pic of what your talking about? the way it sounds i dont think it will give you any problems

 

ok.. resoldered main relay, cleaned iacv, it was pretty dirty.... that seemed to calm the rpm needle down a bit but it is still dying when it gets warm... Any ideas? still wondering if improper timing could cause this?

 

I was also thinking maybe ecu needs to relearn idle because i disconnected battery while replacing distributor... does this sound like a possibility??? anyone have a process for this?

 

Does not sound like a timing issue to me. But if in doubt - have it checked. Your ECU does not need to relearn the idle. It adjusts very quickly.
Check the cap again - see if moisture has found its way in.

 

no moisture... my best guess now is a vacuum leak somewhere... problem is finding the little bastard.

 

could a faulty o2 sensor maybe cause this? thanks for all your help!

 

turns out that pepboys sold me a faulty distributor...