Well thanks for the ideas. I've visited most of them already. Got a friend with a brick, hopefully I can get him to loan it to me. As far as the hood and grounds-you'd think it would be something like that yet how is it I can run the truck down a washboard dirt road without a symptom? At one point I even suspected maybe the light on the hood was shorting out and somehow dragging down the electrical system.
Last night I changed the tranny fluid and replaced a beatup looking O2 sensor. Still no improvement.
1. Still haven't picked up the coolant sensor for the gauge but the ecm sender should be working fine.
2. ICM was tested and proved fine and also replaced and proven fine.
3. All vacuum lines have been tested.
4. Fuel pressure seems OK despite the fact that sometimes after the engine has been run long enough and shut down, a couple squirts of starting fluid are needed to get it to fire again. There has been a small gas drip/leak at the tank for the last year.
5. Distributor has been rebuilt w/ new cap/rotor/wires/plugs. Confirmed spark
6. Coolant level checked
7. Battery replaced
8. Grounds intact
9. im sure im missing something
symptoms at this point;
1. engine starts fine cold.
2. if hood is shut or latch mech pulled engine rpm changes slightly.
3. once warmed up idling- engine starts to fluctuate rpm randomly
4. neutral idling, engine tends to run about 500 rpms higher than normal
5. when put into drive brakes on, engine can stumble momentary if not stall. Idle still high, transmission is pushing against brakes rather firmly.
6. when accelerating, off idle the engine will stumble/cut-out, extra throttle seems to keep it from stalling. Then engine accelerates from there which seems a little low on power.
7. Cruising at 55mph, while the engine misses subtly the transmission is trying to find/stay-in overdrive but never really seems to get there. Engine Rpms higher than normal.
8. deceleration, engine seems to shift fine until reaching shift between second and first where it can possibly stall/stumble.
9. whenever there is a stumbling/stalling event shifting into neutral usually helps, raising the rpms and taking the drag off the motor thereby smoothing out
I'm really starting to think maybe this is something to do with the 700R4 transmission but all the symptoms don't necessarily;iy point that way. Why is starting fluid needed to restart after hot shutdown? Leaning toward a heat related fuel problem...
typing this all out really helps keep my thinking process straight.