I have a 95 dx manual that is running great, except that when I go to restart it after I've stopped for food/gas/anything that only takes a couple of minutes.

The problem I've noticed is that it starts and runs really rough and seems like it wants to die. I can power through it and once I get to about 20-25 mph it starts to run normally again. I just had the thermostat replaced because it was overheating. While that was being done my mechanic decided to clean the "throttle body" (that little valve that regulates the air flow).

I don't think the the rough starts were caused by him doing that. But wtf do I know.

So cliffs: no problem starting cold, once warmed up and I turn the car off the engine runs VERY rough.

 

anyone?

 

Is the CEL ON?

You might want to clean the Idle Control Valve (IACV) attached to the throttle body (see link in my signature).

 

The CEL is not on.

I will check the IACV, as my mechanic did clean the throttle body valve, and he may have dislodged/clogged something there.

 

I'll also check the FITV since I WAS having overheating issues. Could the overheating damage the FITV or the IACV?

 

Overheating can damage many things in an engine.

I don't think the FITV is the problem as your running issue occurs only when the engine is warm/hot. The IACV is a more likely possibility.

Also inspect the spark plugs, cap, and rotor and measure the resistance of the plug wires.

 

Ok, so I took it to my mechanic and he looked at and cleaned the IACV. The problem did not go away. He is "thinking" that it could be a small leak in the head gasket. Which, with the cost of the radiator and labor will bring the total for this trip up to around $1000 and possibly above.

I am thinking its not worth it. Any thoughts.

 

Well as it turns out the head is definitely leaking. So I pulled the head off and am taking it to a mechanic to find out how much the head is warped. I have all of the new gaskets already, high temp thread locker, and some kind of silicone lube. I am going to be buying new head bolts and the copper stuff.