2001-2003 v8 engines are prone to exhaust leaks..I have narrrowed it down to two possible spots that worked for me. where the exhaust manifold attaches to the catalytic converter there are two knurled bolts and two nuts for each side of the vehicle. I performed a smoke test and found those leaks. turned out the bolts were a tad loose. I replaced the four bolts and nuts
P.N. for bolts 11621704717 (4)
P.N. for nuts 18107523805 (4)
To all that have the same cold start putter and throttle stomping embarassment your dilemma stops here.