In a message dated 7/19/00 6:42:03 PM, Doss88Wkndr@aol.com writes:

<< I have noticed my idle speed wavering between 1k & 2k, but it's just 
annoying
- I really didn't think it was a problem ... but, just yesterday, while
driving on the highway about 50mph, I noticed a brief power loss. - not
enough to stall me -  I just kept driving, and it went away, and ran fine for
about 3 hours after that. Today, sort of the same thing. It just lasts for 5
seconds or so, and there seems to be no way of predicting when it might
happen. I have a spare ECU, and thought I'd plug it in and see what happens.
Will a Digitool save the day, and make it fairly obvious what's happening, or
am I going to have to take it to a pro?

Brian Doss >>

Brian,

At this time I have no answers, just an anecdote which may indicate that we 
have something in common.

I have been fussing around with the idle stabilizer control circuitry since 
my idle stabilizer controller came up lame (high idle symptom).  I replaced 
it with a used one which cured my ills for about a month before the high idle 
returned.  I have since replaced the output transistor and 56  load resistor 
in one of the defective controllers.  This seems to have reined in the idle 
... most of the time.  I have not been able to get it to Idle as smoothly as 
when I run it with the outputs from the Hall sender and O2 sensor 
disconnected.  I am running a Bus Depot O2 sensor with the necessarily 
spliced lead.  It may be coincidental but, rainy weather seems to provoke the 
high idle.

I realize the foregoing may seem pointless but, history is paramount in 
troubleshooting and I want you to know where I have been.  Anyway, while 
cruising at highway speed recently, I jammed the throttle to the floor in 
order to prepare for a long grade.  The engine died for a moment as if the 
ignition had been switched off.  The tach dropped to zero immediately.  As 
quickly as it happened, the engine caught fire again and the tach jumped back 
to 4K.  I was able to replicate this action at will by jamming down the 
throttle.  It ran normally when smoothly taking the throttle to the floor.  I 
reasoned that some errant bit of wiring was opening or going to ground when 
the torque reaction of the engine shifted it on its mounts.  When I pulled 
over to check, I found the wiring in the forward left corner of the engine 
bay to be rather loosely dressed.  None of it was obviously shorted or 
strained.  Still, with the engine running off idle, I grabbed a hank of it 
and tugged on it every which way I could.  I only was able to cause the 
engine to falter a little, but nothing like what I experienced at speed.  I 
dressed the wiring and went down the road with no more of the problem to 
date.  When I got home, I checked everything possible without finding any 
detectable defects.  I'll let you know when I find something conclusive.

As far as taking it to a pro: if you endure the rigors of troubleshooting 
this yourself, YOU will be the pro.

Rich