Keep an open mind, dont eliminate anything just because it was reciently changed. The coil, especially the ICM can cause a mountain of strange and random problems. Checking the fuel pressure is a good thing to do but that is in a static condition when things are normal. You need to have a dynamic reading when things are krapping out which means having a gauge connected while driving. If you had a used working ICM, you could put it in and drive for a week. A bad connection somewhere is possible but I think that would cause the engine to quit because in that kind of circirtry you would probably loose spark. If you cant fine anything in the norm, then go for the weird stuff. Random failures are a tought thing to find.

 

8 degrees of spark advance is added in ALDL mode. This has been Zero'd out in my chip

Check your timing, it may be retarded.

 

Base ignition timing is set stock at 6 degrees BTDC as suggested by Alvin. I just talked to a buddy of mine and he recommended I drive with a fuel pressure gauge taped up to the window for a few days. Perhaps fuel pressure could be dropping suddenly causing a severe drivabilty problem.

While I'm at it, I'm also gonna check the ignition system and the coil.

Thanks to everyone who also offered me helpful suggestions! Will keep you all updated.

 

I think this would be a good thing to do. This will tell you if your dropping fuel pressure and its a free test.

 

While there might be a language barrier, I think conv90 has some very good points-read it carefully!

 

Well, I took out my IAC for inspection, suspecting it was the problem. Dunno if it was because it was clean enough to eat off of, and its also 4 months old.

 

Have you checked the wires comming out of the dist to see if there is any oil leaking from the water pump seal. This oil could cause a short to ground condition. Sometimes may through a code 42 on OBD1. Which is (EST)Electronic Spark Timing Circuit)

 

Dunno if you are talking about an L98. That info sounds like its for an LT1 because my advance lead is right beside my brake booster and distributer. I disconnect it to set the base ignition timing on my L98.

Well, here's another update:

Car was running fine for the first 3 minutes down the road. Then, there was no response from the throttle and it was running horribly down the road without the 10k resistor connected. Same symptom as described initially: car would idle roughly and pushing the gas pedal would stall it. I coasted for awhile down the road trying to restart it. This time, it would stall immediately right after startup.

So I immediately grabbed the 10k resistor and connected it to the A-B port on the ALDL. Whallah, the car started again and took me home with no problems for the rest of the 20 minute neurotic and mentally agonizing trip paranoid of another stalling episode.

When I took the resistor out of the ALDL port when the car was idling in my carport, the idle bounced up and down and hunts like that for awhile. When the idle dips to about 400 rpms, the car would either stall or recover bumping it up to 1400 rpms and dip back down to 400 rpms to repeat the "surging" wave.

 

Did you check to see if someone installed an ANTI-THEFT switch to your MAF sensor?

Maybe your chip has a surge idle burned into it. Check with your chip burner if they set the idle between 400-1400.

Could your car have possibly come with the 7th cylinder shut of valve? Most people don't know about the option R43 in high crime areas. Check your glove box lid if you have this option.

 

Update, I JUST found out that my current BBK TB was meant for an 85-88 TPI. 89 and up used a new plenum and TB assembly. The 89 and up TB had a bypass hole right at the center of the IAC hole, kinda like a bleed hole.

For some reason, my old stock TB was also meant for an 85-88 TPI. My old stock plenum was my original 89 plenum. 85-88 TBs need a bleed hole in the middle of the IAC hole straight through the TB. No wonder why I've always been having stupid idle problems. Hopefully this cures this stupic problem once and for all. For more than 16 months, I have never come across this before.

Someone named Jim Mason mentioned this somewhere and also that the 85-88 TB used on 89 and up plenums should have a hole drilled straight through the back where it meets the plenum in order to avoid idle problems, along with the rich/lean bank problems for LT1s with the 2 O2 sensors on each exhaust manifold.

hippy, you have never really given any good advice to any of my threads and have always been a sarcastic ******* so now can just go **** yourself. Thanks buddy!

 

UPDATE:
I was checking fuel pressure while driving around today. I happened to stall right out of my driveway. Fuel pressure was right at the normal range of 45 psi. So I said **** it and took the gauge out to bleed the fuel rail with the key switched to on, but not running. I got a clean glass jar from my kitchen and bled the fuel rail, filling the jar halfway full of gas. I noticed when the gasoline was settled down already, there were some small clear beads and a big liquid-like bead. My goodness, I have water in my fuel tank. Time to start draining it. We'll see what happens next down the road. I'm gonna go ahead and get a ride to the local AutoZone and get some dry gas.