ok heres my problem,about 6 months ago my idle controll valve crapped out on me.i replaced it with a used one from a 92 integra,my idle was jumping drastically when it went out that time, the used valve fixed my problem,solid all was good.now when i start my car every thing is fine, i drive for about 1-5 min and only when i get to a complete stop"light,stop sign,what ever"my idle instantly dropns to 500 rpm then jumps to 1.5k to 2k.then back down to 500.it get's right to the point were my motor dies then jumps up again.i checked for vacume leaks and founf nothing,i replaced the idle control valve one more time,this time the only thing available was from a 94 integra,"took some modifing but it works.it didnt fix the problem.i reset my ecu after i changed it to see if it would make any difference and again nothing,its still doing it.i dont have a cel light in my cluster because for what ever reason who ever did te swap took it out.could it be a bad tps sensor? i took it down to my buddies shop and they fiddled with it but nothing.any ways,the motor in the car is a first gen b16 in a 91 hatchback.any input is greatly appreceated,pat.

 

not one damn person? this really needs to be fixed,what are the problems that cause this,name a few and i will get to it.please, ive checked every thing i know to check.

 

Things that cause the idle fluctuation like you describe are Intake Air Temp sensor, Coolant Temp sensor, IACV, low coolant level, and vac leaks. If you don't have any codes getting thrown I would bleed the coolant to be sure there isn't a big air bubble in it, then spray some brake cleaner on all the seams and hoses where vac leaks can be...if there is one the motor will almost die when the brake cleaner hits the leak, then check your sensor wiring doing continuity to check for breakage or shorts.

 

my vote is for vacuum leak

 

Or check to make sure your throttle cable is haven't a spaz attack. My cable used to stick at startup some days (totally random) and just had to be jiggled to work properly.

 

I have encountered and fixed this problem when it was not vacuum related. First warm the car up to operating temeprature. Disconnect he IACV. The engine should be idling at about 700-750 RPM. If not using the idle control screw (top left of throttle body when viewed from the passenger side of the vehicle) set it to 700-750 RPM. In slows it down and out sppeeds it up. Reconnect the IACV and all should be good. BTW if the idle control screww has not ever bee adjusted it will have a wax plug over the flat blade screwdriver slot. Just scrap the wax out and adjust.

 

ok,i think i got the problem but it is really weird,i noticed today when i pulled up to a light that my motor was acting normal,no suring nothing. i put my face plate on for my stereo and as soon as the power cam on it started to surge.so i took it of and put it on again through out the day and im pretty sure this is the problem.i have my stereo hooked up directly to the battery because my wiring harness was prety much murderd from the previous owner,i have a yellow top optima in the back of my hatch,it should be more than enough power to handle it.also for the last few days i was blowing 40 watt fuse's left and right to my amp,wtf is going on???
also,when we put my header on the temp line that runs to the gauge cluster broke,its still sealed in the block but there is just a small wire sticking out,not enough to reconnect it though.that wouldnt cause it would it?i will look into the coolant level as soon as my car cools a down bit,thanks guys.