i'll keep the ICM. i looked up the harness for the ICM/Crank sensor. The part # I found is 12127654 and is $325.69 at gmpartsdirect. Yikes. I guess my remote starter/alarm will have to be re-wired as well. Not a problem, but a mechanic will have to tackle this one...I'm not messing with wires.

Maybe that harness is 95+ that I'm thinking of. Going on Highlanders recent swaps. Good luck..let us know.

I finally had my car towed to a mechanic this morning. Between my lack of know-how and my impatience, I figured my best bet was to have a pro look at it.
Let me recap - my car will intermitently start, it will run great for a few minutes, then start to stumble and finally stall.
I just heard from the mechanic. He said it started right up and the only code he pulled was for the VATS. i have a remote starter, so that shouldn't be an issue. I told him to let the car run for a few minutes and watch it stall. If you stand there with the hood open while it'* running, a little bit of smoke will come from the crank sensor area.
I hope that with my car being in the care of a mechanic...she'll be fixed soon.
Would a bad crank sensor throw a code?

A lot of things will toss codes or maybe not toss a code. And if you get a code...you must interpret it with the FSM to get at the root cause.

I had a crank sensor code... it ended up being a loose ICM connection. Book put me right to the ICM from the start.

On an intermittant issue like you are having...it'* something in the ignition area...just a quesiton of which item.

Smoke from the lower front of engine???????

Just heard back from the mechanic. MAF sensor is bad. That would definitely cause the stalling and rough idle. They aparently couldn't duplicate the smoke....perhaps some oil dribbled, I don't know. They want to charge me $450 total. $275 for the sensor and the rest in labor. Wow, there'* that much labor involved in hooking up a scan tool?
I wasn't born yesterday


Oh, and they said that K&N filters are bad for these cars cause the oil clogs the sensor. I've had that filter for about 4 years, I clean it with the K&N recharge kit when I change my oil...and I am careful not to use too much filter oil.

A K&N filter is only a problem if over-oiled and not left to dry before replacing. That old wives tale has been used for years by people who sell paper filters, to discredit the competition, IMO.

There are sites on the web that are all about the pluses and minuses of the various filter types. While each has it'* advantages, a K&N when properly maintained will perform admirably and as advertised.

Quick semi unrelated thought.

If you are cleaning your K&N every 3,000 miles, that is too frequently. Every 10-15K is about right.

hmm, so i quite possibly destroyed the MAF sensor myself. i'm a schmuck.
eh, atleast i finally got to the root of the problem.

Noooo I doubt you did. Careful not to over oil is the key in your statement. I'm simply trying to help you from over maintaining your filter.

For wires to melt there usually is a short to ground. Changing the entire harness is a good idea. Its also possible the crank sensor itself is shorted.