Nissan Repair: 1993 Altima idles rough, vacuum hoses, nisan altima

Question
First, forgive my ignorance. I have a 1993 Nisan Altima (150k miles) that idles rough, it drives fine at 45 miles plus. What are the possible reasons and what a person like me (newbie) do or test for?. I just change the plugs and no change. What should I do next? money is a problem (reason for driving such an old car).

Answer
Hello -

I would first check for the simple things, such as a vacuum leak. Inspect all the vacuum hoses for tightness, cracking, and damage. Be careful, as some lines go beyond the normal sightline. The best way to canvass this is to get carburetor cleaner and lightly spray different parts of the engine. When the idle improves, then you have found the area for the vacuum leak.

Also, I wouldn't stop at the plugs, as the rough idle could be caused by the wires, dist cap and rotor. If it has been a while since you replaced those, I would do that now.

Hope this helps -
aloha
calvin