1997 SE - CEL Blinking

My 97 Bonne SE with 83,000 miles has had an intermittent Check Engine Light for a couple of weeks. It would come on and then go off when I would get gas. Recently it has stayed on and today it started blinking. Auto Zone read code and it says Engine Lean on Bank 1, Misfire in Cylinder #1.

Runs a little rough and noticeable lack of power since light blinking. Engine has always surged a little when maintaining constant RPM. By surging, I mean that tach would move about 100 - 200 and engine would feel like I was pushing accelerator and letting off constantly when trying to maintain speed to climb hill.

Anyone have any suggestions before I pay the dealer to spend lots of time and MY money diagnosing whatever they think is wrong.

Thanks for the help!!!

[QUOTE=93 Max SE]Engine has always surged a little when maintaining constant RPM. By surging, I mean that tach would move about 100 - 200 and engine would feel like I was pushing accelerator and letting off constantly when trying to maintain speed to climb hill.QUOTE]

THIS part at least is not necessarily a symptom: it is sequential action of the EGR valve sections (3) ; at some regimes, the computer hesitates between 2 settings. Also, it is even a seft test that the computer does trigging the EGR sections just to verify that they work and the system precisely monitors engine RPM variations as a proof that it works.