having a bad day.......

[David Partridge <David_Partridge@domain.elided>]

Tess,
I don't know if olive has one but a stuck EGR (exhaust gas recirculation)
valve 
will make it run exactly like that, won't idle at all. 
It would be on your intake manifold, looks kind of like an upside down
speaker 
with a hose connected to the magnet from the exhaust manifold and a metal 
shaft sticking out of the cone into the intake manifold. I had the same
thing 
happen to a subaru. I sprayed a shot of WD-40 onto the metal rod, heard a
click, 
(the rod went in about 1/64") and the car ran perfect after that. 
It had developed a little ridge of gunk that kept the valve from closing
completely 
dumping a constant stream of exhaust into the mixture, and the WD-40
dissolved it.
Might be worth a try if you can identify such a beast.
I can't help you with the wet clothes. (wait a minute, was that Austin
Powers?)
;-)
Dave.
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