1995 Civic DX 4Dr sedan, D15B7

On my '97 I had the issue where the car would stall at a stop, so I cleaned the TB and IACV. On that car I removed the TB, then the IACV and cleaned everything with carb clean. On the inside of the TB I used carb clean and a brass brush. I have been told brass is softer than other metals, and is ok to use to scrub and clean with.

Now, on my '95 Civic, I had the issue where the idle was revving up then back down again. So I removed only the IACV, sprayed it out with carb clean, and let it dry.

In place, I opened up the TB sprayed a bit of carb clean in, and on a shop towel, and I just cleaned the inside of the TB and the throttle valve plate that way. It was a tad sticky, and it seemed to help. I did notice however, there was still a ring of black build-up inside.

It seems to work ok, but is it better, and is it safe to remove it and clean it with the brass brush like I did the '97? Should I use an old toothbrush instead?

Also, if I remove the TB, is it best to replace the gasket, or can it be reused?

Thanks!

 

Don't use anything metal (IDK if the throttle bodies on some of these cars are steel or aluminum, is the thing)
Use a Scotch-Brite pad
Much better than a toothbrush and it won't score up any metal either

 

And how do I know if the gasket is still good? Should I plan for the worse when I remove the TB?

 

It's a paper gasket. It will be bad. Replace it.