454 won't idle

[vica]

I have a 1995 Chevy 2500 with a 454 engine with 72K miles. The engine won't stay running(won't idle). There is fuel spraying into the throttle body. Not sure about the pattern being correct. If I spray starting fluid into the throttle body the engine starts running fine for a short time(until the fluid is consumed). So, I'm assuming it is a fuel delivery problem. The fuel filter is O.K. Don't know about the fuel pressure. Any ideas would be appreciated.

[MagicRat]

Starter fluid often will ignite on compression only. So, its possible for a gasoline engine to run (sort-of) on starting fluid (ether) without sufficient spark.

Checking fuel pressure and pressure regulator functionis, of course an excellent step.

You may want to check the ignition system. My 1990 MFI Jeep had the same symptoms, it would not idle below 1000 rpm, but ran well at higher speeds. Turned out the ignition coil was bad. It worked when the alternator was spinning fast enough to produce 13.7 volts. But at idle, the system voltage dropped to 12 volts, just low enough to kill the spark.