I just yesterday bought my first thirdgen, a metallic blue 1987 Sport Coupe with a 2.8 and a 5-speed. The car is mechanically very sound, with new tires, new brakes, and new paint, and the egine runs extremely smoothly. While driving it home on the freeway, I noticed that when I goosed it at somewhat lowish RPM's, I could hear an airy sound from the exhaust. Once I knew what to look for I could hear it at idle also. So I have concluded that the muffler and/or exhaust probably could use replacing. I would like to go to a system with no cat, and I have an uncle who runs a muffler shop. I have connections !

I have never heard any v6 camaro with other than stock pipes. I'm wondering what will sound best, and also wondering if anyone here could upload a sample of their cars with aftermarket pipes, that would be good of them. Thanks!

 

I have somewhat of the same problem. But mine is 3 broken bolts on the exhaust manifolds. Sounds like I have a lot of holes in my pipes.
I have the Dynomax Super Turbo muffler and I like it more than anything else I've heard on a V6.

 

It's quite possible that your hearing the stock "dual-snorkle" intake that came on the late 80's 2.8's.

EGR loose?

However if it truly is the exhaust than to rid of it, just install a catback. You'll want to do that anyways.

 

Pulled the car up on the hydraulic lift at school today... got some bad news. My exhaust is pretty good, except it looks like swiss cheese at the end, the headers are a tiny bit leaky, and the muffler has a hole blown in the side of it. The muffler also sounds solid when I thump it, and it is full of crap. Also, the whole bottom side of my engine is covered in oil! I'm thinking the muffler got plugged, and the backpressure blew the muffler out and blew the seal around the crankcase so it's leaking oil. Not sure how bad, since I just got it yesterday, but it seems to only leak when the engine is warm (or running). I'll probly just drive it and put oil in it regularly, until I get a chance to clean the gunk off the engine and see exactly where it's leaking. Hopefully it's just the oilpan, but if not, oh well.

No, I don't believe my EGR is loose, and the airy sound I heard was from under and slightly behind me, so I don't think it's the intake.

 

My cat plugged and the backpressure blew all the stuff from inside the cat to the muffler.... then the muffler plugged up.

Might want to consider checking the cat if your state needs smog checks.

 

My cat is probly plugged also, but I'm gonna get it cut out cause I don't have smog laws here in Washington. I'm gonna get it cut out, and probly have my uncle put a Dynomax Turbo in place of the muffler. I'm thinking if my leak was caused by backpressure, even though my seal is blown out now, maybe removing any backpressure will make it leak less.

 

Just FYI in case you don't know who had the car before you - people tend to rag the living **** out of the V6's. I think they figure its a camaro so it should be like lightning, and when its a V6 and it isn't like lightning they just stomp on it all the time. Thats what it sounds like to me.... I've never heard of pressure blowing out a seal. but what do I know..., usually they just wear out, who knows how long previous owner has been adding a quart a week.

Rear seal isn't bad, front seal is worse, need to pull water pump, power steering (just the bracket), timing chain cover, and you may as well do the timing chain set now.

Other leaks are usually at the pan gasket, timing chain cover or the dipstick or the filter. Any other place and your really in trouble :/

 

Gumby some time ago hosted a sound clip of my car with dynomax catback, offroad y-pipe and pacesetter headers.

May see if you can find it, or PM him and see if he can link you to it.

 

Make sure it's not just the distributor o-ring causing the leak; it's a one inch inside-diameter o-ring, 1/8th inch thick. When you pull the dist out, it'll probably be a hard plastic ring that you'll have to snap off- they dry up, get hard, and get cracks- causes a leak down the back of motor that drips AROUND the rear seal.

I still have my Dynomax clips up here: TomP's Firebird, exhaust sound clips

 

ive blown head gaskest that way..... all that pressure has nowhere to go so it find the weakest point it can and blows it..... well not all the time.. but it did for me.

 

Sound clip is still there, I don't delete nutin. Link away.


probably the Oring.

rear seal leaks are not that common on these engines.

[but if your leaking a quart a week....... its buring it or leaking.]

The oily engine n trans is just the dumb dizzy Oring.

For me
I have never had a problem with the oil messing up my clutch so I know its the Oring and I have ignored it. Doesn't leak enough to bother.

 

Dale's

http://www.viragotech.com/test2.wav

Car idles at 1400.
First rev is to 2000-2100
slowly take it up to 5000, then sudden let-off
few more revs to un-known rpms.

Sound clip taken on win2kpro "sound recorder", with labtec cheapie mic, setting about 6ft behind center of car, on ground


3.4
Pacesetter headers
off-road y-pipe
Dynomax catback
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TomP
Here's mine...

TomP's Firebird, exhaust sound clips
__________________
-Tom P (Hot rodded 1986 Firebird 2.8l)
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This was my sound clip of my first cherrybomb exhaust. It was in the very back like the stock muffler. I now have it as a side pipe exhaust that sounds deadly. It turns heads. Good or bad, I see folks break their neck to see what that is.

http://www.viragotech.com/cherrybomb_2.8.wav

Broke my laptop gettign that sound clip.
Just got it all fix up just a few weeks ago.

no sound clip of the side pipe yet

 

Thanks TomP, I just degunked my engine yesterday and it looks like this is what it could be. It looks like there's oil on the top of the tranny and everywhere behind the dizzy, (or at least there was Gunk burn-off from back there for a while), so when I get the money to do a tune up, I'll probly pull the distributor and check (replace) that seal. I'm not losing oil too bad, (2 days and no detectable loss by the dipstick) so it can wait for a while. Thanks for the help!

Thanks to everybody who gave me sound clips, too, cause now I know I definetely am not gonna stick with my stock pipes for much longer! Everybody else's car sounds cooler than mine! Thanks all!