IAC valve??
 

I have a 1988 Honda Civic. On cold starts the engine will race. After a few minutes, if I turn the key off and back on quickly before it dies the engine speed will drop. But sometimes it will die and I have to turn the key off and on sometimes several times before it will start. I have cleaned the IAC, but doesn't help.

Sounds like your Fast Idle Thermo Valve (FITV) needs cleaning and adjusting. Start there.
What model Civic do you have, and what maintenance has been done so far?

IAC valve??
 

I have the basic civic 1.5. I have cleaned the IAC and fixed the seals--could have been leaking. Seems to run better. How is the IAC different from the Fast Idle Thermo Valve (FITV) and how do you adjust it?

...here's a IAC troubleshooting video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNO8GCN8jQA