i did the hose to the ear thing to check for leaks and found something around the #4 manifold. as long as there arent any hidden lines around there it think its a bad intake manifold gasket. the only thing i saw was a hose going from the block through the fire wall ( i assume this is for the heater). would this also explain the gas smell? is this the reason for my idle surge when engine is cold? boy i hope this is the cure to my puzzle.

 

Most likely the manifold gasket.And yes you will smell gas from it the computer is making the car run rich.
That would also cause a little idle surge.
If you are going to replace the gasket clean the throttle body and idle motor at the same time.

 

What is the hose to ear thing? i have a intake leak that i cannot track down.

 

its a poor man's stethescope :-) For intake leaks you can start by spraying some carb cleaner around the air intake tubing, where the manifold meets the head and around the injectors - if some gets sucked in, it will bump up the idle. More likely you have a vaccuum line issue and if your first visual inspect doesn't find anything (particularly for hoses buried under something like a manifold or the intake air box), you may need to have a smoke test done. Check Youtube for some vids on making your own smoker or have a shop with equipment do the test.