i have taken the dash out and cleaned the boards and stuff and all of the contacts but they still act jumpy the fluid is on level and the people at autozone wont pull the codes for me they can only do an obd 2 connector the temp guage sits around that position all the time and the boost guage is at -10 all the time unless im hard on the gas ....also how big of a difference is it between using regular unleaded (87) vs super (93) .....couldent i just use an octain booster

Okay, well, it'* "can't", not "won't"; you have an OBD I system. I think you might need a Star Tech box to get those codes; can't recall right now...

Does it start at the bottom when the engine'* cold, and go up as the engine warms up?

So it does react at least some of the time?

I wouldn't, but it'* your car. What happens is that the knock sensor will retard your timing if it detects detonation, so if 87 octane causes knocking, your performance will get scaled back to prevent engine damage. Use a higher octane, get less knocking, and your knock sensor will allow better performance.

If you've got high mileage and probably some carbon buildup in there, your compression will already be a little higher than it used to be, so the tendency towards knocking on 87 octane will be a bit more. If you're happy with the way it performs on 87, fine, but I would try a tankful of premium and see if you notice a difference.

Figuring around 17 gallons for a complete fillup, and let'* say 20¢/gallon difference between 87 and 93, your premium surcharge is only $3.40 on top of the hideous amount you have to pay anyway for a fillup these days, so try the premium once.