car won't idle...

[Richard van der Hoff]

well, it will (just about), but only if I disconnect the idle speed valve.

The car in question is my type 89 2.0L coupe.  The idle was a bit uneven
so, following the advice which seems to be widely given here, I took the
valve out yesterday for a good clean-up.  The good news is that it's
unstuck now; the bad news is that it seems to be closed whenever the key
is on.

So the engine will start and run whenever I have my foot on the the
throttle - but ease off and the engine will gradually slow until it falls
below stall speed. I guess that cleaning the valve has revealed a problem
which was previously hidden behind a stuck valve.

A couple of questions then:  first, I assume that the valve *is* supposed
to close (rather than open) when current passes through it?  and assuming
it is, any idea why the ecu has decided I don't need any air in my engine?

Thanks,

Rich