1981 245 GLT. Fourth owner. Second engine. (I swear, for $300, I wish they'd just /told/ us the head gasket had blown - I wouldn't have minded replacing it!) When we got the car, it would stall out at idle.

Re-did wiring harness, finally. Car would then idle at ~1200 rpm. Mechanic looked at it, thought the IAC valve was bad, replaced the hoses and turned down the idle screw (it was turned all the way up, of course.)

With the IAC plugged in, the car will go to 3000 rpm in about 5-10 seconds. Without it, it will stall instantly. I have tried tracing the vacuum lines, and haven't found any cracks or splits as yet, though the climate control shutters will "tighten up" when we press the accelerator after decelerating. Car stalls if it falls below 800 rpm when driving. (And will head straight to stalling if you don't use the throttle to keep it up that high.) Runs very rough below 1100 or so, but the engine still shudders slightly every 5-10 seconds.

With the IAC plugged in, advancing the throttle (to make the switch click) does not de-activate it, and car stays at 3000+ rpm. Have been driving with the holes plugged and the valve (which was checked with a known good one, and cleaned; both did the same thing) disconnected.

After the car stalls, there is a smell of gasoline in the engine compartment, but I can find no hints of a leak.

What am I missing? I would have thought a vacuum leak would make the car run lean, but the IAC makes the car go faster? Electric issue? (I don't have much but basic tools, and we moved away from our previous mechanic, so are trying to find a new one out East.)