I recently purchased a 1992 Stealth Es. After only about a month the car began stalling when sitting at operating temperature at idle. My mechanic believes the problem to be a sticking throttle plate in the throttle body, however this part is no longer being manufactured. If Anyone has any advise about this problem- ways I can get around replacing the throttle body or where I can find a used one it would be greatly appreciated.

 

If the problem only occurs at idle...I'd be more inclined to believe the "idle air controller" is bad/going bad.
Stealth316 has a great write up on how to remove/clean/diagnose/replace the IAC.

 

I had a mechanic check the Idle air control motor and he found no problems with that aspect of the idle. I am still somewhat unfamiliar with the car, so if the idle air controller is still potentially a problem that would be useful to know. The mechanic did find that the throttle plate was "coked up with carbon" and cleaned the plate, but it is definitely still sticking (gas pedal is sometimes difficult to engage- sticks). The mechanic insisted that the only way to fix the problem was to replace the entire throttle body. If there is anyway around this I would appreciate knowing how.

 

hmmm, the throttle sticking is definitely odd...it could be something as simple as a bad cable...Does your car have "cruise control?" (cruise adds extra cables and whatnot to the throttle assembly) You should be able to remove the throttle body with minimum hassle and clean it up. I cannot see how some carbon buildup would be unable to clean.

 

The car does have cruise control. I did think it a little odd that it was still sticking even after being cleaned by a mechanic. I probably would have tried to do it myself but it's difficult to work on vehicles outdoors in Buffalo in the wintertime, so I was kind of forced to take it in. Do you think that simply disconnecting the cruise control (I can live without it) or replacing the accelerator cable might solve the problem? I noticed that the accelerator cable was noticibly more loose than it should have been when I was looking at it- I assumed that a mechanic would have thought of this possibility if it were part of the problem though. Thanks for your help.

 

I understand about the working on cars in the winter...no fun at all...

I don't really know what could be wrong...but in all my years around these cars, that is one thing I have never heard of failing...but you never know...

I'm just trying to give you ideas (that are relatively cheap) before spending a lot of money on a "hunch." I'd definitely go over all the accelerator cables with some lubricate, checking all connections, making sure everything is smooth before I would spend money on parts.

Good luck.

 

Thanks- I appreciate your help. Mechanics do make mistakes and miss things, so trying other things first is a good idea. I may take it in for a second opinion. Again, Thanks.