would a bad pick up coil cause surging at idle and trigger a code 44 lean exhaust ?

No, not the coil. IF you mean P0440 that is EVAP leak, possible a vacuum leak and the will cause idle trouble and lean trim, but your '88 has OBDI and the scanner needs to be a good, high end one to "translate"

thinking vacuum leak or bad IAC. Code 44 is the GM OBD1 code for lean mixture detected by the O2 sensor. The coild would cause a miss fire and/or rich code

thanks andrew and david there is a brand new IAC new o2 sensor,new TPS new temp control sensor new plugs wires cap rotor fuel pump ,gas filter and i did go ahead and change the pickup coil,all to no avail.do you think the air pump could be the culprit ? thanks again,SUBURBANJEFF

check for vacuum leaks, air pump probably not the culprit. Also check the spray pattern of the injectors for a nice cone shape

thanks andrew,injecters are spraying fine,checked everywhere for vac leaks,been through 4 cans of throttle body cleaner,guess i should check fuel pres. any other suggestions ? appreciate the help and thanks again