Out the back of the valve covers?

Have you pulled the TB, and looked at the back of the inside of the intake?

 

I just looked at both my valve covers and one of 'em looks greasy as though oil would have leaked out, but it only looks like a small amount on the cover and no where else. Not sure if it's definitely an oil leak or not, I'll have my friend check it out.

Also just found a little coolant leaking out of the hose that connects form the reservoir to the radiator cap (the one that says don't open when hot). But I pushed it in harder and seems to be fine i hope. And I'm not too sure but my coolant seems a little foggy, it's still green just looks slightly dirty, I can't tell considering I don't know what it regularly looks like.

But now a new problem arose! It idles like **** and the rpms are starting to jump up and down on their own again. I noticed when listening to the engine that a few seconds before it will rev up, I can hear a hissing/blowing noise from something close to the engine, mostly near he passenger side.

*to answer your question, I have not pulled the TB...but hopefully I will get around to that.

 

When you pull the throttle body, clean the snot out of it as well. (have the battery disconnected while you do.)

Does it idle crappy when hot? cold? all the time??

 

Cross fire between plug wires, bad ground wires, or a small vac leak that the IAC is attempting to compensate for.

If I had to bet, I'd bet electrical, though the vac leak is a possibility too.

Hissing is from the evap system, that is normal. Now, if the hissing coincides with the running problem, you may have a vac leak in the evap system.

 

It idles crappy when cold one day, fine idle when cold another. It idles crappy when warm one day, then fine the next. It's just random.

And I've been driving for a couple days and now the bucking/slowing down is starting to creep up on me again, happens only once or not at all each time I drive...as opposed to at least three times (before i replaced the coil). And the throttle is again starting to stick when I first start driving.

-still waiting on when I can get some help taking off the TB and cleaning + checking the back of the intake.

 

When you pull the TB and check for oil on the plenum, check it with a magnet also. If it is steel, I would prepare for replacing it. Betting there will be signs of the gasket blown. Look for kegger mod in DIY and fix it onece - fix it right. Even if you don't modify the intake, replacing with the aluminum plate is a good investment.

 

I probably can't get any help taking the TB off so I'm gonna give it a shot myself. Already checked the site for a guide, couldn't find one... I was wondering if someone could give me somewhat of a step by step guide or tips on taking it off/clean/install.

Is it as simple as
-disconnect battery
-disconnect all vacuum lines/sensors/wiring, etc.
-unbolt the 4 bolts
-clean w/ tb cleaner
-reassemble

-do i need to get the exact torque on the bolts or can I just wrench 'em tight (but not overly tight) ?
-would wiping the TB with paper towels ruin the TB? Just use a tooth brush?
-anything else?

Thanks

 

Disconnect battery.
Disconnect all electrical connections on tb, (three, MAP, TPS, IAC. front, drivers side, and back, respectively.)
Disconnect cables. (one to three.... throttle, cruise, and TV cable if you have auto trans. Careful with these, they get brittle with age. They just slide off in the opposite direction they pull)
There may or may not be vacuum lines on the TB.
Four bolts. Off it comes.

Use carb or brake cleaner on it, that will help break loose all the crap that accumulates. You can use a tooth brush, just wear safety glasses, as the toothbrush will spray stuff everywhere.) Make it all nice and shiney. Especially the throat for the IAC. ( remove the iac to make it easier, two bolts. torx, I think) DON'T change position of the pintle on the IAC, wipe off the end a bit, and call it good.

Get a new gasket from the parts store. They are like two bucks. Assembly is the reverse of disassembly. When you first go to fire it up, turn the key to On, (not start) count to ten, THEN crank it up. Might take the PCM a bit to re-learn the idle.

 

So I haven't done the TB yet because yesterday and today the truck was being looked at by the mechanic again.
The only thing he could tell me was that "it's definitely nothing electrical." They spent 4 hours testing everything they could and found nothing out of the ordinary...As to what they checked exactly I don't know, I'm assuming just all the sensors and anything wired up. Hopefully this weekend I'll have time to work on the TB.

So anyone have any input as to what else I could check/replace? Cuz I really can't think of anything that's not electrical that would cause it to rough idle + slow down + bucking + engine knocking (sounds like someones knocking on the hood).
Is a loose timing chain possible?

*and oddly enough I checked the oil a few days ago, and I have NOT been losing oil. EDIT*--rechecked a couple days later and I have lost a decent amount.

 

Well, whattaya know? There's oil in my intake!

I guess you guys were right. Took the TB off and cleaned it (it was quite dirty on the underside of the butterfly valves), and before I put it back on I looked all the way in the back of the intake and sure enough there's a little pool of oil havin' a party back there...I don't think the leak is that big because I'm no loosing oil that fast, but I'm sure it'll open up some more if I don't fix it.

I'll be buying the hughes or the other plenum kit soon and put that in, hopefully all my problems will be solved.

Thanks for everyone's input. If I remember later on, I'll post the results after putting the plate in.