Hi Everyone

I have a 1985 Chevrolet Camaro 2.8l, 5 Speed. i Purchased ...yesterday. Ok i knew going in it was a work in progress but it runs/ran till about 3 hours ago. Ok i drove it 115 miles yesterday from where i picked it up. list of probs.
*dry rotted tires
*the only gauge that works is speedo
*body is rough but drivable shape
*wipers dont work (found out in a drizzle with a dirty windsheild at 70mph)
*at some point i threw the alt belt
*the reservoirs (coolant and windsheild cleaner and clutch) need replacing
*had to remove the air filter till i can replace
*none of the door locks work there only cosmetic

most of that stuff though is easy fix though

my prob is the engine when it does turn over is very hard to turn over espeacily if it was allready started recently. Kind of like its half way rotating.
Since this is the first order on the list i looked at the easy stuff. Checked batter and alternator at a store battery alternator and starter were fine. replaced coroded battery cable and alt belt. Then replaced wires, plugs, cap and button. noticed rust around the top of the distributor, but not where the button was. Then started her up and it was the same granted it ran better once it started but the hard start was still there. Decided to go for a ride 2 hours ran fine except for the start, Then it died after a short ride thought it might be fuel as it was turning over just not catching put some fuel in push start ran for about 1 minute and dead again. Now it wont start. Afraid to kill the battery trying.

So ive read in here it could be timing as the reason for the slow start, was planning to mess with that tomarow but now have to figure out how to get vehicle home. Thinking it might be a clogged fuel line as i dont know how to tell if the engine is getting fuel. but i wanted to ask some one in the know first. Also when i put the new alt belt on i bypassed the smog pump could this be afecting it by anyway.

Id appreciate anyhelp i can get, as you guys have allready answered alot of my questions in some of your other threads im hoping someone with knowledge on the 2.8 will lend some advice...other than take it out back and put it down lol.

 

Well a lil more in depth info if any one can shed some light or a hint i might be overlooking

Replaced the fuel filter and wala it doesnt shut off anymore, But it still is incredibly hard to start. and has gotton worse as it only seems to start when i push it off. i also have killed the battery now i think. Now we had some luck adjusting the timing and had it to starting up pretty quickly and running great but everytime we tighten it down we lose it? And now the timing is way off so its not going anywhere.

Got the new alt belt on and alternator gets hot inside 3 minutes to hot to touch. (belts not on very tight so its not like its got a lot of drag or anything) Everyone says its going bad so i got another yet to install also battery is a 600cca and 700 ca, (possibly to low on Cranking amps?, i dont think so but thats why im asking you guys) also heard the ground cable may need replacing as they will eat themselves form the inside out. and the starter may be bad afterall. The main problem still being its hard to start.

So on my list to do is
*replace neg battery cable
*replace alternator
*Adjust the timing
*replace starter (possibly with a higher torque starter)
*possibly need a new battery

If you guys can add anything or give a tip id appreciate it.

 

Possibly AC compressor pully draging/freezing... Id remove some belts just to see... Long shot but worth a try...

 

Hell anything would make sense at this point lol. Got yet another close look at alot of the wiring and theres some definate probs there as well burned wires vacum hoses crumbling in my hands connecters that arnt connected to anything. When i get some of those probs fixed ill have a better outlook on the whole project.

But i do have another question i snatched the starter off today to have it bench tested (it failed so there may lie the main prob, hopefully). But while i was taking it off i noticed something odd about the transmission theres a , im gana call it a cover plate i guess, around the opening to the trans where the engine conects into it. There looks to be srew holes all the way around it with no screws in it and its just kinda sitting there it moves and theres a spot on the bottom where it kinda looks like a screw driver may have once been used to pry on but that could be the way its supposed to be. is there supposed to be a seal thereor can i just leave it be for now and eventually try to replace the bolts that were supposed to be there?

 

I think your talking about the plastic cover that goes under the tranny, between it and the rear of the block. If were talking auto here... I barely remember it. Being as how Ive been in a 4th gen and now a 3rd 5spd... I had mine off on my 89' and I bottomed out on a speed bump (that should have been illegal) and it took out 5 teeth on my flywheel. Dont think it would have saved me if it was there, but Im sure it was there for a reason...

It cant cost too much at a JYard. Next time your there, grab one...

Sounds like you may have found your problem. Try it, obviously has to be replaced anyway. And get those wires fixed...

Best of luck man! I hate that wiring!

 

Hey, does the "ga" in your name mean you're in Georgia? If so, I have a 6 cylinder parts car out back you might be able to get some useful stuff from.

 

I found out the other day the cover is to keep debris out of the clutch, i found a cut out parts breakdown and could see for my self whats going on, needless to say i need to get it screwed down cause i dont feel like dropping a transmission. And Titan i am from the Macon Ga area, if your not to far away i may have to hit you up on that .

Well an update on the car it was the starter, got the new one in and boom cranked right up, and shut off a few secs later due to the timing but adjusted the timing by ear as i dont have any real tools anymore, and it starts and runs strong now. It gives me alot more confidence knowing that its going to start everytime, may not run for long but it will start lol.

So on to my next few problems to tackel. The car leans to the driver side front and back, the front airdam is about an inch lower than the hood. The tires are dryrotted the brakes and suspension need a good bit of work as does the cooling system and the entire front end for that mater, the exaust is toast. BUT THE T-TOPS DONT LEAK so its all good lol.

Quick question also parts guy tested my alt and said its fine when i asked him about it getting to hot to touch he said thats normal for a internally regulated alt. you guys know anything about that thx for the help guys.

 

About the alternator, honestly as long as mine is working I don’t worry about.
So if it is keeping the battery charged, and not making noise, then you only have two choices. Ignore it, and work on something else, or replace a working alternator.

Your car sounds like my first 3rd gen an 84 Camaro with a 2.8L.
Of course that quickly changed when a kid in a mini van beat me in a race. LOL


I find it really fun to take a car that has a million issues and fixing them one at a time till the car is a pretty nice one.

 

Cool. I'm near Savannah, and I have a timing light! I just looked it up on google maps and from here to Macon is 159 miles... Might need to make sure that thing is running a little better before coming all the way over here.
Let me know if there's anything you need. (note: my parts car is an automatic though)

 

Hi Guys

Well where do i start, lol. I went to the store today to get some oil to do a oil change and when i got there they were closed so not wantingto waste a trip said hell i go wash the thing at least. So i do and when i got ready to leave the car wouldnt start (im gana call it flooded out) now how you can flood a fuel injected car im not sure i can turn a wrench and take stuff off and put stuff on but diagnosing a prob im lost. So anyway im turning it over and turning it over and i get nothing it will grumble a lil bit act likes it wants to start then die wait about 15 mins and i try it a few more times and finally it grumbles backfires a time or 3 and slowly it revs to life, now in the meantime ive taken the hood pins out to see if anything is loose but cant find anything so when the car starts i GO and a mile or so down the road the hood GOES right up and into the windsheild and i got to say its just as scary as it looks like it would be. So any way the hood while it sux that its messed up needed to be replaced anyway as well the whole front clip. so not a total loss. The prob is not relying on the car to start or stay running. Now when its running some times its got some power and enough to pull me back in the seat, and other times im reving it allmost all the way up and its backfiring like hell out the airfilter (at least thats where i hear it) and its just creeping along in first. now i have a few questions and if you guys can throw in some advice or something i may be overlooking id appreciate it.

1 The smog pump (do you really need it and why would it get hot enough to cook a battery cable when its not even got a belt on it?

2 most of the vacum lines (ive replaced a majority of them but some of the stuff for the smog can i just capped off or tore out)

3 possible bad injectors?

4 Timing (we did it by ear not very reliabley either)

5 The airfilter and assembly were toast so i snatched it out and put a cold air intake in (like one youd see on a civic) still got the mass air sensor and the other sensor that plugged in the assembly as well.

6 none of the gauges work i tryed pulling them out and cleaning them and seeing how they were attached everything seemed ok wheres some where i might not be looking for a bad connector maybe or anything