Chrisht

Idk about you but my v6 90 camaro is prolly the slowest thing I have ever driven but I can't help but love it=)

anyone else have massively high rpms when doing highway speeds? like 6-7k rpms?

Like its ridiculous how high the rpms are on the highway for me. I gotta use overdrive otherwise it'll stay that high. To me that's really high then again Ive never had a car with overdrive or a older Camaro before so this might be normal? just wondering.

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

There is NO way you're pushing 6K on the highway unless you're in 3rd gear (assuming a 700R4) or 4th (T5). Your tach is probably off. Happens a lot. Also, considering the 700R4, if the torque converter clutch isn't working, then you'll be up around 3K at 70 or so, but that's still nowhere near 6K. I'd check your tach with an aftermarket tach before I did anything else.

:edit: My T5 gives me 2400 RPM at 70 and my 700R4 was around 2300 (until the TCC went bad), FYI.

RED_DRAGON_85

...
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yep, i got my LOL in for the day

FireInMe17

Uh oh....my TCC gives me ~3,000rpm at 70 on the highway.....does that mean its bad? It's always done that though.....

FireInMe17

@RED_DRAGON_85 hey i stole your Camaro avatar from your signature lol

Chrisht

lol im not lying ? i was asking serious question. And no its not the Tach thats off. I legit get anywhere from 5500-7000 rpms while at highspeeds. When i click it into OD it drops but only to about 4000-4200 then my car shakes ridiculously. So I was just asking what you think would be wrong. and it is a 700R4

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

Are you sure that tach isn't off? Trust me on this... if your engine was running between 4 and 7 grand on the highway, 1. you would know because the engine would literally be SCREAMING, and 2. it wouldn't last long as the cam's upper limit is around 6K. The water pump would be failing quickly, the alternator would be failing quickly, and so would the other belt-driven accessories, as they aren't meant for extended 4K+ RPM driving. Like I stated above, if the trans was going into OD, even without the TCC locking, the engine speed would still be under 3K RPM.

It is possible that the trans isn't going into overdrive like you think it is, and that it's actually sticking in 2nd-3rd gear. If you can get a chance to get underneath the car, check to make sure the shifter cable is pushing the manual shift lever all the way forward by removing the end of the cable from the lever and pushing the lever towards the front of the car. If you get another click out of the manual lever, you'll need to adjust the shift cable.

firebird1992

i have never hit 6-7000 rpm even when my trans was slipping
even after my B&M shrift kit which i ride 2nd gear to 72 mph at 5500 rpm
then 3rd gear takes me to 122 at 4500- 5000 rpm and at 5000 that motor is screaming man 6-7000 damn man the rods are rate at 7500 and like said before the cam's upper limit is 6600 rpm i think maybe 6800 need to check that.

but that's crazy man that motor isn't going to last long if ur really at 6-7 grand but since these cars have no limiter its possible just not right lol

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

Limit for the cam is rated at 6500 RPM... These engines DO have a limiter, but it's based on vehicle speed unless you're sitting still, in which case the limiter hits around 4500 RPM, IIRC. I think the top end fuel cut is at around 130 MPH, but this also depends on the chip.

grassyflats

my 91 RS 3.1 flys!!!

firebird1992

not the 90-92 3.1 they don't have limiter.

AM91Camaro_RS

Yeah, my 91 had a limiter at like 125 or 130 according to the chip. I've never had it that high. But, I changed it to like 155 where I'm sure it'll probably never see.

//<86TA>\\

iTrader: (15)

my 92 bird is slow as hell, but its still a fun car. some day it will be fast

58mark

iTrader: (3)

your tach is WRONG. Mine does the same thing,, idles at 2500, and it's over 5 on the highway. It's a common 3rd gen problem, do a search

I just bought a NOS tach from ebay, can't wait to put it in tomorrow and get rid of my old one!

Skyset

Hello,

I didn't bother reading all the arguments in this thread, I just wanted to let you know I love my v6 also!!! Even though it's slower then a stock Civic, I can't put it down

Jason1313

iTrader: (3)

At highway speeds, 70-75 i run at about 2750 rpms, i think that's normal, could be wrong, sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, course I'm running a 5.0 TBI.

Doesn't matter how fast your Third Gen is, if you love your car you love your car, Period.

RBob

iTrader: (1)

The '90 - '92 MPFI 3rd gens have both a vehicle speed limiter and engine RPM limiter in the ECM's calibration. The latest calibration for a T5 MPFI is BAWX, and an 700R4 car uses AZTY. Note that your particular vehicle may have a different calibration in it. However, the two listed above supersede all others and as such should be the ones being used.

For BAWX (T5) the limits are: 108/105 MPH, 6212/5985 RPM (off/on)
For AZTY (700R4) the limits are: 115/112 MPH, 6212/5985 RPM (off/on)

The limiting is done by turning off the injectors, thereby cutting engine power to zero.

To the OP, there is a decent thread on the electronics board on fixing the 3rd gen tachs. There is a resistor on the tach driver board that goes bad causing the tach to read high. This is a common issue with our cars.

RBob.

firebird1992

mmm really i was told there wasn't a rev limiter or speed limiter
and it was mph 255 ECM speed limiter -- like these cars will ever see that
and the rev limiter just isn't there for the 90-92 v6 mmm learn something everyday

but i can pin my car to 122 no problem, never tried to rev limiter .... think i will leave that to hondas lol

Chrisht

Only reason I say teh Tach isnt broken is because My engine is screaming at highway speeds. It feels like it just wont shift. I feel 2nd and 3rd but I dont think its shifting past that and Im bringing it to my sister bfs garage next weekend to fix some other things so Ill check the cables then. But ya it does idle around 2500 when its cold but itll lower to 1000-1500 after like 3 mins. Its old but it still starts right up no problem even when it was 15 degrees outside lol. But is just when I', on the highway it feel like I got no power and it just feels like the engines pushing itself alot harder than it should. anyway thanks for the response Ill test the tach out and check out everything next weekend.


And ya I feel the same lol mines not 135hp I got a little more than that ( even though it dont feel like it ) i still love the car. 3rd gen v6s sound alot better than 4th gens and lot of people assume I got a 305 when I don't. But its probably the slowest car I've ever owned but the best at the same time. You gotta give them credit because its 20 years old been misused by multiple owners but still has original parts all working and starts up perfectly. Other than few things here and there that dont work its still runs like new=P

AM91Camaro_RS

I would say its not coming out of 2nd gear if its really turning that many rpms at 70 or so. unless somebody has put 4.56 gears in it or something. 4.10s wouldn't even cause that kind of rpm @70...I had 4.10s.

//<86TA>\\

iTrader: (15)

wow, you really think the car can go that fast

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

Here's something you can do to check the trans before you can get to the shop to check the shift cable adjustment. Next time you're on a flat road, doing about 45-50, throw the shifter into the Neutral position. If the engine speed drops, your cable needs adjustment. If the engine speed increases, well, I'd think you lost the next gear or 2 up. How does the car act in Park? How about Reverse? Generally, Reverse is the first gear to go bad due to the increased line pressures required to hold the clutches in the proper orientation. BTW, OverDrive position is the one right under Neutral, not the D... That's third.

Chrisht

Lol at maverick I know where OD and Drive are? Lol

and when its in park and its cold outside the engines going at about 2400 RPMS then itll drop pritty significantly after about 3-4 mins. ( gotta understand its been about 10 degrees around here in the morning latley ).

once it heats up it'll idle at about 1200 probably I dont exactly remember which is higher then most Cars Ive had but still isn't that bad.

One thing Ive noticed with the reverse is there is like a 2 second delay? Idk how to describe it its almost like its having a hard time going into reverse because usually when i throw it into it itll jerk a little and feels like its shifting hard and it takes like 1-2 seconds after I put it in gear for it to actually kick in.

I'll try that nuetral thing probably tuesday Im jobless atm and can't afford to waste my gas and I dont have to go to classes again till tuesday so I'll try it then.

Chrisht

Btw I wanna thanks everyone for their help so far as well=)

firebird1992

i idle at 800 rpm even on a cold day

the book say these cars idle at 650-700

but i would really check the trans too

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

This makes it sound even more like the manual valve and shifter lever/cable are out of spec... Almost like the manual valve is half in neutral and half in reverse. Try doing the neutral thing with reverse as well, holding the shifter at the front of the reverse notch (same with overdrive) and see if it shifts a little quicker then.

BTW, your engine speed should be around 1200-1500 (or more if REALLY cold) at cold start, depending on the temperature, and as was said above, 700-900 when hot. Definitely something screwy with the tach.

Chrisht

ya well hopefully this weekend my sisters bfs garage will be open hes finishing a V8 swap for his malibu then ill be able to check some stuff out. The car feels reallly sluggish and I noticed the RPMS reading high and etc etc so i was just wondering what it could be so well take a look. I gotta find a nice spot to do the nuetral thing and ill let you know how it went.

I'm actuallty hoping something is wrong with it lol I dont wanna keep going thinking the car is really this slow=P takes it forever to get up to speed and like the slowest cars in the world wizz past me all the time=PP

auto-x1990RS

hey, at least your tach works. mine just pegs when i turn on the ignition (along with volt and oil pressure gauges).

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

That's what happens when either they aren't connected to the senders or the senders are bad. The tach is probably disconnected from the test lead at the ignition coil.

Chrisht

ya i did the test maverick told me to do and the engine speed holds so thats a relief. I'm going to tweak with it this weekend to up the power a little it just feels so sluggish it disgusts me. Ima fix the tach as well because it bothers me seeing 6k rpms when im on the highway lmao.

d00012

I think the 1987 ECM limiter is at 255.

Chrisht

btw just throwing out a random question whats the 0-60 time for anyone else with a 1990 V6? I havnt actually gotten to a nice area to try but judging from seeing 305s take 8-10 im sure its not pritty.

89rser

im no expert but ive had the same problem out of other cars and trucks before, and in every one of those cases the throttle was sped up a lil bit. is it a carburated engine or fuel injection?....sounds like the timing is a lil fast on it. you may not have a problem with the tac, but instead your timing is a lil to advanced if its idling that high and shouldnt.....or a vacume leak will cause a fast idle too....i dont remember if it idles lower or not in neutral, but if not check the timing as well as the neutral switch.......

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

The shift mechanism on these cars is a cable, not a switch, that directly controls the manual valve lever on the transmission. If the cable and lever are adjusted properly, when he's going down the road at a constant rate (45, let's say) and he bumps the shift lever up into the Neutral position, the engine speed should increase as there is no load on the engine for the given position of the pedal. However, in his case, the engine speed holds and maybe even drops (trans shifts into overdrive), which is an indicator that the shifter is out of line with the manual shift lever in the transmission, and his cable needs adjustment.

BTW, Chris, can you start the engine with the shifter in the Neutral position? If you can't, then the switch off to the side of the shifter needs adjustment as well.

d00012

I'm between 7-10 seconds for my 0-60. I haven't officially timed it or anything, but I hit 70 pretty quickly on our freeway on-ramps.

FireInMe17

My cars running like **** this weekend

d00012

Yeah, mine has been acting a little weird. I haven't checked my plugs in awhile, been a good 10,000 miles since I checked them and regapped them.