[drola]

i have been having a problem with high idle after warm up on my '76 2.7. after much research here i'm pretty sure that the decel valve is the culprit.
the valve has 3 hoses. one on top, middle and bottom. when i plug the top hose (vacuum) nothing happens. when i plug the middle hose the motor stalls at idle but runs fine if i give it some throttle. when i plug the bottom hose nothing happens.
am i right in thinking that the middle hose is letting air into the system? when i plug it up the mixture is too rich for it to idle hence the stall.
do these things go bad for no reason? can i just plug up the hose fittings at the back of the throttle body and the vacuum hose on top and be done with it? are they repairable? if it is stuck couldn't i spray some lube in it and see if it loosens up?