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Hi Peter,
My first impression is you might give too much weight to that 232 as a symptom of the problem that makes the car stall. Also, I question whether the codes were read completely -- as the computer will store more than one, so you need to repeat the button press until the OBD message is repeated. That might explain why a 232, which does not set the CEL, seemed to.
The code will not reveal a TPS acting up. Unfortunately the blowby oil eventually gets into the Microswitch, and as a result it might click all right, but if you were to read the voltage on the blue/white lead at that point you could find it anywhere depending on how many times you operated the switch, instead of zero, where it needs to be to tell the computer to use the idle control.
As for the 232, I've fixed this with intake manifold gaskets, exhaust gaskets, downpipes, and in some cases just allowed the car to live with it as no driveability symptoms followed. As such, I think in your case, the code is a red herring.
The stalling could be a failure of the idle circuit, or an electrical failure in getting full voltage to the engine management system through a bit of oxidation, say at the 25A fuse holder, or the grounds on the fuel rail bolts, for example. Even the splices inside the main engine harness, under the vinyl sleeving, have problems with corrosion. Also, once you reset the computer (I don't just use the push button, but instead lift the 25A fuse out momentarily) the system has to re-learn, and idle is chancy for ten minutes or so normally.
Sorry to say I agree with you on the remote maintenance. It is no longer true, I believe, just because the car is in a college town, you can find a shop still well versed in 240. They've all come to depend on OBD-II and replace parts on guesses, it seems. Though I'm all done with the college student era, I would never have had to get on a plane to reach them.
I don't have any advice except to have her make sure she is reading ALL the codes, and then immediately resetting, by lifting the fuse, and then giving it 10 minutes of running before concluding the problem remains. If it is the TPS, I would tell someone to make sure it clicks "completely" before the throttle closes, and not hair trigger style right at closing, as so many interpret the instructions. You want it to be sure to report closed throttle for idle as a priority over getting it out of idle as soon as the pedal is nudged. Verstehen?
Good luck, I feel your discomfort.
--
Art Benstein near Baltimore
By the time a man is wise enough to watch his step, he's too old to go anywhere.
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