Starting/Idling Issues

spray some carb cleaner down the throttle ,sounds like an IAC valve , clean the IAC port test /replace the valve if it has one , look for vacuum leaks , loose broken lines ,

Yes, all of the above, and I suspect a vacuum leak. Check the tbi base gasket, check vacuum lines, and snug up the intake manifold, do not over tighten. Torque spec would be around 15 ft. lbs. I would go to 20 ft. lbs. if the intake gasket has not ben replaced.

Sorry guys I forgot to say that I checked for vacuum leaks with a can of Berryman's. I hit all the lines one at a time, hit intake gaskets, and hit TBI gasket, there was no change in idle at all, but I did replace brake booster line because it was getting pretty shitty. Last summer one of my injectors went, with the other one starting to get the occasional drip. At the time new injectors were out of my price range, but I bought a throttle body with good injectors from a good friend for $20 and the old TB. He's like me, great with old tech, stumped by computer controls. The truck it came on was literally identical to mine, mechanically. It started and ran great, spray pattern was beautiful, no drips at all, just had a smoked tranny and a shelled diff. I installed the new TB with a new gasket, fired and ran like new. Still sprays a perfect pattern. I'll go ahead and run around the intake with the torque wrench, and I'll hit the TB bolts just to be thorough. After that I'll clean the IAC/IACport and test the valve. Today I was thinking about it at work, and what I thought of was that it might be the fuel pump starting to go. Maybe it just has it's moments where it bogs and doesn't quite put out enough pressure so it cuts out? I also found a new symptom today. At high RPM, Id say around 4000-5000(no tach or rev limiter, so I'm using my ear) it started cutting out. I hammered it at 20mph, it should grab 2nd at 40, but by 30 it was sputtering like it wasn't getting gas. I eased off til it banged 2nd, got down on it ran 2nd to 60, no problem, ran 3rd to 113 with no problems, but that's the point where I don't make enough power to crank any more speed out of my gears. Yet. Anyways, I very rarely run her like that, and this is the only time it has done it. I repeated the test twice, ran all the way to 40/60/113 wrapping smooth as a brand new truck. So if the IAC tests out good and and cleaning it and the port doesn't help, unless anyone can think of anything else, I'll turn my focus to the fuel pump. Cant see a Schrader valve any where, so I'm assuming I'll need to pull the IN line off the TB, find the appropriate adapter, hook a fuel PSI gauge up to the IN line, turn on the key and see what we got for pressure. If it turns out to be the pump, I'll take it to work, cover the tank with soaking wet rags, plas a nice square hole over top the unit, clean up all the rough spots/slag on the hole and on the piece, hold the piece back in with two tacks, opposite corners, cut a piece of piano hinge for one side, weld a 1/2" lip on the opposite side, then maybe weld in one of the door latches we use on our cargo doors. Springloaded, one way wedge(drop) and a twist release knob. That way I have an access door if I ever need to get back into the tank. What I'm thinking is taking the pump off the sending unit assy, dropping the sending unit back in with no pump, and putting a nice inline on the frame rail, get one that flows just a touch more than my stock pump, then the excess fuel should go back through the return line to the tank. Im all ears if anybody has a reason that won't work. ---------- I just find it strange that it just does it whenever. So for every variable I can think of that would cause said symptoms, it has done it at the exact opposite. One morning it runs like shit cold, but runs fine at op temp, the next morning it runs like a top cold, warms up and falls on it's face. Anyways, appreciate the answers, hope to see more suggestions when I get off work today.

dropping the tank is not that difficult , plus you can clean it out , it's easier to keep things original as they were designed to work , if you think wet rags will prevent forest fires you're wrong , fuel pumps are usually go/no go , ie. they either work or they don't , I would clean the TBI unit there are small vents and ports that get gummed up and the fuel/air mix is important , there may be an internal fuel pressure regulator , and it's all run by a computer

Despite the advice given, I ditched the factory pump and in tank filter, got an inline pump, installed a factory in line fuel filter before the pump, decided to play it safe and installed a regulator as well, set for 13PSI. Problem solved. But now I have gas leaking from somewhere on the fuel meter body. I have to fix it tonight, gaskets will be on the way shortly, should I have him bring anything else? I think the leak is coming from the hole I circled, but I can't tell for sure.