1979 ford fairmont engine light help!!!!

I have a 1979 ford fairmont with low original mileage. It only has 63,000 miles. Recently the engine light came on. when i first start the car it revs very high for about 1 minute then it kicks down to normal idle. The gas milage is not very good and i think that may be a clue to the problem. When i drive the car i can smell gas but i replaced all the gas lines and it has no leaks. The engine light came on shortly after i replaced the spark plugs the wires the cap and the roder. It has a minor oil leak also. Any ideas what the engine light is trying to tell me.

Timmy , try going to a Ford Fairmont specific site such as http://vb.foureyedpride.com . There are others sites as well - do a Google search for " Ford Fairmont forums " and others will come up - good luck !

sounds like your getting to much fuel or your not getting a good seal between your intake manifold and carb. previous owner could have changed the jets in the carb, intake mani got to much carbon build up or not getting enough air through the carb

Sounds like the choke is stuck and you have a vacuum leak.

Look at the valve cover, there might be leakage in PVC valve. If so, change the PVC valve. It could also be a reason for engine light is indicating you that problem.