Few weeks ago had the engine not wanting to start, would crank and crank and crank and barely start.. rpms read in the 300-500 range for the first few second then jump up to the normal 1200 range. went for an hour drive, came back and it would keep repeating this problem. Tightened the battery terminals and the problem seemed to be fixed.

This morning i start it up and everything fine, drive out of my parkade and it completely dies, still rolling. Lose radio, power, and most dash lights. Let it coast, wait a second, power comes back on (key is still in run), radio comes on, turn it on and it cranks and cranks and finally starts up with the same low idle at 200 or so and then returns to normal idle. Shoots out some light smoke and smells like an old boat. Very rich. I go out, and it starts back up fine, drives fine. Only have this issue at start (sometimes).

Where do I start with this?

 

I for 1 don't know what an old boat smells like lol! Does it smell like sulfur, rotten egg kinda thing? If so I bet you need a new catalytic converter...

 

 

I'm not sure what to concentrate on concerning all of the issues you have stated. On one hand, it sounds like you may have something going on with fuel management (MAF or fuel pressure related issue). On the other, if the engine stalls and all of the dash lights/gauges go out, then that sounds more like a fault in the main electrical system.

The fuel pressure & electrical system can be tested fairly comprehensively to determine if there is a problem there. Intermittent issues with the electrical system can be a pain to track down, but not impossible to diagnose.

The ignition switch is a common failure point in these trucks. You can test the contacts in the ignition switch using the information found in my signature below (Anatomy of the ignition switch). That involves having a multi-meter to test the circuit resistance across the various contacts inside the switch, but should indicate the health of your ignition switch with minimal effort and virtually no cost if you already have the tools to get in the dash & the multi-meter to perform the tests.

Fuel pump issues are also common on these trucks. Most autoparts stores will loan a fuel pressure gauge so you can see what the engine is getting for fuel pressure. Captain Hook has a very informative post on the full testing that can be performed to fully assess the fuel system.

Before all that though, if messing with the battery connections had an impact on the symptoms, I would go back to that. Remove the cables from the battery & clean them and the terminals on the battery with a wire brush. Apply a dab of dielectric grease to the face of the cable terminal and connect them back up to the battery. If you have a multi-meter or test light, connect the ground lead to a suitable ground on the engine, then the positive lead to the battery positive terminal and observe the light or voltage readout while you move the ground cabling around. This will check for issues within the ground cable itself. If that all checks out, move the positive lead to the main lug on the back of the alternator or top of the starter & move the positive cabling around. This will check for issues with the positive cable (which also has a fusible link in it).

Let us know what you find.