Well I solved the elusive idle issue finnally. Turned out that the last mechanic to work on the car mixed up a sensor wire and the magnetic fan clutch plugs. They are identical, but the wires when you pull back the black plastic covering are different colors that match the respective mating plug.
Took car on a shakedown cruise from NJ to the panhandle of WV where my friend is going to get lots of enjoyment out of her. No real issues except when I got there the air cleaner was full of oil from the breather line. I know the car has a fair number of miles on it, at least 190K but blow by does not seem excessive. The oil cap doesnt get blown off it just bobbles a little when left on loose. I noticed a fair amount of oil on the engine before I started this project but attributed it to the hose being brittle and cracked. There is also another line that tees off the breather and goes to a metal port centered on the intake manifold. The small hole in this was plugged solid. I do have a vacum on this line when the engine is running. Is that part of the PCV system?
Is there any updates that anyone knows of to the breather hose? I know the older dieseles had a new style flattened hose to help eliminate oil problems but I havent seen anything updated for this. My next idea was to "borrow" the design for the diesels oil return. Simply get a coffee can or similar container, and put two nipples in the top and one on the bottom. Splice into the breather line before it goes into the air cleaner. allow the oil to collect in the can while the crankcase vapors escape back to the air cleaner. Find a place low on the engine to return the oil. If anyone else has a good idea, I'm all ears.
Rick
W2ICA