well here is what I did, comments and feedback are welcome:

after taking the air intake hose off the intake, I noticed that the 'flap' and intake was completely black with a thick coat of carbon. then I took the ISC Motor off, and same situation there, thick carbon coating everything.

now can someone tell me why it is bad to spray cleaner in the intake and the hole where the stepper motor goes? I used STP air intake and throttle body cleaner, it says it is safe for all sensors and will not harm. the directions say to spray it in the intake for 6 seconds, then wipe up excess put back together and run it.

so that is what I did, and let me tell you what a world of difference.

b/c the computer was not reset in this process, it was still 'adjusted' to the dirty setup and when I had started it for the first time after cleaning it, it idled very high (1200-1400 rpm) after letting it run for about 15 minutes, the computer started re-adjusting back to a more normal 'running configuration' like it would have if the computer was reset to factory settings like when I had disconnected the battery in the past. had the wife take it for a test drive and she reported that it has a much more dependable idle and when stopping at stop signs and red lights, the idle is strong and higher at about 800-900 rpm.


So, thank you to all that helped, seems like it just needed a good cleaning.

I know it is too late, but would my 'safe for sensors' intake cleaner damage anything if I used it like the instructions said to? I did spray it in there for about 6 seconds or so.