bought used SUV, stalling-dying issue and seeking addtl advice

[SDM1184]

So I'm new here and probably won't be very active.. but I'm hoping to see if anyone here has any advice for me.

I recently bought (for very cheap) a used 92 Ford Explorer from a friend, who didn't use it much, but the owner previous to her put it through a pretty rough life. Before she got it, I understand that it was used to haul trees out of the mountains, just to give an idea of what its been through.

It has about 133000ish miles on it, and actually seems to run decent enough. Still some quirks, burns/leaks oil and tranny fluid (less-so now that it's had some work), check engine light will not turn off and the box doesn't talk to the device to check for codes, and a clicking in the engine believed to be caused by just sticky lifters.

I have another friend who is an educated and professional mechanic who has helped a LOT with getting it fixed up.

But it still has one huge issue that has everyone who has looked at it rather boggled. Please bear with me as I explain this, as I'm not car savvy and not familiar with all terms.

It has this problem with stalling out and dying when idle or slowing down. By "dying", I mean the engine just shudders and stops. Power stays on, but when it dies, it acts the same as when on a manual car, if you come to a stop without putting the clutch in, it shakes a bit and dies right there. It will start back up again just fine for the most part.
It happens completely randomly, and only if it's not getting gas (sometimes it runs a long time without acting up, gas or not). If I keep on the brake and a steady foot on gas at the same time, it's usually fine. I know it's not the best thing to do, but all I CAN do to avoid dying in the middle of the road and risking an accident.

So, as far as what's been tried to attempt to figure this out...
The gas pressure has been tested and is perfectly fine.
The throttle body and plate were cleaned thoroughly.
The fuel pump relay was replaced.
And probably unrelated repairs but just so the info is available if it matters:
Totally new spark plugs and wires
New muffler
There was probably more work done on this, but that's all I can remember right now.

On that issue, does anyone have any ideas?
I'll print out any responses to show to my mechanic friend to see what he can make of it, since I'm sure it will likely all just be Greek to me :

Another thing I wanted to gain here, was to get opinions/input on pushing this car another 3000 miles to get from WA to MA. My mechanic seems confident it will be up for the trip and I trust his opinion, but I wanted to gather additional input from people who have owned explorers.

I'm planning to move across the country in 6 months, and I'm not particularly financially well-off to be able to get a better vehicle, so this is my only means to do so.
Basically, I'm going to try my luck regardless and hope for the best.. but I wanted to know if anyone has any bewares or advice before I jump into it.

Before I go for it, I'll be putting new tires on it, new fanbelt for good measure (dunno if/when the current one has ever been replaced, and my last car destroyed one so I'm a little nervous about abusing them now), and just a total tune up replacing all the filters and everything to get it to the best possible condition it can manage.

So yeah.. Sorry if it's a bit lengthy
If anyone has any advice for me? Would really appreciate any input! Thanks so much!

 

[Roadrunner777]

Check engine light (CEL) and cannot read codes, that needs to get addressed near the top of the list. The Engine Control Module (ECM) should be available on the used/junkyard market, I'd think for under $100. I'd start there, myself.

 

[wood1]

I would tend to agree with Roadrunner... you should clean the mass airflow sensor if it hasn't been done as well, they are well known for causing all kinds of runability issues when gummed up.

Glacier has a thread on that I believe.

 

[Jason94sport]

Sounds like a bad IACV. Idle Air Control Valve. It's mounted to the right side of the intake above the throttle body.

 

[MrShorty]

By "dying", I mean the engine just shudders and stops. Power stays on, but when it dies, it acts the same as when on a manual car, if you come to a stop without putting the clutch in, it shakes a bit and dies right there. It will start back up again just fine for the most part.

This sounds to me like the torque converter lockup clutch (TCC) is sticking on. I had a similar problem on an old '88 Celebrity which I fixed by simply cutting the wire to TCC solenoid. The TCC will never lock, so it never gets stuck. It might be a useful diagnostic step, then you can dig into the valve body if that proves to be the cause.