My husband pulled a spark plug wire out of the cylinder and it was covered in oil

Have you changed your spark plug wires and distributor cap? You might have a spark jumping from a bad wire or distributor cap. Under acceleration, the amount of air/fuel in the cylinder increases and this may make it harder for a spark to jump across the plug gap. It may be finding a different path, and that is what's causing your engine to run rough. Spray water over your spark plug wires in a dark place and listen to see if your engine runs rough. Look for where the spark is jumping from a wire or distributor cap.

oil leak in valve cover got gasget in side valve cover and if plug wires wear not on like thay got to be that well do it dont seal

Okay, lets start with the oil you found on spark plugs when you were replacing them. this oil is coming from the valve cover tube hole area, notice the plugs go into the holes in the valve cover, there is a gasket the goes around the top of the tubes and when it leaks it goes into spark plug hole, the valve cover needs replacing .
this will cause rough idle and running problems, after replacing valve cover gasket the holes must be cleaned, using crab cleaner, spray into holes and use air to blow out . this may need to be done a few times to get oil out .
after oil is removed . then remove spark plugs and wipe them clean.
The next step is to find the air (vacuum leak) , you said you hear it around intake tube. check for cracks or broken vacuum line. this leak will cause idle problems and driving problems,

You have a 4 cylinder and there are seals in the cover around the spark plug holes. You can replace these with a rocker arm cover gasket set. Costs about $25.00. The oil does not hurt the sparkplug, but over time it will affect the plug wires/ boots and cause a misfire. these are not hard to replace. Your call.

Blown head gasket. check the compression on the number 1 cylinder. Watch your coolant and oil.

SPARK PLUGS IS ON TOP OF ENGINE IN THE CYLINDER HEAD UNDER CYLINDER HEAD COVER.YOUR IGNITIONS COILS ON TOP OF SPARK PLUGS. TO SEE COILS AND SPARK PLUGS YOU HAVE TO REMOVE THE COILS COVER ON TOP CENTER CYLINDER HEAD COVER YOU HAVE 6 BOLTS HOLDING COILS COVER IN PLACE. SPARK PLUG GAP IS 0.039 - 0.043.

possible causes of oil fouled spark plugs include bad/worn valve stem seals, worn or scratched cylinder walls, broken /leaking piston rings

Sometimes this happens when a spark plug wire goes bad or works loose. Check that all the spark plug wire connections are secure (both ends). To zero in on a possible problem cylinder, with the engine running, go around the spark plug wires and pull/disconnect each one in turn, then push it back in place. If you find one that does not make a difference to the running of the engine when you pull it, you will know that either the wire or the plug on that cylinder is bad. CAUTION: Be very careful when you handle the spark plug wires with the engine running. To avoid electric shock, do not touch the area of the lead.

You can also remove each spark plug and inspect it. If you see signs of erosion or deposits you would be due for new spark plugs. However this is something that happens gradually over time, and what you described seems more like a sudden onset.

Sometimes when you get a rough idle the check engine light will come on. Reading the error code may tell you if there is a cylinder misfire or another problem. Stores like Autozone offer free code reading.

"Rough idle" can be due to any number of other causes, problems with sensors, problems with the ignitions system, fuel supply, and so on. If you can't get to the bottom of the problem with some simple diagnostics, it may be necessary to have someone with more diagnostic experience and tools take a look at the car.

ok.....as far as the oil on them it is possible it is only the spark plug tube seals located on the inside of the valve cover,in fact if you can remember when you took the old plug wires off the boots of a couple propably had oil on them.now as far as the real problem I would recommend checking the timing belt it is possible it jumped time,its pretty simple just remove the valve cover(gonna replace the seals anyways)and top timing cover.roll the engine around and look for the cam and crank marks.if you need anymore suggestions or help let me know have a good day DB

Pull the spark plug wires out one by one and check for oil on wire. Sometimes the valve cover spark plug hole gaskets leak oil into the spark plug hole and causes a misfire. If oil found clean with brake or carb cleaner and blow out with compressed air. also when car runs bad listen under hood for snapping noise this would be spark escaping to ground somewere. In a dark garage you might be able to see the spark.