scottmoyer

Got home a few hours ago from the Hot Rod Power Tour. The car didn't fair too well and I think it was mad at me. I pulled into the driveway, barely, with 18,500 miles. I guess I can be removed from the low mile club!

My new AC system lost charge due to a leak on our second day. The temps were over 100* every day and driving with the windows down was tiring at those temps.

The sway bar endlink bushings crapped out, so I needed to replace those in Montgomery Alabama. The wheel bearings also started making noise so i get to fix that this week.

The car started dying on me when gas levels were below 1/2 tank. Not sure if it was/is bad gas, too high ethanol levels, or other issues relating to hot fuel. The car just shut off at one point. It restarted, but had me wondering. After the restart, WOT sputtered and stumbled.

I also lost voltage in Alabama. I dropped to 10V on the gauge after it danced around for awhile. I had a shop diagnose it as an alternator, so I swapped it out. It was good for about 1500 miles and started dancing 2 hours from home. I was able to get home, but I have no clue what to look at with this yet. ECM? Bad Ground? bad alternator?

The worst thing that happened was on the trip to Nashville. In a construction zone, a rock flew up into the hood and gouged the hood. I will need to smooth the area before I can apply touch up paint. The rock hit the hood twice, so I have multiple areas to fix.

The poor car. She wasn't happy being taken out of the garage for such a long trip. I think I need to clean and wax her to make her feel special again!!

Jason E

Scott,

I think with 18,500 miles, you can still safely be considered in the low mileage club My 86 has the most of my 3, nearly double the miles of your car, and I still consider it to be low mileage!

Sorry your car gave you so many issues...a shame I've never driven my IROC over 200 miles in a day, nor will I for the foreseeable future. I've considered taking it or one of the TAs on a road trip, however I think my 4th gen is probably a safer bet, even with almost 70k on it....

Not surprised about your alternator...all 3 of mine have replacement alternators!!!! On each car, its the only accessory that's been replaced!

puma1552

iTrader: (1)

Sounds like a platter of issues you've got there, how many miles have you put on it in the last 3-4 years? Low mileage is good, but an occasional full night of cruising is still necessary to keep things in order. Taking it out down the street to a local spot once in a while isn't enough, you gotta use the car a bit more, even if that means just cruising up and down the strip or wherever around town for a full night, like 4-6 hours...the cars need a decent bit of wheel time I find.

This is why I will not put my car through something rigorous like Power Tour after it's painted, it's just too risky and something is bound to happen to the body of the car...my goal is to do Power Tour once before it gets painted, so if it picks up a few rock chips it's not the end of the world. Highways are bad enough as it is just for the minimal time I am on them, I couldn't imagine cruising for days at 75 mph.

Did you do the Long Haul?

EDIT: As for the alternator, add me to the club. FWIW, not 10k miles after I replaced the alternator, voltage dropped and it turned out to be a bad fusible link for the alternator.

TTOP350

iTrader: (8)

Just drive them! I have 237,000 miles on mine! rock chips an all on the 15 yr old paint job!

KMK454

Uh, the day I bought mine in 2010 I drove it 1000 miles home off the showroom floor on its original tires (now replaced). It's good to get them out there rolling; plus it will help you find what needs to be fixed, or it may prevent some of these items from failing because some of them die out due to mis-use.

18.5k is still low mileage. Pretty much anything under 50 or even 75k on a 20+ year old car is low mileage. Sometimes I feel bad about putting miles on a car that made it 20 years with barely any use, but the fun is behind the wheel enjoying the car. It's only original once, and the car will fade whether you put miles on it or not, so why not enjoy it? It's not like these are super collectible cars where you putting miles on it will hugely alter the value of the vehicle. Plus, you'd be surprised at how many low mile survivor thirdgens are out there... I browse Hemmings and a few other places for fun and every month a couple come out of the woodwork and get posted.

Hopefully you enjoyed the power tour! Any pics of your IROC on the road?

Jason E

1) I agree anything under 50,000 miles is still nice and low, even though I grumble every time one of mine adds another 1k to the odometer.

2) The fun of these cars is behind the wheel....not staring at them in a field during a show. This is why I own 3...I can distribute mileage out more evenly

3) While there are still a significant number of low mileage survivors, the number is decreasing all the time. You are right...they are only original once. I like to keep mine as close to showroom as I can. Well, two of them anyway...the 86's exterior is too far gone to not require a complete repaint.

4) I don't 100% agree that a car's condition can "fade" simply by aging. My IROC is as close to a new car as I've ever seen, that isn't brand new, and its 23 years old and going strong. The original paint, interior, everything, still look beautifully perfect.

puma1552

iTrader: (1)

I gotta say, sometimes I enjoy the fact that I got 150k on the clock on mine and have been through the entire car so much so that it's a pure turnkey, dead-reliable cruiser. I still keep it as mint as I can, but if I want to cruise it from 6 PM until 2 AM every Saturday night all summer, I don't feel the least bit worried about the number on the odometer.

Pab's

iTrader: (2)

I DO NOT UNDERSTAND why ppl get car's and NOT drive them. 18,500 miles on a 23 yr old car....that's less than 805 miles per year! What's the point of having something you love and not being able to drive it whenever you please....to each their own I just dont understand your logic...its like having a super model as a wife and not bumping uglies.

terrorsquad77

i have a super model wife and no bumpin uglies over here....not by my choice ha! some people keep the cars as low miles, its like an exotic... i see vipers for sale with 3,000 miles, and thats considered high! my convert just hit 90k and it broke my heart!

Pab's

iTrader: (2)

To me it's dumb....just like ppl that pride themselve's on still having the original tires still on WTF just drive it

KMK454

Once these cars approach the 30+ year old mark, even the most preserved examples will start to have some random rust spots, rubber dry-rot, and a general "looseness" that wasn't there when new. Letting it hibernate in the garage also causes some mechanical components to fail due to not being used/exercised. It's just the nature of aging materials and components... more routine use and maintenance can help slow or even prevent this process, which is why some people argue a perfectly maintained high mile classic is better than a low-mile survivor. I personally like the time capsule car and see it as the opportunity to buy a "new" car years after the fact.

KMK454

Where did you get the gas from when this happened? Only times I've had fuel-related problems (pinging/detonation) have been when I filled up at a rural, backwoods gas station (even a name brand one).

Jason E

That was the same logic that led me to restoring my old RS. I got it with 107k. In my mind, once it passes 100k, it doesn't really matter what the odometer says anymore. So, I spent, and spent, and spent on the car to make it nice, reliable and clean.

Had I not dumped so much money on mods, I may not have lost much money when I sold it. The problem I had was, I wanted something to drive and not feel guilty about it. Well, putting 5-6k miles a year on it just didn't seem to go well...things kept breaking, it still needed more work, and the mileage meant the car just felt old.

Now, my 4th gen has replaced the RS as the "driver"...I've had it for 10 years, so I know the history of it well. With almost 70k on it, it isn't exactly low mileage, either...

I will continue to put 1-2k miles a year of driving on the 3 third gens, but not much more than that. Preserving them for my old age is important to me

Jason E

With all due respect, you don't have to get it...a lot of us do. Drive the hell out of yours...rebuild it over and over again, for all I care. I am more than happy to preserve mine, have a like-brand-new IROC, like I've wanted since I was a kid, and 30 years from now I'll still have it.

To each their own. Go drive yours in honor of me keeping mine in the garage

scottmoyer

I got my gas at rural gas stations because that was the route of the Power Tour. I also got gas at stations alongside the highway. All of them were either Shell or Marathon. I heard someone on the Tour say that they had some southern gas stations tested last year after experiencing similar issues and the "Up to 10% ethanol" was coming in at almost 30% ethanol. Older cars were not designed to run on that crap and a lot of stations are adding more than labeled for cost. Not sure if it's my problem or not yet.

In response to Pab's...I can drive the car whenever I please!! It's right there in the garage. I do drive it on nice days and such. Everybody has reasons why the mileage might be low. I drove mine all the time when I lived in MN. Didn't want to drive it during the winter or on rainy days, so that limited it's use right there. Moved to FL, and don't want to drive it daily, so I drive it when I want to and when I have time. It rains everyday in the summer so it doesn't get driven much in the heat or rain. That restricts the mileage also.

Anybody that "knows" me knows that this car is not a garage queen that is babied every step of the way. The last 12k miles on this car have been hard miles. I drive it hard as that's what it was meant to be. I burn off the tires at will since they will rot otherwise. Might as well enjoy 'em before they rot!

In response to old cars will deteriorate, I agree. My car is low miles and this year started around 14k miles. I've replaced the AC compressor, headliner, belts, hoses, fuel pump, EGR, light bulbs, sway bar bushings, alternator, and who knows what else. All on a car with under 20k miles!!!!

Daytona_83

Scott, it was a pleasure meeting you on the tour! You and Nick were a hoot and of was nice to talk to someone that is a lot like myself in respect of car care and such. Your car is by far THE nicest car I have seen 3rd gen wise. It's not perfect, but damn close! I looked at the pictures I took of the IROC and after I doctor them up a lil bit, I'll send em to ya. I got a REALLY cool shot of that white one we met on the road!

Pab's

iTrader: (2)

That's the thing I'll "drive the hell" out of mine and replace certain part's here and there but so will you because it just sit's


anyhow Im done thread jacking here glad we could have a civil discussion with fellow 3rd genner's

chazman

iTrader: (4)

Don't worry Scott, you're still in the club! Sorry to hear about your car problems, we all know how aggravating that is, especially on a "special" car.

scottmoyer

I deleted the above posts because I got the idea that Pabs was trying to say that even though we disagree, we can discuss it and explain our side without argument or attitudes.

Communication misunderstanding. Back to topic.

Pab's

iTrader: (2)

Thank's scott Ill quit thread jacking now.

DAVECS1

iTrader: (2)

Hey Scott it was good meeting you. One thing I have found owning hot rods in general. They can be fixed. I mean there are some extreme examples, like big wrecks and what else, but the car was constructed once it can be constructed again. Most of the parts are not that hard to obtain. I decided I needed a new center column, carpets and consol lid two weeks before power tour. As you guys know that stuff can be hard to come buy. If you are determined it can be had in a week, I know from experience.

Original cars are awsome to look at and I always stop and stare for a while because I forgot what mine looked like and I want to see if there is something I am missing. On the other hand I also like to see well done cars that look stock. I feel bad I forgot the gentalmen's name in Indy, with the 89 Turbo TA, but it looked stock, but had some cool modifications and that car was also on my envy list. I am hoping to copy his wire routing.

Theses cars are are hobbies, and it is our right to use them as we see fit. Some want to preserve history, Others want to Drive, and yet others want to use them as a canvas for their creativity. Heck some want to do all three!.

Rumblin70SS

Scott,

We had the exact same issue last year with the fuel. We got fuel in Iowa on the first stop and immediately the car started acting up to where it wouldn't take any throttle. It cleaned up for the most part after I got gas multiple times but then it got real bad on the way to Tennessee in the mountains. It shut off going down a hill and we almost got hit by a tractor trailer. At that point, it did refire, but we decided to just head home in case it got worse.

Once home, I had the fuel pump replaced with a walboro 255 unit. Problem solved.

I understand what you guys are saying about taking a really nice car on the tour, especially an original one. I have a Chevelle that I would never take just because I would be sick if something happened to it. While my car looks decent and is mostly original, I'm not afraid to drive it with 144k on the clock.

I believe that there are different cars for each purpose and I need multiple vehicles. So far, my fiancee has let me get away with this theory

Rumblin70SS

Hey thats me! How can I get a copy?

okfoz

Eh, I do not think 2.5K miles is going to kick you out of that club... now... if you drove to California and back a few times, I might consider kicking you out, just for the sake of doing it

I bet your car "smells like feet wrapped in bacon," (From Robot Chicken star-wars thingy) Thats rough, I know how bad 95° can be w/o air, but I have a black interior, AC is a must for it... I prefer Gray of tan, for an interior color for drive-ability, but for looks Black is the best IMHO, its just soo darned hot... So count yourself lucky you do not have a Black car with a Black interior, you would have been a fried egg...


You got the end links taken care of, but the wheel bearings, you might just need to repack them with some grease, or they might need tightened... My yellow car started to wander, and I could shake the wheel, it turned out to be as they broke in, they started to get loose...


I would consider your Gas Cap first, then go from there, It might have shut down if the tank collapsed a little from the negative pressure and starved your fuel pump... My Yellow car did this almost exact thing, Had a Gas smell, it was coming from the filler area, changed the cap, it all cleared up... I swapped my cap with my red convertible, and then I started having funny issues with my vert... So try a gas cap.

Your volt meter should be monitoring the entire system, therefore:

A Bad battery will typically cause your car not to start, It might cause your lights to dim a little if there is a bad connection, but usually it will dim for a second and then come back up, if there is an internal problem like a short. I have had that happen to me, but your alternator should take over, and it should be barely noticeable on your gauges. Usually, once you get the car started, the alt takes over. The Alternator charges your battery AND it runs your accessories, so it should output enough energy to run your car... Old cars used to be that you could literally take the battery out once you got it started, even some race cars are like that. Newer cars the battery is part of the system, I want to think that everything is grounded to the battery, the Alt charges the positive, so there is no way to ground the alt without a battery...

A Bad Alternator, I would think would be good or bad, a bad connection near or close to the alt, possibly a bad corroded end on a battery cable, could possibly cause what you are talking about, or a Bad gauge. I am thinking it is more than likely a dirty connection somewhere that is causing it... Typically when you get below 9V on a car it does not run very well...

We should turn you in for Child err car abuse.

John

Daytona_83

Rumblin...I'll have the pictures up in awhile. I have SOOOO many pictures that I'm editing and such, but I'll PM you and let you know.

Scott, let me know when you have your pics up for download. BTW, we made it home safe about 5:30 yesterday and I've spent most of today editing my pictures. What a task! lol

UnstableAviator

I also had to replace an alternator in Detroit. Drove 1600 miles in 5 days, and that was pretty much my only problem. It was crazy hot, and being equipped with headers, 2.5 exhaust pipes, and a 400hp 350 it was even hotter inside the car. Good times, Power Tour 2011 was the best one yet for me. Everyone who likes cars has to do this event at least once.

Nice to meet you Scott, your car is the cleanest 3rd Gen I've ever seen.

scottmoyer

Here's the car getting fixed in Alabama. Isn't this a sad site?

scottmoyer

Also ran into some weird people hanging out their windows!!

evilemokid94

iTrader: (6)

funny thing is your car still looks amazing!!!

scottmoyer

I need to give Kudos to Tire Pro in Wetumpka, AL for the work they did on my car. They diagnosed the issue and didn't charge for it. They discounted the price of the repair and didn't mark up the parts prices when additional parts were ordered. The owner even went out back and pulled an old alternator to send back as a core so I could get my original rebuilt and put back on the car. This was all without me asking. As you can see, they did the work outside in the heat to get me back on the road and pushed me to the front of the line. These guys were top notch!!

lawdog49

iTrader: (6)

thumbs up for the southern hospitality, i find that kind of attitude more often than not in this part of the country. when the PT came through here last year, they had a bunch of GM mechanics travelling with and fixing attendees cars- did they not have that this year? just wondering...

also, Scott check your pm's, i have a question for ya but off topic

andrew-wagers

i got a qustion were do you guys get the lovers for the back windos for thes cas i got a 84 z28 86 ta and a 91 rs i would like to get them for but i cant find them please help

evilemokid94

iTrader: (6)

just gotta look around

okfoz

Scott's louvers are actually factory. Craigar made some at one time... ebay is the only place to get them AFAIK.

John

evilemokid94

iTrader: (6)

you can find them here from time to time

lawdog49

iTrader: (6)

i have a factory set on my 91, and painted gloss black professionally to match the car. i am thinking about selling them. not gonna be cheap- kinda hard to find good factory ones that don't rattle and have all the parts. cragar louvers looked like crap imo

Rumblin70SS

Thanks very much sir, I appreciate it! Sorry we didn't catch up on PT.....maybe next time as I hope we go again!

87IROC-DAN61

Hello scottmoyer!!

It's all in how you look at this...........it's not a sad site if you tell everyone that you were showing off the pristine engine bay to some "rabid" IROC-Z fans!!!!!



By the way to your ride!!!

burnout88

I know you changed the fuel pump already but you may want to put in a fresh fuel filter may have picked up some contamination. Also possible that the original fuel injectors are going bad. Not uncommon for even low mileage cars. The original injectors on these cars are not know for lasting very long.

I had a very similar experience on my first Power Tour. My distributor and injectors ended up going bad on that trip.

White93z34

iTrader: (1)

My 87' has not had a graceful shift from sitting to driving often. It made the 700 mile home no problem, but its recently been one problem after another. Frustrating but I suppose at 102,000 miles on all original electrics (MAF, injectors, ESC, etc) they are due to go.

Stratocaster25

Wow, I'd say you're still a member. My car just turned 60,000 miles a few weeks ago and I'd like to think I'm a member as well.



You may want to have the injectors checked like burnout88 said. My car has stalled out on me a few times over the last couple years and wouldn't start right away. I had to let it sit for about 10-15 minutes before it would restart again. Then it started to sputter and stumble like you said. Almost like a miss. I just had it checked and had the fuel pump replaced along a bad injector. It's ran fine ever since.

80schild

iTrader: (5)

Scott, it looks like your car has the '86 style bodyside moldings. I've heard some of the early '87 models had them, but aren't they pretty rare?

scottmoyer

Nope. These are the standard moldings for 85-87. They changed to the wider version in 1988.