Hi everyone

I recently bought a '96 TE Magna Executive. I got lucky and even managed to get a manual as well (Most of the ones i've seen before are auto). I've been driving it for about a week now and have noticed that when the engine is cold (Usually from start-up after sitting over night) that it wont idle correctly.
Or to be more specific it idles fine until I begin to drive, and then after my foot comes off the accelerator and im idling at an intersection or take too long between gear changes, the engine stalls.

Before anyone asks, yes I know how to drive a manual :P

So I guess my question is, can anyone tell me what the problem could be?
I did a little research and found a few answers (Dirty fuel, fouled spark plugs, automatic choke, AFM, throttle cable needing readjustment, etc...) but nothing definitive.

the reason you cant find a 100% right anwser is because their isnt one, all those things plus a few extras like maf, sensers, hoses, even a bloody hole in your exhaust can cause a bad idle,

hell you could also try adjusting the idle oddly enough do a forums search for the 3rd gen manuals and go through the process of elimination

Before you delve too deeply, just check that all the vacuum hoses that go onto the throttle body etc are in place and not split or detached - any of these and you will have a bad/low idle. If you're new to fixing/fiddling with cars, the vacuum hoses are the small (5mm and under) usually black flexible hoses/tubes that seem to populate the back half of the engine...always on the top half.
And welcome to the forum.:)

could be the throttle positioning sensor, either buggered, or out of adjustment. but as above posts have said, could be a number of things wrong.

I guess ill take some time this sunday to have a bit of a poke around under the hood and have a look for possible causes. I can rule out the exhaust and petrol (Exhaust replaced 2 weeks before I bought the car, from the cat converter back and I've used the petrol in the tank and refilled twice since buying it, using premium fuel both times [had bad experiences with e10 in my old car, also a Mitsubishi]).

On a side note I'm not new to playing around with cars but I'm not a professional either. I did mostly all of the maintenance on my old Mitsubishi ('89 Galant GSR). Oil & filter changes, coolant flushes, bleeding brakes, changing spark plugs, replacing gaskets, brake pads, sound systems and even had the suspension pulled out at one point. But im far from knowing all there is to know.

Sounds like the idle control motor to me........My 3.5L '96 KE Verada..... was doing the same (stop at lights & remove the foot off the accellerator & it stalls..... doesnt stall if you hold the throttle on slightly).
I did have another similar problem several months ago (similar in as much as the car stalled when sitting idleing for 5 or 10 mins) but that turned out to be a weeping water hose (for the ICM) it was weeping onto the distributor & after 5 mins or so the car would stall & was hard to restart.

Your car is at the right age to have a dead ISC motor. My money is on that, gives those symptoms.