Q: My car is hard to start until I pat the gas - it idles rough

Hello. If you need to continue to apply the accelerator pedal to keep the engine running then it can be caused by a few things. It can be caused by a vacuum leak, a dirty or failing throttle body, or possibly a failing idle control valve. I usually check for vacuum leaks first. The most common spot is the intake manifold gasket on this engine. If none are found then I clean the throttle body to see if that works. If that does not work either then the idle control valve typically needs to be replaced. If you are going to have this idling problem checked, consider YourMechanic, as a certified mechanic can come to your home or office to diagnose and repair this.