I dont know what thef*** is going on but heres whats happening. when i go to start the car in the morning its kinda a bitch. some days i'll have to crank and crank and crank for it to get started, and then some days she will start right up. once she lights up i kinda have to feather the throttle to keep her running and then she will steady out. so i'll get stuck at a light while the car is still cold and it will die on me. it takes me few lights to go through before i can get it started. once i put any throttle to it she will stumble on me and ill have to keep feathering the throttle. once she gets warmed up it runs fine, although it seems to me like it idles way too low at lights and i'll have to puts some gas into it to keep her from dying.

its obviously getting fuel, i can smell it after i've been cranking on it for a little while. its got to be either it wants to run to rich or an ignition problem(like no spark). i'm not even part where the dash is flickering on and off after going over a hard bump. when i do this sometimes the service abs light comes on.

i got serious problems and this is the only place i turn to for advice and tech problems. can anybody help here?

one other question while sitting at a light the dash will flucuate, whats the deal with that?

(the car is a 1991 with an auto, its got straight pipes with a mild cam and a reubuilt auto)

 

Look in the tech tips for the procedure for cleaning the IAC.I had a similar issue and cleaning solved.It may be sticking closed.The flashing dash is probably from an unsteady idle or possibly the alternator.

 

Have you any codes?
Done a tune up lately?
Sound like a fuel problem to me, if you can smell gas it might be a leaking injector.

 

it will through a code ever once and a while. its got no EGR on it so i'm thinking thats what the code is that pops up everyonce in a while. its got a new alternator(although it is a autozone one which could be a problem) new battery. i was also thinking the idle control valve was needing replacement. the car has a lot of miles and i want to say the injectors are stock so that could be a possibility as well.

 

Sounds like the IAC to me. Either dirty our burnt out.

 

He says the dash flickers when hitting bumps, or at idle. That would sound like bad connection to me, likely a bad ground. Does the radio also cut out or static at same time? That would really point at bad ground, possibly frame to cabin ground. The other part does sound like
IAC, but could the two problems be related if ECM is not getting good
connection to a ground or power source?

 

DON'T go throwing money at it. Only replace the IAC AFTER it has tested bad. Meanwhile, pull the codes and run them down via the trouble shooting charts in your FSM to find and cure the cause(s). As suggested, clean the IAC valve AND the IAC passages in the TB. Then, run a thorough fuel pressure and fuel pressure leak down, series of tests to see if the injectors are leaking, the fuel pressure regulator is leaking, or if the check valve is leaking. It is all pretty simple, if you just take it one step at a time.

RACE ON!!!