I'm new to the form, but I figure you guys know what your talking about. but beware, long story haha....

Ok so all my problems started when my intake manifold started leaking coolant from the front drivers side corner. I picked up an edelbrock basic replacement manifold to replace it along with all the gaskets and stuff.

When I was putting the throtle body back on I was in a hury late at night not paying attention and managed to strip the threads inside the tbi where the fuel inlet is (yes I know how stupid I am and how I should've done it)

So It was bad enough I couldn't fix it so I took it to a local carb shop and they said i'd need a whole new throttle body and just put all my old injectors and everything else on this new body.

After I got it back I installed it the right way (i'm never gonna strip one again!) Fired it up and the idle was really high. But I set the correct timing and it acted like it was running rich as well.

Turns out this TB has an idle screw which I turned out all the way (idles right at 710 in P) and reset the timing to be safe.

But still runs way rich! You can smell it while its idling and on first start up in the morning, my dad said it would blow a little black as I took off.

Now this pickup has always ran fairly cool ( about 160*) since it was new (i've been told). I put a new 195* thermostat from autozone in when I did the intake and one more a month or so after, and still runs cold, even in Arizona's 115* summers. I even put a dealer thermostat in it. And yes, it was siliconed up good.

With no SES light or codes showing up I started testing all my sensors. The O2 sensor along with the manifold coolant sensor gave me bad readings which I replaced and it seems to run alot less rich now.

I also I replaced my water pump and now it will finally make thepature (195*) even tho it takes a while of driving around during the summer.

It also gets a consistant 13mpg, even if I baby it

It also just feels like it has alot less power all around, than it did before the manifold

But I figured oh well I tried every test I can think of and just live with it.

But recently it just died while I was coming up to stop at a red light, but it started right up

Last night out on the freeway in the middle of construction it died and I tried to restart but it wouldnt fire. I turned the key and everything off and waited about 30sec and then it started up like normal except I could smell it was rich agian.

Any ideas?!?!

I really like my pickup but I really need it to be reliable!

Thanks in advance

 

Have you tried replacing your temp sensor for the gauge thats located in the the driver side head? I have found that they tend to not be accurate after a few years. Have you had your ignition control module tested? how old is it? it could be on its way out the door... and poor firing could make you run a little rich also..last but not least how old are the cap rotor wires and plugs? hope this helps cuzz your truck can get better fuel mileage than your getting..good luck

 

No i haven't yet but would that make a difference? I can shoot a temp. gun on it at the sensor and its pretty close to my gauge.

How do you test an icm? It is the factory one still.

Caps rotor wires and all is a few years old, but only about 20,000 miles old

Thanks for the reply!

 

You can pull the ICM and take it to twilitezone and they can test it for you...pull the cap and rotor and give them a looksee and OHM out the wires.. should be nothing morethan 7000ohms per foot for standard wires...

 

Cap and rotor all look good, as are the wires.

The ICM tested good even when heated up.

The more I've been reading, it seems like they are very hard to catch acting up tho...


any more ideas are always welcome!

thanks again