Starting and running problems linked?

This is what I know: It's a 1994 Saturn SL1. Nothing special about it. We go out and start the car, and it starts working (no starter turning) on it's own right away like it normally would. Immediately, even though it's doing it on it's own, the idle is WAY too low and it makes a chugging sound. Step on the accelerator and the car starts acting like it's getting too much gas (WOT to clear it out and the rpm picks up right away), but it recovers after running for a few seconds and runs great after it's finally started. It idles about 1K higher then it should though. Power is normal, heat is normal, everything else is normal. When cruising down the road, the idle is about 2.5K. At a full stop, idle is ~1.5K. :shakehead

I don't know what could possibly be wrong. I got a CTS from autozone, and the problem didn't get better. Please help!!! :)

any SES light? right now the two places i would look are the IAC and TPS.

do you have a multimeter, voltmeter, or ohmmeter? you need one of the three to test the TPS

for the IAC(idle air control), remove the intake tubing and look inside the throttle body, check for carbon build-up, both in the bore of the throttle body and around it(the IAC inlet is on top out side the bore, the IAC outlet is at the bottom of the bore, the IAC has 4 wires going to it) clean the throttle body with sensor-safe carb and choke cleaner, start the car right away so the carbon burns off, an alternative method is to remove the IAC from the throttle body then clean it(i like to do both)

Yeah, I got everything to test electronics. I forgot the haynes manual at work. I'm going to take a closer look at the hoses and then take it to saturn and have them do a diagnostic. I'll post on here what it is after I get back.

We picked up the car 5 days ago. Used and got a great deal on it, at the time ran perfect w/ no problems. The SES light did come on and I did the "home test" and got code 15. (It was only giving me a starting problem every once in a while) Went to Autozone and found out it was the CTS. Bought a CTS, had to look up in the book which part was the right one, and installed it. Tried starting the car and it gives us a starting problem every single time since. Put the old CTS in for S&G. SES light has not come on since . :sly: I'm dumbfounded. I'm a carb guy...

buy the OEM ECTS from a saturn dealership, besure you get the brass-tipped peice not plastic/resin tipped. also be sure the sensor connectior is clean.

Got the ultimate "D'oh" going on here. In the haynes manual, they got an arrow pointing to the fan control sensor calling it "The coolant temperature sending unit". I was trying to get the wrong part all this time because of a picture in the book! Anyways, it was the ECS. Works great now. Thanks for everyone's help! One of these days I'll scan the picture and post it. :icon16: