i bought a 91 sl1 from a guy who started it with the throttle body off and it caught fire for about thirty seconds. no serious damage but the wires surrounding had the coating burnt off and the vacuum lines were all gone. i replaced the vacuum lines but wasn't sure if i had them ran from port to port the correct way. it will start right up and rev to 2000 rpm and as soon as it starts to drop it dies. i have a idle air control motor on order to see if thats the problem but i would like a second opinion

 

Did you replace the wires that got stripped? You dont mention that you did.

 

if the previous owner was fooling with it thats means there was a issue prior to the fire.... I would search online and find a diagram of the vacuum system and double check your work, let us know what happens when you get your new part on , you may be on the right track there.

 

I am not too sure why you would replace a part, when you don't know if all else is "right"

 

fire, toasted vac lines and melted wire insulation do not strike me as "minor".

The 91-93 S series chilton book has vac diagrams I do believe

 

Arn't the vacuum line diagrams for the car on the emission lable on the radiator support cross member?
Also isn't the SL1 some what prone to a plastic part breaking off on the intake manifold causing a huge vacuum leak and this type of problem?
And of course any automotive fire that burns stuff is hard to relate to as minor 'specially if cause by some one trying to start the car with the throttle body removed.
To me that sounds a bit like trying to float a boat by poking a hole in the bottom.

 

damn I wish we had video