I was told my 1995 chevy needs an idle air control valve. I know my idle is getting rougher so I may need this. What is the function of this valve and what would happen if I don't get it? Will a new valve smooth my idle? Anyone know if this valve is hard to install or not?
The IAC (Idle Air Control Valve) controls the amount of air getting into the throttle body/intake to coincide with the correct amount of fuel to get the perfect fuel/air mixture for proper combustion. Too much or too little air will affect the performance of the engine at idle. If you have the 5.7 350 v8 the idle air control valve is really an easy fix. it sits right in the throttle body and is easy to get to. Autozone in Houston, TX has them for about $22... If you don't get it your idle will be poor and the engine could possible stall at idle.
As long as the eng check light isn't on then it will harm nothing. If the light is on but the van runs good it's because the computer is running in a fixed parameters ( emergency mode ) and it's not running at top potential.
It would be fairly easy to do in my car but I don't know about yours. The AICV lets air into the engine when the throttle is closed (idle). A new one should smooth out your idle and if you don't get one your idle may get worse to the point where your car won't run without you pressing on the gas.
