I've got a 2002 Monte Carlo that I'm trying to coax through another two years.

Six months ago I replaced the MAF sensor after the car had died at a stop sign, and while it would start, it would never find an idle and the engine would stop. The MAF change fixed the problem, all was good.

I bought a dirt cheap MAF however, and after my battery failed this week it started doing the same thing to me-- died while idling, both at a stop sign and while in my driveway. This time it also seemed to lose power while accelerating, basically going up, halting for a second, then up again, like stairs. Figured the MAF might have got hurt by the battery failure, or maybe it was just cheap garbage, so I bought a nice new one. The car has worked and has not died on me for a few days now, that's great. Seems more reactive when really hitting the gas too, very nice. But it's idle seems low, and it's giving me a heart attack at every stop sign, watching the RPMs dance around at stop signs.

So my problem: I'm getting roughly 600 RPM with a bit of movement (generally dipping down) at idle, are there any basic tweaks/things I can check to get a healthier idle? Am I overreacting to an old, rusted to hell car?

I'm planning to replace the air filter, and probably the spark plugs. Anything other you guys can suggest?

 

Check and clean your IAC, idle air control, mine did something similar and cleaning the IAC fixed it! hope this helps!!

 

I can tell you from working in a parts store for over 10 years that MAF are the most common "dead-on-arrival" part. They are often remanufactured and I've sold brands that I would estimate failed 50% of the time right off the shelf (we discontinued those). My point is that getting 2 new MAF's that were both bad isn't that unlikely. If possible, try swapping one out of a working car to test with

 

Unplug the MAF and see if the idle gets a bit better. Also doesn't hurt to check IAC, spark plugs, wires, fuel filter, etc

 

Well, good news is I found a mouse nest up against my air filter. Pulling that out and replacing the filter really helped with the idle.

Bad news is that now a day later either the manifold or upper engine gasket started pouring coolant. The car is rusted to hell, and has a myriad of other small problems. So it looks like I'm in the market for a new car.

Thanks to everyone who responded, and while I'm not sure if I'll end up with another Monte Carlo, I gotta say this site has been great these past five years.