I posted a message last week titled "Spit, Sputter, Black Smoke" regarding my 1986 turbo's recent illness (hesitation and stalling). The answers I got (thank you all who answered) said I could have a faulty ECU, faulty air mass meter or an air leak. Last Saturday, I did the following:

1. Checked all turbo hoses for air leaks, found none
2. Checked AMM by disconnecting (idle fell off) and reconnecting (idle picked up)
3. Replaced air filter (it couldn't hurt)

After the engine warmed up, the problem was still there (limped the car home about 4-5 blocks by disconnecting the AMM and letting it idle in Drive; it would keep stalling with the AMM connected).

I read some information I had downloaded from the Forum several years ago. One post indicated emphatically that rather than throwing the parts catalog at the problem, start by removing and cleaning the throttle body. Sunday I removed and cleaned both the TB and IAC. I also found two vacuum hoses with bad ends, so I trimmed them too, just in case. The boots on the electrical connectors for the TB and the IAC were torn, so I taped them up.

The car now idles smoothly with no hesitation or stalling (warm or cold) and has plenty of energy and turbo boost. All this for a can of STP throttle body/intake cleaner and some rags. Spray everything, outside and inside, including every orifice. I didn't disassemble the IAC, just sprayed cleaner inside and shook it with fingers over both holes (repeat several times).

P.S.: Don't forget to reconnect the throttle linkage or you'll wonder why it won't accelerate when you go to back out of your driveway. It's not drive by wire.

Steve in northern Illinois
'86 Turbo 175K miles