Ok heres my sad story..I have a 91 camaro 305 TBI. w/T5
I swapped it out for a 88 350 TPI, strapped to the same T5.

oh and yes i swapped the fuel pump from the iroc for the record.

However, in the process of swapping i removed the ac and installed a ac delete pulley and i also removed all the smog stuff..
including: Cats, EGR, Canister, smog pump, all the smog stuff basically.
and I installed hooker shorty headers.

I before i dropped in the 350, i changed the head gasket, and in the process of installing the upper drive train, i notice that some of the push rods were kinda warped and the rocker arms self aligntment tabs were worn so i replaced those toO. and so now i can get the car to turn on but i have to hold the gas to keep it running.

while running it just doesnt seem right, and if i let the throttle go it will idle down and turn off. im tired of working on this dam car, becuz ive been working on it forever..

IM not sure if the fuel injectors are in the right order but i know their not bad becuz i just put them in..i dont know what the problem is, maybe timing..oh speaking of timing when i put the timing light on it, when at "0" THE CAR dies,and i have to advance it to keep it running, so maybe the distributor is 180 out or something.. i dunno?
oh i noticed that the ball inside of the knock sensor was like loose, and i keep hearing a tapping sound down by the starter soO i figure that thats that sounds.

 

Did you also change out the ECM/Prom for one that was designed for a MAF 350 TPI T5?

 

yep.. i sure did,however the maf sensor looks like it could be in better shape..

 

my brothers car had the same symptoms and we came to find out the MAF wasnt even plugged in.. do the basic stuff.. check your maf, set the IAC and TPS, check your timing with the EST plug disconnected and find out where your base timing is at.. my base timing on my car is 13* on 91 octane.. she runs goooooood..

like i said man, start with the basic stuff.

 

If the distributor was 180 out it would not run... it would backfire a lot when you tried to start it.

I would check for a vacuum leak. That will cause symptoms like the ones you describe. In view of the fact that you disconnected a lot of stuff, you may have an open vacuum port somewhere.

With the car idling, have someone spray WD 40 or carb cleaner into the air intake. If the engine starts to run better/smoother, you have a vacuum leak. Spraying at the suspected location of the leak will help you pinpoint it.

 

Did you mess with the minimum idle? The screw for the throttle plates? Also I think it's different for a manual. You might have to readjust it.

 

Were did yo uget the chip from? If you didn't burn it yourself or have someone you trust burn it for you that may be the issue. When I did my swap i burned 4 or 5 chips before she would idle right for me.