Rollout

First thanks for reading, and forgive the long post, want to be thorough.

I bought a 88 runner, with no rust, just beautiful, love the truck. I live in the mountains in Colorado.
The engine was blown. I got the truck for 500, looked through the engine, and found what he did, the timing chain ate the drivers side of the cover, filled the engine with water, then it sat for almost a year after.

I bought a engine for 600, with supposedly 89k on it, with a new timing chain installed. Now into the truck 1100 total.

I installed the engine, I have limited, but some auto experience.

I did read how to block off some of the vacuum lines, due to me not using the a/c.

So I got it running, and with the smaller bald tires on it that the PO had I got 27 mpg..... that was great but odd.... I put on my worn out 31x10.50's , now I got 25.
It does great on the highway in town, does 75, got about 22-25 mpg (yes I calculated right).
It idles really low when cold, but fine when warm.
So all of a sudden yesterday it started acting oddly, it is running colder then normal, it barley moves off the cold line, it also seems slower uphills.
I double checked timing, it is set at 7 degrees (altitude setting), I checked all my hoses.
When I checked the timing I did short out t and e1, it did not decrease idle, however not seeing any of the symptoms that others with a bad tps have seen. The check engine light is not on, and when I short the t and e1 it gives me a code 51. Also mpg decreased ALOT.

Now the questions I have are these, Will I toast this if I drive it as is? What can I check? To double check (as no vac diagrams confirm this online) which color is the vac piece on the valve cover that goes under the intake, and has a check valve on the other side blue or orange, and could that be my problem? Do I have my timing right? I am going up hills at 40-45 that seem like I should do 50.

I did a compression test when I put it in (cold) it had 125 on all 4.

I am really hurt by economic times, and can not afford to toast this engine. If someone tells me something that is wrong I can try the pull a part yard for parts. I can not afford much, am behind on rent, about to lose my house, and have a 1yr old and a wife to support. I need to go to my limited work I can find, have a job tomorrow morning, and have to go. Please tell me I will not hurt this thing.

Again thank you in advance, and please do not down on me, I am seeking advice, and got this far...

myyota

For your 88 22RE code 51 is the TPS, so your TPS is probably bad and if its the original one then i would just replace it as soon as you can afford it.

Rollout

Ok, I went and got a used tps that the yota yard in Denver said is known good. (as I said limited money, 25 better then 90 bucks).

I put it on, and started it up. It revved up, then down and continued, throttle did nothing to change that.

I now do not have a code 51, but rather a code 31. I double checked all hoses, and they are fine.

I just drove it all day with the other tps, just idled oddly, ran cool, and got poor mpg.

What gives?

Edit, I just took it apart and put it back together, now no surging, no code 51 or 31, but I have a 41.... the codes hate me, or the truck does.... now what? If I have e1 and t jumpered I get 41 otherwise no check engine light, but I did not get a check engine light before until I jumpered it and got 51.... is 41 better? The idle goes up when I take the jumper out....