Let me start by saying that I am not a mechanic, so I will have a hard time describing the issue my truck is having. After receiving a work vehicle, my 93 DLX V6 spent a lot of time sitting and not being driven. After a while, it decided to protest the situation by deciding that it didn't want to idle or run very well. The truck will crank without a problem, but then it idles up high and then dies off and tries to idle at about 500 rpms. When it does this, the entire engine shakes and it will eventually cut off. If I put it in gear and try to take off, I have to rev it up and it will barely go. If I get it moving, it won't build rpms above 2500 and simple won't go. Now if it is idling and I increase the rpms by hand, I feel something that sounds like an internal part slamming shut or a backfire or something. I can feel it in the area of the throttle body. I have tried the following without success.

Cleaned the throttle body
Replaced the ignition coil
Removed the oxygen sensor to check for a stopped up catyltic converter. No change
Sprayed choke cleaner around vacuum lines, no leak found

If you have any ideas, I am very interested to hear them. I am probably going to go with a reman engine if I can't fix it.

 

Have you checked for ecu codes?

 

Have you checked for any trouble codes in the ecu? Sounds like a fuel injection problem a reman engine would act the same. I would check the TPS and the airflow meter.

 

Could be bad gas if it has been sitting for a long time

 

No codes have been thrown as when I use a jumper wire from te1 to e1 the light just flashes constantly without stopping. I have not checked the TPS, but I will look into that. I think that the gas is ok because I added some stabilizer to it. When you ask about the airflow air flow sensor are you talking about the volume air sensor that is normally a mass air flow sensor? Thanks

 

After changing the ignition coil last night without any improvement, the engine won't start today. It will turn over, but that is all that it will do. Could this be the ingiter? It started fine last night after changing the coil, but today nothing.

 

Have you checked all your ground wires? Something loose, corroded or disconnected.

 

Yes the VAFM or volume air flow meter on top of your airbox, FSM has resistance checks, there is a fuel pump cutoff in the meter as well.

 

I will check to see if I can find something loose. I will also check the fuses because after thinking about the order in which I tested or replaced things, the last thing I did before the engine wouldn't crank was to jump the te1 and e1 to check for trouble codes. I have done this before without any problem, so maybe the engine not starting is just a coincidence. Thanks for putting up with my lack of mechanical ability. I am also going to try to find a VAFS to try to see if that corrects the issue. However, the part is $300+ so I might try to find a used one to test on it. I don't mind buying one if that is the problem, but it is expensive if I am just throwing parts at a problem.

 

i have a extra throttle body and a a MAF do you live in washington? also, did you replace the spark plug wire's recently? or the distributor cap and rotor?

 

Actually I live in North Carolina, so Washington is a little too far. I did replace the plug wires and distributor cap about 2 years ago and everything was working well when I parked the truck. Thanks.