Engine Stalling/Dying

[4bassdude]

I recently purchased a '91 R/T from a friend.
114,XXX miles.
It rode fine until I washed it, and now, when I start up, if I don't apply gas, the car stalls and drops below the netural rpm and stops.
It also shudders alot when I start it and back off the gas.
I don't have any idea what it may be, I'm going to try and set the neutral rev to about 1100 and see if it will work.
It usually stops after about sitting in the car reving to about 2000rpm.
Could it be the oil? I checked and it's clean and levels are good.
Any ideas to what the problem is?

[new2mitsu]

so you washed the engine, right?
are you getting misfire?

[4bassdude]

No, I just washed the outside, but there are various... problems with the exterior so I didn't know if water had gotten in.
Also, I just opened up the oil cap on the cover, and it smelled a little like gas, as well the exhaust smells pretty strongly of gas.
The muffler is also dripping some fluid, but I never shot water in there (DUH).
So I really don't know whats going on.

I've worked on motorcycles and smelled this smell, but thats because a lizard had crawled in through a carb and stunk up the place. So I'm gonna take the cover off to see whats going on in there.

But after a couple of minutes of warming up ( at a mildly high rpm 3500), when I drop off the gas, it drops down and starts bucking then picks up to idle again.

I am loosely concluding that it is the oil and the temp. So I'm just gonna change it. Any suggestions on oil?
regular synth?

[jason_bet]

I don't understand your reasoning for thinking its your oil.. but its a good idea to change it anyways..\

Jason

[4bassdude]

Well I figure it's the oil because as soon as the oil temp gauge rises above 2 or 3 ticks, it lugs down, then picks up.

Also when the car is hot, it doesn't drag a little.
I drove it for about an hour to get the oil temp up and it solved it.
I think...
So it just takes a while, and the oil is a little dirty so I do need to change it.