Best Way to set the idle mix on a 4160

[steve meltzer]

OK, took the car out this AM...timing at 12°. Started fine, but almost immediately, I had the sense that the car had a low/mod't flat spot or miss. Didn't feel like that when I drove the car on Thrs, at 2°. Got to my destination and on my way home the car ran like feces. Without a detailed description of my fear, let me say that the trip down the freeway was probably the most frightening I've ever had...rivaling a complete alternator failure on the same freeway, at rush hour. We're talking Houston here, not Kankakee. The last 4 miles were characterized by surging, lurching and bucking with the car never reaching more than 1500 RPMS and dying twice, once on a narrow shoulder, once on a safe street nearer home. In both instances, the car fired right up and revved freely (without load) to 4-5K.

My first thought was that this was a bad coil, and do I went to my FLAPS and replacement yielded a very nice ride with no drama...better on the acceleration from a light, but I would say not perfect. The vacuum advance works as it should, the weights are not easily visible, but the car's timing advances under the timing light. Carb dry as a bone, no smell of excess fuel. Dizzy cap perfect, ditto the rotor. All plug wires light up with a test light. Excellent pump shot as before.

I guess it could be a fuel pump as well. So, now I have two problems, or maybe none....the original issue of "off idle death", clearly better now and the risk of my own death on the 610 loop from a near complete failure. s