I never heard of this 30-30-30 thing either, but I am not that up on all this computer stuff in vehicles.

Crackshot024, you are having different symptoms, I didn't have any backfire, the truck ran down the road fine, idled fine, had power when needed but much too often it just died, most of the time you hardly noticed it had died and it didn't even throw any codes. If it died roughly (which was maybe 10% of the time) it would throw a code of p1391 or once a code of p0340. The times it threw a code it died roughly like it just lost all track of timing. Still no backfiring, just engine shaking around. So far, 200 miles and the distributor pickup AKA cam sensor has fixed the problem.

 

What is the condition of your trucks alternator? Have you tested it?

Few bolts, a couple wires, and it will come out. What voltages are you seeing if you test your battery when truck is off and also what voltages are you seeing when the truck is running?

Do you have at least 13 volts or is it in fact something else?

 

Fairly well, and yes. ive changed the battery also, with another ive had sitting around. and battery voltage reads normal. the ground wire that goes to my block is getting hot though. and i do have a lot of cat noise. and got it started for like 3 minutes earlier and it started smoking by my distributor. :s

 

Find out whats smoking..... that really isn't a good sign.

Take the battery cable off, clean both ends, the battery terminal, and where it goes on the engine. Bolt it back on.

 

+1 Unless you like shorted out electrical systems and a potential electrical fire, I would strongly recommend taking care of that hot wire condition as well. Check for resistance between it's point of origin and it's associated ground. If nothing appears to be out of the ordinary, you may want to consider upgrading to a thicker guage cable.

Tap on that catalytic converter with a rubber mallet. If it rattles like something is loose in there, that may be a sign that it is beginning to fail. By the way, if that cat converter breaks apart on the inside and something gets lodged up inside of the exhaust pipe leading out of the cat converter and into the muffler, well, that could easily explain why your truck has been dying on you randomly.

If there is smoke coming from the rear of your motor, you may want to check your oil pressure sending unit. Those little pesky suckers leak oil unstoppably. Around the sending unit, around the distributor, down the rear of the block, and potentially down and around your heads, exhaust, as well as onto a ground wire going to your PCM.

Oil, heat, ground wire... Can you say engine compartment fire?

http://media.philly.com/images/600*450/burned_car.jpg

Catch my drift?