This is good.

If the engine was fully warm when you checked, that is.

Possible faulty EACV.

You DID do this with the engine FULLY hot, did you? Assuming you did...

Now do one more very important test: Unplug the EACV's electrical
connector. Does the engine still die when it's fully hot?

The EACV gets pretty hot, so it might be easier to unplug it while the
engine is cold, then drive it until it's fully warm. Be aware that the car
will not idle at all and will try to stall on you at every light. You'll
need to use the gas pedal to keep it alive. The Check Engine light will
come on also, but it'll go off again once you plug the EACV back in after.

Possibility, yes. And that dirt won't have been kind to your cylinder bores
and rings either.

Sort of.

In the old days of carburetors, the throttle plate (the big round brass
thing you see in the throttle body) was held open just a crack to allow air
in when your foot was not on the gas. These days, the EACV (IAC) serves as
an adjustable air bypass *around* the throttle, and the throttle plate is
held completely closed when your foot is off the pedal.

You have about 5 or 6 controlled air sources for the engine to use (besides
the throttle plate). All but one (the EACV) are concerned with a *cold*
engine. When warm, all those sources should be closed except for the EACV.
That your car won't idle at all with the EACV port plugged by your finger
suggests that the other air inlets are fine and the EACV is stuck open. It
is possible for grit to prevent the EACV from closing to the correct
setting.

A cycling idle is normally due to a gross air leak into the intake, such as
an EACV that is stuck open. The computer's #1 task is to keep the air/fuel
mixture to a certain proportion, so faced with excess air that it cannot
control, it will keep feeding fuel until the mixture is correct, which
results in an increasing idle. It will only keep feeding fuel until it
reaches certain internal limits. When it hits those limits, it will shut
off the gas, the revs will fall, then the cycle repeats.

You can test this. Instead if covering the port completely, cover it
slowly, sliding your finger over it bit by bit. You'll find a spot where
the idle settles down. It may still be high, but won't fluctuate. Keep
sliding your finger over it, and you'll find a spot where the idle is
normal. That's how much excess air is entering.

It is possible to try to clean the EACV without removing it. Get a spray
can of Throttle Body Cleaner. With the engine running, spray the Cleaner
into the port you were covering with your finger. The car will stumble and
attempt to stall. When it feels like it's about to stall, stop spraying and
let the engine recover. Repeat.

Try the cleaner, then report back here.

I decided to remove the EACV last night and after opening the device, I
found the air opening to the EACV has a wire screen and the screen is
almost 90% blocked with black carbon deposite.  I proceed to clean the
stuff out with a vacumn cleaner.  After that, I used gasoline to wash
the parts and also used the gasoline to wash inside the valve.  After
setting it dry, I dropped some lubricating oil into the valve opening to
see if I can provide some lubrication for the valve.  I put back the
EACV and did a test drive but still find the Idel speed to be high and
moving back and forth between 1000 to 1500 rpm.  I decide to adjust the
idel speed a little bit lower.  After that, it kind of solve the
problem.  I need to do another test drive today to see if I really fixed
the problem.  I am kind of ticked off that when the car went in for
210,000 mile maintainence, the ideling was OK but because the guy forgot
to tighten the Air intake boot which caused the dirt to get into the
EACV which caused the ideling problem.  These days, when you send you
car for repair, you are taking a chance with a perfect good cars that
comes back worse then it was then before.  This has happen to me many
times.  I hope by cleaning the EACV valve will solve this problem and I
will write a letter to that Acura dealer at Mission Viejo to let them
know what they have done.  I am pretty sure they reply will be how could
I be sure that their tech. is the one that left it loose.  All I can say
is that good luck to all of you that need to rely on these guys and
don't know how to check on their work.

Peter Koo