Any advice gratefully welcomed: my car, when fully warmed up, has begun to idle high at the traffic lights, at about 1100 rpm. A mechanic I saw the other day says the 'idle return motor' is not working properly. He says it is probably full of gunk from 15 years of operation and should be replaced. Sounds reasonable?

Lots of carbcleaner could very well bring it back to life, I could not believe how much gunk was in mine...and in only about 200,000 miles...must be cheap gas
Bret
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rust free in west Texas

Sound reasonable that it is full of gunk -- yes.
Sound reasonable that it needs to be replaced -- no.

It's fairly easy to remove, just remove both hoses that are connected to it, disconnect the power connect from the rear of it, and then slide it out. It should take you about 10 minutes tops to remove it; probably quicker. All you need is stubby flathead and a phillips head screwdriver.

Using carb cleaner and a rag, spray the heck out of it and shake it around. Put your pinky finger in there and try to move the valve (i.e., loosen it up). Dry it out, reinstall it, and see if it corrects your problem.

Keep us posted.

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Regards,
Eric Staufer,
'89 244DL 119k
My 240 Page