2001 Dodge Durango idle problems

It starts fine but the idle will surge up and down. It will also stay in high idle for the first 2 gears before it goes back to normal. The A/c has also decided to not work as good too. Any help would be appreciated before I start throwing money at it...
FD

have someone clean the intake butterfly and all openings, with a good intake cleaner - check your electric fan - on the inside of radiator - if it doesn't run the a/c will not work properly at slow speeds - electric fan is not a cheap replacement part - 325.00 plus tax and labor

My 2001 durango has been doing the same thing, idle up and down and engine surges. It does not matter if it is in gear or park. It does not matter if the A/C is on or off. Just had it at the dealership, idle replaced, throttle cleaned. Two days later its back surging and it hesitates when driving and my engine light came on this evening. Any suggestions. HELP!


7/21/06 Dealership replaced the throttle position sensor. It idles normal and no heistation. the check engine lite was intermittent, the dealership said it was considered a "soft code" so it never showed during diagnostics. The code showed up under P0121. OF course the throttle was cleaned out prior, so maybe combined it will not happen. Durango running great!

Same thing with the idle on my 01 Durango. High idle on every start, but seems to eventually get back to normal after the engine warms up, or after several minutes of driving. Annoying thing is that it also tends to surge up to the high idle at times while stopped at a light. If you don't have your foot in the pedal, it can lunge forward.

Was the Throttle Position Sensor an expensive replacement? I read someone had this problem fixed by replacing that item. is that a DIY repair?

The idle Position sensor for part and labor at the dealership was $203.00. Yes, my durango would surge when I was at a light and if my foot was not held on the brake, it would of had me slamming into the person in front of me. It was very unsafe. The first time in dealership they cleaned out throttle guage body, said it was so gummed up, that cost $159.00. then the check engine light came on and off which then indicated the Idol Position Sensor, which cost $203.00. Also, it surged whether I was in gear or parked, it was crazy. Then most recently it started to hesitate taking gas while I was driving, that's when the check engine light came on. As far as the surging, this has been happening since last summer. So it took almost a year to get a check engine lite to engage so they knew what to fix. I actually had a garage change the idol control vavle, that didn't do a darn thing. that's why I eneded up at the dealership. I believe this can be fixed anywhere, I don't think its a dealership repair onlly. You may just have to ask your regular mechanic. Hope this information proves to be helpful for you. Good Luck and I'll be more then glad to share whatever informaiton I can.
Lori