help. my 1.7 has decided to idle at 2,000. i checked hoses, idle adjustment screw, throttle return spring, as it was an intermittent problem, so i thought maybe it was just getting stuck. now its consistently at 2000. any thoughts - could this be a sensor - or timing?

Hi

Remove the air filter bowl and have a good look to make sure nothing is sticking, or touching something. Have you looked at it since it become steady 2K rpm? Intermitants are hard to find, but maybe now it would be easier to spot.
Maybe a sticky cable. You need to be sure about all the vacume hoses.
Easy stuff first
If this has been done and is OK, I am sure someone will give you pointers on the FI, I have never worked on one...

Later

It's either an air leak, or overly-advanced timing. I'd bet on an air leak, myself... Could be at the throttle body, as you suspect, or could be in a vacuum hose, or some other component.

Push on the throttle bellcrank; does the idle drop? (You may have to pull the air cleaner housing to get to the bellcrank.) Does the hose going from the air cleaner to the auxiliary air regulator (AAR) have any vacuum on it after the engine has run for ~5-10 minutes? If so, the AAR is stuck open. Does the hose from the air cleaner to the decel valve have any vacuum on it when the engine is at idle? If so, the DV is bad.

And, of course, all of the hoses and the fuel injector O-rings and so on and so forth can all be opportunities for leaks...

--DD