Nissan Repair: Nissan Sentra/troubleshoot, air control valve, nissan sentra

Question
I have a 1993 Nissan Sentra ECCS and I am having trouble keeping the idle adjustments to specs. While the a/c off it stays on specs at 1000rpm while the a/c on the needle fluctuates from 1000rpm to 800 sometimes lower then while driving the engine dies due to low idle adjustments.Whats your recommendation? tnx

Answer
Czar,

I would check the idle dashpot on the throttle stop first and if that is working properly I would then remove and clean the idle air control valve.  Check for codes and if there are none I would think the idle air control valve is defective.  Get a Haynes Manual and a volt-ohm meter and test the idle air control valve for correct operation.  Also, a quickie way to check the idle air control valve is, with engine running at operating temperature, turn the wheel slightly in both directions and see if the idle steps up a little to compensate for the power steering.  If the idle drops as you turn the wheel and does not recover then I would almost bet the idle air control valve is defective or the passage is blocked.