Testing IAC
 

So I tested the IAC with /a 9v and 12v battery and can see the plunger move up and down. What i noticed is there is really only less than a 1/4 inch of motion. Is that as much as this thing opens

This is the amount of movement I am talking about.

That was about the length of travel when I tested mine. Think it only need to open enough to allow flow between the two chambers. You may want to blast it with some brake cleaner to clean any residual gunk.

That's how much mine seem to open, but mine doesn't idle very well with the a/c on and it's also out of spec so I'm also curious if this is normal or not.

They very rarely go bad.