but it's possible you have the very old parts, and they leak electricity -- look for spidery burn marks were the leads go close to engine parts.

Peter

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1972 220D ?? miles
1988 300E 200,012
1987 300D Turbo killed 9/25/07, 275,000 miles
1985 Volvo 740 GLE Turobodiesel 218,000
1972 280 SE 4.5 165, 000 - It runs!