Cold Idle Problem

[Lucas.B]

Hey guys,

Here's my situation:

Car runs great except pretty much every cold start up the idle is very inconsistent, dropping very low (400rpm) but never stalling. It also drops very low when dropping back down from pressing the throttle. If I drive it right away, it hesitates even with my foot on the throttle, for a short while then is fine. These symptoms are amplified by cold weather. Also, when the car is initially started, all the lights in the dash (ABS, PS, etc) are lit until i bring the throttle up to about 2k, then they go out.
I've done all you regular maintenance, also replaced the AFM, to no avail.
What kind of thing causes a temperature dependent hesitation like that? And would work perfectly when the car is warmed up? Bad fuel pump, O2 sensor?

Thanks so much in advance for any input!

Lucas

[nando]

coolant temp sensor

[mrsleeve]

its an e30 thing its just what they do.

[Lucas.B]

coolant temp sensor

thats at the front of the engine on top of the thermo housing, right? I got one but it has two male connectors and the one in there has one. mind you the harness has two females.
also what might I do about a stuck and stripped bleed screw

[nando]

one goes to the coolant gauge, the other goes to the ECU. I believe the ECU sensor has 2 prongs, but I'm not certain. you could just test both and see though - the resistange ranges/temps are in the Bentley.

as far as the bleed screw - I'd look for a used thermostat housing. you could try drilling and tapping it for a bigger screw too.