My DS2 turns 3 in 10 days and has been driving me crazy lately.
He is mad pretty much ALL day long. If I try to help him he gets mad, if i don't try to help him he gets mad, he gets mad; and yells; at the sun for shining in his eyes, he gets mad at his hand if his drawing does not look the way he wants it to, he gets mad about every little thing.
NE one out there have any ideas or encouragement

Sorry to hear that
Dd is the same way, or at least she was just a few short weeks ago! Honestly I don't have any great advice, but I would say that dd3 is now much nicer since we started her on allergy medicine. It was not a planned thing at all for helping with temper, but she was having some swelling in her eyelids, some purple undereye stuff, and definitely the runny nose you often seen with hayfever.
The pediatrician recommended plain old claritin for kids so that's what she's getting. She is still 3 and still very much a handful but she is not nearly as HATEFUL as previously. (biting, pinching, other things I should not mention...you get the picture)

She was cranky, cranky, cranky!! And I guess it figures, if I have a headache, I can take some tylenol but it is harder for her to let me know that she's not feeling well - usually I go with the more obvious clues like fever. Until her face swelled up I did not really get it!

Hope you find something that works for him!

Could simply be frustration associated with giftedness. My DS7 was (and is) like that a lot. It does get better as they start to control more of their world and achieve the things they think they should.

Some things I've learned about my son -- when he's overstimulated (he's an introvert) he needs to be by himself for awhile. It's not a punitive sort of thing (like a timeout), but an acknowledgment that some quiet, alone, playtime is needed to restore equilibrium. Also, watch blood sugar levels. If the swings are happening near meal times, make sure you are giving him frequent healthy snacks.

DD3 has been like this a lot. Actually, I'd say she's more cranky than not. I think it has to do with two things. One is severe boredom. She is just bored easily with everything. But when she is engrossed in an activity like coloring, barbies, legos, or whatever, she is usually much better.
I think the other big reason for her crankiness is some of that asynchronous development I've read about. Her mind is way ahead of her physical abilities. Often, she knows what she wants to do and how she wants to do it, but her hands and feet don't quite get her there. I also believe that DD3 is frustrated with being a kid... it's as though even at just 3yo, she knows she's limited and can't wait to grow up so she can do more things.

My hope for my DD, and perhaps your DS, is that some time will take care of the situation. The body needs to catch up with the mind.
And try to keep him engaged in an activity to see if that helps. It may be frowned upon, but DD3 can spend an entire hour playing on the computer which gives me a much needed break from her whiny cranky behavior.

Thanks for your comments.
I think that it is a combination of lack of control splashed with a bit of perfectionism.
Sometimes I forget that he has only been around for 35 months. Just because he can reason like a 5yo does not mean that he is mature yet.
I think I need to lower my expectations.
I sure hope you are right for both our sakes!

Does your DS have allergies? Food or other? My DS was so much more upset about things until I discovered his food allergies. I thought he had baby tummy; but it was actually distended. The poor thing never complained about it; because he probably thought it was normal since he had been getting dairy and wheat products since birth. It was like night and day, when we took him off. And for some reason, his demeanor didn't get really bad until the day he turned 3, weird. Just a suggestion. Some allergy meds will make a child feel anxious and act upset a lot as well.

Our DS (almost 5) has allergy and stomach problems which he needs medication for and we have noticed that when it is particularly bad he gets even more anxious and agitated and also has really bad tantrums. Hang in there, it won't last forever