Wow, an awesome ending! I am having the exact issues with my car...except I think I may have bad manifold sealing rings.
When I spray brake cleaner anywhere near the engine (literally anywhere) the idle jumps up quite a bit.
When I spray the injectors, some make the idle jump more than others... but when I spray down between the air mass meter and the distributor, the idle REALLY jumps, almost like I revved the engine using the throttle! Does this point to bad manifold seals?