Hello everyone - This is my first post, if I'm breeching forum etiquette and need to post an intro or something please just tell me.
Anyway, long story short - I drive a 1995 3.9l V6 Dak, w/ roughly 200k on it (100k on rebuilt engine, about 70k on rebuilt tranny). Its got a regular service history and has been used hard as a working ranch pickup, but taken care of and rarely outright abused. I am currently driving it as a college student, short hauls between the flophouse and school. Driving it the 1.4 mile trip from house to school the other morning it died. Came to a stop, was letting it idle, I thought I had run it out of gas, as the light had been on for a couple days and I'd been forgetting to run down to the station and fill it. So I pushed it into a parking spot, and had a friend bring me gas - Put gas in it, and nada. It would turn over but not fire.
Did some checking, was getting gas into the cylinders, plugs were firing. Checked all the plugs (plugs and plug wires are less than a month old), checked the wires, made sure connections were tight. Couple loose connectors on the distributor cap, so I tightened them. After all this, when I turned it over it fired right up. Ran it down to the gas station to fill it, and when I shut it off it didnt want to start again - I got it to start, after a couple of coughing tries, and was running my buddy who was with me back to campus. Came to a stop, and it died again. So, same deal, pushed it into a spot, left it overnight and got back to it the next day.
Now, I did some reading, and found some people have had similar problems with a computer short, so I tried hard resetting the 'puter by yanking the battery and letting it sit a bit, and trying it again. Didnt seem to have any change. I can fight it into starting - sometimes it fires right up - but as soon as it idles, it dies. If I keep my foot on the gas, it runs fine. Checked the carb, seems to be functioning.
Now, in my further reading, seems some folks are having this type of problem occur related to a malfunctioning IACV, idler air control valve... so, my question(s) are thus - What is this? Where is this? What do I do to it once I've found it?
If its not this, and I am barking up the wrong tree, what tree do I need to be barking up?

Thanks very much in advance,
Series70.

 

It could be a couple of things. The ones I belive it might be is the fuel pump. I have run it down on empty a cuple of times and It over heated the fuel pump and it would run intermettenly and not strong. The gas inside the tank keeps the pump cool. Since there is almost nothing it will burn up.
Or The injectors not working. The easyest way to tell is pull out the fuel rail one side at a time and turn the enging over while you hold the rail just above the holes so you can see the fuel spraying down. Or the coil. I had my coil go out on me and it would start and run fine then die 10 min later and not start for a while. The coil you can take to autozone for them to test it for free.

 

Welcome to the forum!
I'll just have to correct you on one thing, that's not a carb under your air filter, its a throttle body.
But yes, definitly sounds like an IACV problem. What it is: its a computer-controlled pintle needle (or whatever the name is) that moves in and out, allowing more or less air to enter. Where is it: its mounted with a couple bolts/screws to the back of the throttle body. What to do when you found it: remove it, try cleaning the pintle and the area where it goes into the throttle body, and see if that helps. If not (doesn't sound like it will), you'll need to buy a new one.

 

look for where the small throttle cables attach to the throttle body. You should see a screw attahced to a sensor which is bolted to the throttle body.

 

It could be a number of things. My 96 Dak did the same exact thing, I went through the fuel system, the problem wasn't there. It ended up being the brain box.

 

Thanks for all the assists, folks - I got it the first weekend after I posted this, ended up replacing the IACV and the Distributor cap & rotor, and got her running again.