Need Help with my 2009 Aveo spent aton of money already!

[jasmineruby1]

I turn my car on and the rpm jumps to 2000 and then fluctuates between 1500 and 1000 all while stuttering. The weird thing is that when the a/c is on the car runs fine and when its off it stutters and tries to stall. When its in the drive gear and I have my foot on the break at a stop sign or red light it starts to stutter and tries to stall so I add a little gas so it won't. I took it to get diagnosed and came back with codes P0171 and P0300. Took it to a mechanic, he said he couldn't figure out what was wrong but he cleaned my TB, MAF, and Throttle Plates, paid him a hefty fee and was upset because my car wasn't close to being fixed. It ran a little better and I just changed the MAF yesterday but the problem continues and I don't know what to do. I thought it might be the IAC valve but I couldn't locate it so I gave up and came here.

Does anyone know what the problem could possibly be?

If it is the IAC valve could you tell me where it is located please?
(I'm a girl and don't exactly speak car and driver so the more details the better).

Thank you friends!

[xintersecty]

First off if you have a smart phone go get a blue tooth ODBII converter Amazon.com: Vgate Bluetooth Scan Tool OBD2 OBDII Scanner for TORQUE APP ANDROID: Automotive

you use that with torque.
P0171 is the engine is running too lean. So look for a leaking hose between the air filter and the throttle body. Then look for a vacuum leak. In other words check all the hoses.

P0300 is random misfires. Time to replace plugs and wires. When you pull off the engine cover, you will often find that the valve covered has leaked.

Idle Control Valve (IAC <-WTF? use real words please not an other TLA). I have a 2006 engine and can point out the location there. The 2009 engines have a different setup. So look for something that looks like this:

[jasmineruby1]

UPDATE:
It was my catalytic converter . Thanks for your help but, who cares about the abbreviations?! I looked up my abbreviations and they were all right. SO, anyways I took it to Stingray Chevy and they charged me $50 to diagnose it and I wish i would have done that since the very beginning!

[xintersecty]

So glad you got it fixed. Sometimes the dealer does the right thing at a reasonable price. Abbreviations are a short form of a word, an acronym is the first letter of each word. For example thermostat will become t-stat (abbreviation) and TLA is a Three Letter Acronym. I was just whining as I did not know what is a IAC.

We on the forum do appreciate the follow up.

[jasmineruby1]

You got me with the acronym sir, you got me.

[Aveo5Lover]

Just curious, how many miles do you have on your 2009? I just purchased a 2009. I love it so far but I'm paranoid something is going to break. Isn't is early for a catalytic converter to go? Did the dealer explain what happened? Finally, did they replace it under warranty? I believe I read another post here that said catalytic converters were required under Federal law to be covered for 8 years. And thanks for telling us how your story ended.

[Aveo5Lover]

Also, does anyone know how often the throttle body should be cleaned? Obviously when it is dirty! But, I mean is this a regular maintenance item that should be done every so many miles? It's not mentioned in the "Additional Required Services" section of the manual.

[xintersecty]

Also, does anyone know how often the throttle body should be cleaned? Obviously when it is dirty! But, I mean is this a regular maintenance item that should be done every so many miles? It's not mentioned in the "Additional Required Services" section of the manual.

That is a good darn question. Honestly I don't know. I took mine apart and it's awful. My intake hose had a crack in it causing unfiltered air to leak past.