95 Saturn SL1 Intermittent issues on startup PLEASE HELP!

[skateaholic247]

Good morning guys,

First off, I have to say, I am fresh to these forums and honestly didn't think there would such a great resource for my old favorite daily driver.

I had a 95 saturn sl1 that was automatic, sold it, and missed it to death so when it was time for me to find another cheap daily I went ahead and bought another 95 saturn sl1 5spd with 141,000 miles.

It now has 147,000 miles and is running strong except for some weird issues I hope you guys can help me out with.

First and foremost, I have used the search tools and functions, however I want to post a new thread because I don't believe my problems have been experienced exactly.

Bought the car about 9 months ago and so far have done this:

-Changed oil every 3k (While monitoring level since it does burn a little bit so I've had to throw in maybe a quart and a half in between each oil change)

- Transmission Flush
- Coolant Flush
- Replaced Thermostat
- Replaced ECTS with brass tip
- Replaced idler control valve
- Repaired broken rear exhaust hanger
- Replaced Airbox and filter
- Replaced serpentine belt

I think that pretty much covers it.

This is my daily driver, I drive it to and from work everyday about 10 miles each way. Everything was working fine except one day the car was having trouble starting. I had to feather the gas pedal in order to get it going and afterwards the car started, but started a little rough and the rpm's were barely making it past 1k. I continued to give it a little gas because if I didn't the car would just stall out by itself in neutral. I took the car in for service last week and my mechanic said it was the idler control valve and replaced that, but that doesn't seem to have fixed the problem. My car will do this one or two times a day, but at other times it will fire up just fine as if nothing is wrong.

My question is do you guys have any idea what could be wrong? Also, when I have to start it this way, I notice that fluid leaks out of the exhaust, like there's a puddle in my driveway and honestly it smells like coolant/water/dirt mixture but it only happens when my car has trouble starting like this.

After these rough kind of starts, I can pull away and drive and after driving everything seems to be fine, but do you guys have any idea what could be causing these intermittent start issues?

Sorry for the lengthy post, but thanks in advance for your help. I'd rather consult the experts on here first before going back to my mechanic because I don't want him replacing stuff that's not going to fix the problem.