OK, I posted my problem on the GMC Savana forum, with no one offering any advice, so thought I'd open it up to all GMC/Chevy owners. There can't be that much difference between a 5.7L EFI in a van and a 5.7L EFI in any other GM product. Right?
It's a '97 with 193,000 miles, but well taken care of, still runs good, but recently started up with minor misses, hesitation, and dies at idle (but very infrequently, and only at the very same needle reading on the fuel gauge, about 1/8 tank. Otherwise I'd think tune-up, but why the thing with the fuel gauge? I thought about fuel filter, but why the thing with the fuel gauge?
The misses (almost feels like hesitation) occur mostly when applying gas after coasting a second or two. I have owned it (second owner) long enough to have put about 96,000 miles on it, and it had been through a complete tune-up by the previous owner. The sending unit on the fuel pump went out first, followed by the fuel pump. So it is 40,000 miles new. It has not run out of gas since the new pump/sending unit was installed.
So is this just time for another tune-up?
FOUND IT - I HOPE! It died on me at 40 mph, restarted, died again, restarted, died again. Replaced the fuel filter, and so far so good. Thanks for all the advice.