why does a four cyl. idol from about 80rpms. to 250 while idoling or sittin still in drive???

That's incredibly low. Check your idle adjustment screw.

He probably means 800 to 2500. The gauge reads 80 and 250 but it should say X 10 somewhere on it. A car engine will not run at 80 rpms. Also a 4 cylinder should not idle up and down between those numbers. If it is running right it should have a fairly constant idle.

it idols, very uneven. even dies while stopped. sometimes.... idols up and down constantly every second.....

Hmm, time to check on the spark plugs and cables me thinks. Use a multimeter. Did you just buy the car from somebody? They could have raised the idling rpm cuz its so inconsistent. Hope your injectors or somewhere else in your fuel system isnt clogged up. Maybe you have it checked out. Your pump could be faulty or your filter needs to be changed. Better to leave it to a mechanic if you cant diagnose it yourself.

yeah, yeah, don't know why i screwed up about the rpm's......... i did mean 800 to about 2 grand.... anyway, its a 2000 or 2002 ford escort zx2. its my friends.... were thinkin maybe the 0'2 sensor, just tryin to figure it out instead of takin it to a shop... have always fixed cars myself... always mostly carburated though,,, cant fig, out alot of stuff in injection... and computers.. got a little prob diagnosing things like that what ever it is its easy to fix, somthin small if can fig it out.... Its really funny in parking lots people give my friend dirty looks. when their walking in front of his car. cause it sounds like he's reving it up every second, and his exhaust is broken right behind his cat. the dirty looks he gets. cause his car is scrrewed up.. makes me LMAO... GOTTA HELP HIM FIX IT......