Duto

Hey folks, I just recently purchased my Z in the last week. With 80k original miles on it and for only $700, I couldn't pass it up. Anyway, I can turn a wrench, but I'm no mechanic, so I need a bit of advice.

First off, I went to go get it smogged (I love California...), and the mechanic said it was misfiring. I was hoping it sounded the way it did because the previous owner put 87 octane in it, but anyway... so, I took a look at the plugs and cables, and I need to change them. Would you also advise changing out the distributor cap/rotor while I'm at it? Would replacing these correct the misfire?

Next, it's gotten a bit better, but I have difficulty getting into gear, mostly reverse. I assumed it might be the arms on the shifter, but when I press on the clutch, I get a high pitched squeaking that remains constant, I thought it was a belt at first. Bear in mind, it's only when I depress the clutch. Is that the release bearing? If so, is that a simple fix? I'm all about the DIY.

Another thing, my speedometer is shammed up, and now my odometer no longer works. I can vaguely hear the cable spinning back there, so I'm thinking that my gears are just grinded down to nothing. I only come to this conclusion because it stopped when I attempted to reset the trip odometer. Any ideas?

Yet another thing, my radiator boils like crazy. My temp gauge APPEARS to be working fine, but when I come back down to my garage and it's a sauna with a loudly gurgling radiator, I get nervous. As it would be, I almost blew a hose today, luckily I only sprung a leak. I know it needs to be flushed, maybe even replaced. There's copious amounts of rust in the mix, and I'm pretty convinced it's not a 50/50. Would a bottle of radiator patch and a new batch of fluid fix up my concerns?

Lastly, any ideas for my overall self-conducted tune up? I'm tempted to mess with the timing and the valves, but my wife would kill me if I spent too much time out there. A full fluid change is completely in order, since the previous owner completely neglected the car. Bear in mind I -need- to pass this darn California smog, so any advice on that would be fantastic as well.

Thanks in advance, folks!

Atilla the Fun

Of course you should change the cap and rotor.

3rdgnberlinetta

i have an 83 as well tha took me a over a year to pass smog and register.finally got it done last week.i only had 22k original miles on it and still went thr hell,fluid change is a must,im still on my original radiator and it started to over heat today but ive never flushed it but its best to go brand new.99 bucks at auto zone water pump is 40 thermastat is 6. u might wnna change your ignition module just due to the engine getting hot when u drive,im on my 8th one so yea a new radiator would be best.the odometer could be 1 of 2 things. theres the cable that that attaches to the tranny or it could ba as simple as the spring behind it in the dash,in my case it was both,after a while the spring shifts and falls out of place. a major tune up will b great for the car to and inspect your exhaust,the slightesthole will cause a smog test to go wrong.changing your cat.converter might be a big help. and going back to your radiator,when you stop the car pop the hood and pull the pressure release if you have one on your cap,if the water squirts out steaming hot you might need to check your temp. sensor and ground wire which shuld be on te lowe right side of the engine sticking out slightly.mine was the same way and i almost blew the heads by trusting the gages.the sensor is about 25 bucks and unscrews right out.the gear issue could b reverse going ou which s why u might have got that good price,the clutch not catching or maybe just needing a complete flush.if it only messes up when the tranny is hot then it might be going out. im all abou the diy also and my wife hatted the car b cause of all the time i spent under the hood but after my final touches on it last week she wont stay away from it.trust me its a great investment.i get so much respect every where i go. but the bet thing to do if you wonna do it yourself is to go 2 a pic apart or junk yard find every cmaro like your and sart ripping them apart so you can see what goes where and youll learn what to do and what not to do and you dont have to worry about breaking anything. thas how i learned. autozone also sales a camaro fix it book which will help you do most repairs yourself if your good with your hands. good luck with it all