need some help with my truck, wont stay on

[87_GT]

i have a 1998 gmc sierra with 350 in it. i came home today and parked in front of my house in like a 3 ft snow pile. when i went out about an hour later to leave, the truck was stuck in the snow. so after about 5 min. of reving in drive then reverse to rock it out, i was on my way. as soon as i start driving and give it any gas the truck wants to die out. at the next stop light it just dies on me when i tried to go. so with no more stops, i milk it over to my buddies house. now it has a hard time starting, and when it does start it idles real funny. as soon as i put it in any gear it dies out. any idea on what it could be? i thought maybe dist. got wet or something from me throwing snow trying to get out, but that doesnt look wet at all. any input would be great, since there is like a foot of snow on the streets, and i dont think i could get my mustang out of the garage even if i wanted too, since it has a flat and there is about a 5 ft snow drift covering the door.
thanks,
Steve

 

[87_GT]

well i left the truck sit for like 3 hrs. then when i started it, it sounded kinda normal, so i took off down the street. i went around the block and it just got worse and worse. as soon as i touched the gas, it just started shaking real bad, and wanted to die. so, i just idled back to my buddies house. as i was sitting there in drive with my foot on the brake, it just died out and would not start back up.
Any ideas anyone?
Thanks,
Steve

 

[HISSIN50]

Steve, any OBD-II codes? Are you able to view PIDs?

Fuel was my first thought (based on how it starts to crap-out slowly on you) but that's really just a guess. Might be worth checking pressure though............

Good luck.

 

[87_GT]

thanks for the reply, i made a mistake in my original post, it is an 1988, so no obd-II for me. i went back around 1 in the afternoon and it would turn over fine, and as soon as it was about to catch, it would just stop turning over, kinda cut out. i hooked up some jumper cables too it, just incase the battery was weak, and the same thing happened. so i do not know what to look at. it has not been above 20 degrees here in like 2 weeks, so is it possible something is froze/clogged with ice?
any ideas are appreciated.
Steve

 

[HISSIN50]

Steve. does it use a low pressure TBI set-up? Is there a Schrader valve on the fuel rail (if the former, probably not the latter)?

 

[87_GT]

yea, i am pretty sure it has the low pressure tbi set up

 

[HISSIN50]

Here's what I do on those (BUT YOU GOTTA BE CAREFUL). WHen it tries to stall out, spray a little ether down the throttle body. If the idle picks up, it's likely a fuel delivery issue. I say be careful because if there's a backfire, the highly flammable ether could start a fire or burn someone.

The last TBI pump that went bad on me was only flowing about 8 PSIG. I could see the injectors spraying but it just wasnt enough. There was no schrader valve so it wasnt until I removed the old pump and bench tested it (volume test) that I was sure the pump was bad. You can buy an adapter that puts a schrader valve in the fuel line (it goes between the end of the line and the TB) but they're about 30 bucks.

The TBI's themselves were also a weak point. It's something to remember/consider.

That's just my experience with this stuff in case you can draw any similarities. Good luck.

 

[gcomfx.com]

How high in RPMs did you take it when you were stuck? Is the balancer toast?

 

[87_GT]

hissin, i will give that a try. gcom, i dont think i took it any where near redline when i was stuck. i dont have a tach, so im not positive, but i wasnt gasing it for a whle anyway, more of like a rocking type motion.

 

[gcomfx.com]

It would be cheap, and wouldn't hurt anything to dump a bottles of HEET in the tank. Just in case you have a chunk of ice in there.

 

[urban96]

are there any sensors on the bottom of the truck that might have gotten unplugged?

 

[87_GT]

yea, i put heet in yesterday. that was the first thing i tried. i ended up just getting a tow. i put it in my shop, so hopefully when i go and work on it tom. everything will be nice and thawed out. thanks for all the advice.

 

[87_GT]

ok, i still am having a problem. i syphoned out all of the gas, put a new fuel filter on, and while i was doing that i broke the fuel line, so i ran a new one of those. i got it all buttoned up and put some premium in it, and it started and ran better then it ever has. so i came back from the test drive, parked it, cleaned up all my tools. and when i went to leave, the truck was not running right. as soon as i would get into the throttle, the truck would start to buck and cut out. it would not die, and didnt sound like it wanted too. the injectors seem to be flowing how they should be after looking at and comparing too my buddies truck. so i really do not know what i should look at now.
any input is appreciated
thanks,
Steve

 

[HISSIN50]

If you happen to have a spare TB (or your buddy does), I might swap it on to see if that's the issue. At least on 4.3L engines, they were a known issue (there are stickies on the forums about the 4.3L versions).........

Good luck Steve.

 

[87_GT]

thanks a lot hissin, i knew i could count on you for an idea. i will def. try that
Thanks,
Steve

 

[gcomfx.com]

Did any poop come out of your filter? You say it ran fine with a new one, then you let it sit, and it ran bad again. Stuff in the tank could have settled from the fill up and you sucked it up again.