I checked out this thread because tonight I was addressing the same problem. '98 SE auto that idled low and a little rough and then stalled. It would restart and drive if you shifted it quickly and got going, but then stall again at idle. The problem seemed to coincide with the onset of colder weather here.
I was prepared to deal with the IAC, but was hesitant given the admonishment, in bold letters, printed in the Chilton's book I just got at the library. Solvents, it says, shouldn't be used to clean the valve. The contrary advice between here and the book gave me enough pause to try the simplest thing first -- the battery, which was original and would likely need to be replaced soon, even though it started the car fine and otherwise appeared to be fully functional.
Putting in a new battery did the trick. As per the owner's manual, when the battery is disconnected, the car "relearns" to idle. When it started with the new battery, it was immediately different, revving up instead of weakly chugging along and stalling, and then it settled into a nice idle of about 800 rpm. I'm about 9/10 sure the problem is solved. There was no stalling in a half hour of city driving and a stop for gas.
So, if that other stuff doesn't work, maybe try the battery. In changing the battery, I cleaned off a lot of corrosion/crust from the posts and wires, which may also had something to do with it.
Hope that is of some help; I'm not a seasoned mechanic, but just wanted to share my experience fixing my idling problem in case it offers one more thing to try you might not have considered.
Last edited by ljsense; 12/08/05 04:50 AM.