I have a slight rough idle. Its not real bad or anything, but I do not want it to get to that point. I have a 96 2.8 (12v). I know that I can clean and/or replace the ICV but I would like to do that as the last resort as I am not the most mechanically inclined (but I am learning . What else can I do to eliminate this?

 

When's the last time your spark plugs were replaced?

 

A rough idle or stalling. A large vacuum leak can lean the air/fuel mixture out to such an extent that an engine will not idle at all. An EGR valve that is stuck open at idle can have the same effect as a vacuum leak. So too can a loose positive crankcase ventillation (PCV) hose, a leaky PCV valve or the wrong PCV valve (one that flows too much air for the application). If somebody replaced the PCV valve recently, they may have installed the wrong PCV valve. The rough idle in all of these cases is caused by "lean misfire." The fuel mixture is too lean to ignite reliably so it often misfires and fails to ignite at all. Lean misfire will show up as elevated hydrocarbon (HC) readings in the exhaust, which may be enough to cause a vehicle to fail an emissions test.

hope that helps man!!!!!

 

Seafoam treatment might help. Replace the air filter and
check for codes.

 

I just got the car about 3 weeks ago, not sure when plugs were last replaced, I have been planning on replacing them and will be doing so within the next week or two. Seafoam is also on my list of things to do, just waiting until a need an oil change. I'm hoping this will work as I am not trying to replace my o2 sensors yet due to cost...