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Project Cammie is the name I've given my car since I got it with some front end damage and was able to replace the drivers fender, front bumper cover, and headlight covers with pieces of various colors leaving me with a chameleon of a firebird. ALSO, for funsies people like to call my firebird a camaro so either way her name is Cammie. My other cars have names too, but that's a story for another day.
Cammie started out as my now brother in laws car back in 2000. I don't remember exactly what happened but he was going to junk it and I saved it for a whopping $700 and a pair of JL Audio subwoofers. Cammie ended up sitting for about 10yrs when life got in the way and I got a job in western Iowa, got married, had kids, etc. The funny thing is that when we tried to get it started the engine would turn over but no start. Starter fluid showed that there was plenty of spark but no fuel. We checked fuses but fuses only tell half the story. We traced it to the fuel pump not priming and the ECM not getting power. The fuse by the battery was good and so we thought it was a wiring problem. Fast forward a few more years and no progress and I ask my uncle, an auto technician, to come over. He says yes and I tell my dad "I bet he gets it running in under 5min" to which we both laugh and say 'yeah, right.' Little did I know we were both wrong.
So my uncle shows up and says for me to get in and turn the key. Starter engages and the engine turns over. I'm in the drivers seat and I see him reach by the battery and make some movements, twist some things together and says to try again. Car starts immediately. He was there 4min. It turned out that the fuse holder connections were corroded and was causing a bad connection. So even though the fuse is good, there was no voltage going across it. Duh....
So we proceed to tune the car by resetting the tps, idle air, timing, etc. and I'm good to go for a while. My dad and I take apart the rear panel with the hatch pull down and were able to repair that with a metal bracket around the pull down frame. I'll have to take it apart again and make a sheetmetal drawing sometime. The housing is broken but the metal frame is holding it all in place and has been working for the last couple of years with no issues.
Fast forward some more time for winter to pass and I get the car registered in Illinois ($200 when Iowa only costs $55), new set of tires and some more time with my uncle who finds out that the heater control valve is clogged with what looks like gravel. A new radiator, heater control valve, thermostat, and hoses take care of that.
I take the car to Central Illinois from the Chicago area and things are fine. Then the headlights won't open all the way. I was able to fix that pretty easily with a piece of nylon rod I found that I cut to bushings like the headlight fix that others have posted. I would say it's a lot easier then you think, if you haven't done it yourself. The original bushings turned to dust inside the headlight openers and replacing them was easy. I would say the hardest part is removing the headlights. The rest was simple enough.
As you can see the hatch is open after I was able to replace both struts with new ones from rockauto. I think I paid as much for them both as it cost for only one at the parts stores. Now I don't need to carry a broom handle to hold open the hatch.
I also found the body panel screws and 'nuts' that are used in the back area. If you look for Dorman p/n 961-380 you should be able to get a pack of 3 screws and nuts, 6 total parts, for about $5. I used a quarter to install them since it was pretty easy.
I yanked the stock air filter housing and put on an intake for a '98 Dodge Neon that I had laying around and cut off part of it and installed it onto the MAF. The tube is 3" in dia and I put a cone air filter on the end and it made a difference in how quickly it revs up.
I also installed a Crane Fireball Ignition system since I had it laying around. I can't say there is a difference since I didn't get to drive the car before.
Anyhow, I'll pick up from here later with some more pictures. Thanks for reading, I hope you're enjoying the story so far!
Last edited by crazymex83; 06-03-2014 at 10:29 PM.
I took a few pictures and edited my other posts to add a few more to the gallery. One of these shows the door panel and the cupholders I attached. They cost me $4 for 4 of them and they have a keyhole near the rim that fit the bolt from the arm rest. I placed an oversized nut behind the cupholder so that it wouldn't deform as I tightened it down. It works pretty well for me. I've put a 32oz Nalgene water bottle in it and it holds just fine. I can't really drink from it while driving, but it's helpful when I'm driving to work.
There is plenty of rust showing up but the car seems to be in pretty good shape. I've taken care of a couple of small repairs and have been able to put about 500miles on her since she came out of the storage in March.
You can see the results of sealing up the donut leak on the drivers side. I made the same fix on the passenger side but I had to jack up the car and I removed the front wheel to make sure I could reach. There used to be a prominent stumble in the morning but that's not much of an issue anymore. We did plug up the AIR injection and removed the pump. The system was already messed up for previous work so it was easy enough to just remove it all and plug everything.
I'm saving up for the OBX longtubes and y-pipe and that should make an improvement over what's currently installed.
Last edited by crazymex83; 06-03-2014 at 10:25 PM.
These shots are to show you the condition of the paint. I tried cleaning it up some so I can practice using my new buffer. I know this needs to be sanded and painted so if I screw it up a little more who cares.
I washed the car and used a clay bar on one half of the hood. Can you guess which side? Yup, the drivers side. You can see the clear is pretty bad. I applied some rubbing compound to see if it would help and it sorta did. I applied it by hand to the drivers side also. I didn't see much improvement, but the feel of the paint is night and day. One side is smooth, the other feels gritty like a fine grit sandpaper. I found some tree sap and such on the paint so somethings are still there. In any case, I'll be practicing on this car no matter what.
I'm not very experienced with stuff like this and papa johns delivers so I'd appreciate any advice or assistance.
Thanks for reading!!
Last edited by crazymex83; 06-03-2014 at 10:30 PM.
i would definitely be willing to help out whenever possible. If you feel like making a trip this way sometime, we can break out the d/a sanders and giver hell.
I was busy the last couple of days doing little things here and there, plus I got half of my fathers day gift early. My girlfriend bought me a full set of speakers for the blown stockers still in the car. I installed a set of 6x9 3-way kenwoods in the rear and had to fabricate a connection with the factory harness. I used my soldering iron and loosened the connection on the factory speaker and attached the pigtail that kenwood supplied. It's a 22awg pigtail so I'll be swapping that again this weekend and putting on some better fasteners since the stock speakers were replaced at some point before and the bolt holes in the sheetmetal aren't in the best shape anymore.
I also put in an aux input on the factory tape deck that was in the car. I assume it's the original tape deck since the sticker on it said June of '87 on it. I followed these instructions to do it. http://eurosportvr.com/misc/ipod%20input/index.htm
I've done it on two separate radios but reinstalled the factory tape deck since the other one wasn't working when it was removed but acts as an amplifier for the aux input but no radio and the volume doesn't do anything. I think this is a great addition to the original radio and even though there's no bluetooth I'm able to play my mp3's just fine.
The end results are great! I wanted to blast some music but I didn't finish up until about 10pm so I had to settle for a little bit of AC/DC at a moderate tone, but lots of bass!! The ride to work today was great!! The speakers sound fantastic and the stock stereo has plenty of capability. I did notice that everytime the bass hit hard enough the clock would dim. I'll have to look into an amp at some point to save the stereo.
i would definitely be willing to help out whenever possible. If you feel like making a trip this way sometime, we can break out the d/a sanders and giver hell.
I'm going to take you up on that soon. I'll get in contact with you and we can work something out. There's plenty of paint shaking loose now
Update: I added a few pics of the speaker install. There's not much to see but you can see the wiring I did to connect the factory harness to the new speakers. I made my own pigtails out of some 18AWG I had laying around instead of the 22AWG that was in the box. There was a definite difference in the the sound produced between two pigtails. I didn't think it would be so profound.
Last edited by crazymex83; 06-08-2014 at 10:06 PM.
I added some pics to a previous post. I'll have to do something so I can post more pics at once.
Anyway, I installed all of the speakers and they sound great. I had to take the dashpad off to get the front speakers. I used a 7mm socket and a phillips screwdriver and they came out easily. The dashpad itself was still stuck in place and I thought I broke it when it popped loose. The speaker removal was also easy. Reinstalling the new ones wasn't so bad. It just took me a while to make the new pigtails. I did the same thing as before where I melted the solder on the old connections and soldered on some new wires and connected it to the new speakers.
Since I already had the dashpad off, I went ahead and removed the gauge housing, or whatever it's called, so that I could get to the blank plug above the radio. I have the rear window defroster and the rear hatch release buttons. I assume that the left had plug is for fog lights but whatever the right had one is for I know not. So I removed it from the panel and drilled a hole in it for the aux input that I installed onto the factory radio. I think it looks perfect right there, as if it was supposed to be that way. I was able to fish the cable up from the drivers side of the radio and heater controls toward the steering wheel and up behind the blank plug. There was plenty of space and I had left about 18" of cable behind it. If I had to do it again, I would have created a connection so that if I ever removed the radio again, I could just disconnect the aux instead of having to remove it like I would now.
Now I need to address my lack of a headliner. It looks like the 'Med Dark Gray' is the correct one to use. I'll be making a large order from rockauto and they have headliners there, but they colors are different. Has anyone used theirs before? I was looking at the sand gray, but it doesn't seem right. Any suggestions?
I haven't done much since the speaker install and was enjoying the drive now that I have the aux input and new speakers. Then I started to feel a weird vibration/detonation/hesitation when driving on the highway. I didn't feel it when I was doing 45mph, but it was there at 60mph.
It turned out I had a misfire. I checked the plug wires on the drivers side and the first one I touched fell off the spark plug. I must have knocked it loose at some point so I reconnected it. Misfire gone.
I did test for vacuum and the engine is pulling a solid 18" or so. I saw the gauge go up to 20" but settled at 18" after a moment. I didn't see what it dropped to when I revved it up since I did it quickly and didn't sustain RPM.
I also tested fuel pressure again. With the car running I get perfect pressure around 38psi with the vacuum line connected. If I rev it up the pressure went up to about 43psi. I turned the key off and the pressure dropped to zero. I thought I had done something wrong since I never got any readings, but after talking with my uncle I'm pretty sure the injectors are the culprit. I had pulled some data showing that the carputer was trying to pull fuel to lean it out so this makes me certain that I should buy a new set of injectors from Southbay.
I'll also be buying new connectors too since one of them crumbled in my hands when I messed with it. I didn't do much except try to loosen the lock ring and it just started to break. I'll splice in new connectors when I replace the injectors. I've already had some practice with my soldering iron and have plenty of heat shrink.
I received a new set of fuel injectors from Southbay this weekend and want to install them this coming weekend. I want to block off the cold start injector while I'm at it. I've read that a 7/8" freeze plug will work on the plenum. One of the more creative ideas said to use a couple of nickels. I like that one too. I haven't found a straight answer about the fuel rail though. One guy said an -8AN pipe plug. I was going to go to menards and try to find a brass fitting to match but I only saw 1/2" fitting and then 5/8" fitting. I see that the -8AN is supposed to be the same as 1/2" but I want to know if anyone can confirm that a 1/2" brass will work.
I'm hoping to get a straight answer on this since there have been little specific information about it. If I have to take the fuel rail to menards with me I will. Thanks in advance!
I updated another thread with this same info so just in case you think you read it twice, you probably did.
I ended up changing out the injectors since I'm going through all of the trouble to pull them loose. It took me three days to do it. I only spent a couple of hours a night with it so maybe 8hrs total. That's including mistakes I made that required me loosening up some bolts.
I figured that the new injectors would have made a big difference but they didn't. The old injectors didn't look like I expected them to. It seemed like they were in pretty good condition. I installed a set of Bosch III's from Southbay and once I got past my reassembly mistakes the whole install went together pretty well. Again, I did not notice a seat of the pants increase in horsepower or anything. The exhaust smell is still there too.
I did a test of the 9th injector by bending it out a bit and was able to fit it inside of a jelly jar. I started the car and no leak so I just disconnected the electrical connection and left it in place.
I checked the spark plugs and none of them showed any signs of excessive fuel. They all showed proper burn patterns. The ones I pulled from the passenger side showed some carbon like an oil leak, but the drivers side looked pretty good. I later went and borrowed a timing light and started adjusting the timing. I pulled the oil pressure sender wire by mistake (I didn't know where the EST wire was located then) and set the timing to 6deg BTDC, per the underhood sticker. The car seemed to run very well and felt like it gained some torque that way.
A day or two later I found the correct EST wire location and set the timing again. While I was at it, the vacuum line to the EGR valve came loose from under the plenum. I was able to get that reattached, but noticed that the electrical connection to the EGR solenoid was disconnected. I reconnected it and started driving the car again. No difference in seat of the pants, but did notice a BIG difference in my wallet.
Apparently, I had been running around for the last couple of months with the EGR disconnected and getting 15mpg and my average speed had been about 60mph. After I reconnected the EGR solenoid my mileage went to 20mpg at the same speeds. I thought I was doing the math wrong every time I looked at the mileage but I was able to go 280miles and filled it back up with 14.05gal of 87 octane fuel.
Yes, the emissions equipment was able to give me a 33% increase in mileage. Your results may vary, but I am happy to leave it in place now.
I found that my exhaust leak is back and I'm losing a little coolant; possible head gasket issue. I assumed before and was wrong so I'll be sure to trace this stuff down. I'll start with the easy stuff and pull some spark plugs again to look for signs of coolant. I've been holding off on getting the monte out too and it's already mid August and neither vehicle is going to be a winter car so I'll be parking it soon and pulling the engine over the winter. I'll attempt to install a new cam, roller rockers, headers, headliner, and gaskets while it's down.
After what felt like an excessively long wait to drive Cammie again I have finally been able to spend some time with her. I started the spring by pulling my other mistress out of her storage chateau and enjoying every minute of having my Monte Carlo on the road for the first time in about 5 years. I parked her again so I can swap the original master for one that isn't leaking. In the mean time I started working with Cammie. I purchased a set of OBX headers back in March and planned to install them recently. I brought out my destruction tools and cutting blades to remove the old system. I started by spraying penetrating oil onto the bolt heads and let it sit for a few days while spraying a little more a few times. After letting it sit for a few days I started taking it apart one saturday. I used a breaker bar and slowly started turning the bolts on the drivers side manifold. It turned out that 3 of the 6 bolts were loose. I also found that of the 6, two are studs for the accessories and the other four are bolts. Well, one of the bolts is shorter than the others and I replaced it with the proper part. I bought a set of one piece gaskets for $11 and installed the drivers side only, so far. I didn't bring a torque wrench so I tightened it up by feel with the breaker bar and then had to get a new battery. She fired up on the second try. Late last year, I brought her to a repair shop once to see if they would be able to help find out why I had a leak and they said it was the manifold. They refused to work on her because they didn't want to break the bolts in the head and I never even bothered to check if the bolts were loose.
Anyway, that was one problem solved. I called my insurance and took her for a spin. Her manners are better but I notice a cold stumble still occurring. After she's good and hot it goes away. I was able to break the rear loose without trying too hard but since they frown on that around here I didn't push it too much. I have since used a torque wrench and tightened up all of the bolts to 25lb-ft after putting a few miles on her. The bolts seemed to have loosened up in that time and I will have to check that again soon.
The weather here was pleasant the last few days and I tried to check the AC after I converted it last year. The fan didn't work and I smelled a mouse nest. It turned out that some mice made a nice home in the ducts and there were pieces of carpet insulation in the squirrel cage of the blower motor. i tried replacing just the fan but for whatever reason it would hit something and stall the motor. I cleaned up the cage with some clorox wipes and reinstalled it. The smell isn't as bad but my next paycheck will have to buy me a new blower motor. It still works but from what I understand it is very unhealthy to keep this one. I did wipe up the inside of the duct and used my shop vac to clean out the nest. I still smell it sometimes but I keep the windows open and the fan on to see if it helps clean it out.
Question: Where would the mice have come in? Is there someplace they could have gotten in the duct from the underside of the car? It doesn't look like they got in the drivers compartment. I don't smell them and see no signs of their trespassing my interior.
Also, I have what seems to be an exhaust leak again. I keep smelling exhaust inside the car with the windows closed. Perhaps it was the mice creating a hole that allows the fumes in. I will have to take the car to have the exhaust pressurized and find any leaks again.
Last edited by crazymex83; 05-19-2015 at 08:43 AM.
I wanted to make another update now that the weather has been raining a lot and I've been able to spend some time under the hood.
I was given some advice to use the exhaust of my shop vac to pressurize the exhaust system and be able to find leaks that way. It turned out that the manifold gasket I installed was leaking in the middle right by the 3 & 5 cylinders. I bought another set of gaskets and even installed a set of multipiece gaskets to see what would work. I took my time with the bolts and ended up torqueing them down a couple of times. I started in the middle and criss crossed my way to the outside. Then I would go and check the middle bolts to make sure they were still tight. The gasket crush must have kept the bolts loose so I kept trying to make sure they were sealed up. Probably why I kept getting a leak. So after they were all tightened up I hooked up my shop vac again. (I don’t know how much pressure it is able generate. I’ll have to fabricate a gauge to the oxygen sensor plug.) I found another leak at the donut gasket again. It must have come loose when I was lining up the bolts. I applied an exhaust sealant putty that I picked up at O’Reilly’s and let it sit overnight. The next day I tried again and only heard a whistling sound like an exhaust valve is open. I didn’t find any leaks and started the car. I saw some smoke like it usually does with the exhaust leak but couldn’t find anything. I did see that the gaskets started to smoke. I didn’t think there was any residue on them that might be burning away. I drove it to work and couldn’t smell any exhaust coming into the car. Usually by the end of the day I smell like exhaust and have to change and take a shower (my wife doesn’t like the smell at all) So far, so good but we’ll see what she says.
I got rid of the mouse nest and smell. I still didn’t find where they got into the blower motor and they seem to be gone now. I tried to change out the blower fan only but that kept stalling the motor. It must have been a different size or offset. I was able to clean it up and let it soak up some soap and cleaner in a bucket before I tried it again. I painted the motor too and that helped eliminate any odors. The blower fan seems to have been replaced before. The bolt holes look like they’ve been messed with before. One of them started to strip. It was a little tricky but was an easy job. I would have installed and kept the new assembly but since I was able to clean the old one up I will save the money instead. (I can always replace it later)
I also was able to repair the cruise control. There are a few articles on how to repair it. The ones I found best were in HotRod magazine for an ’84 Corvette. I thought it was pretty simple but that they put things a little out of order. My turn signal stalk had a broken wire. It was already broken so I just picked up a new one. I had a new vacuum actuator too so I installed them both. The turn signal stalk was pretty easy. I found a piece of 16AWG wire about 18-24” long and used it to snake up the column when I pulled out the old one. I stripped the wire back, passed it through the hole of the connector, twisted it around the connector, and then covered it with electrical tape. I pulled the stalk out and fed the wire into the column. Reinstallation was a bit tricky because it hung up on something. I gave it a tug and it pulled through.
I tested the new stalk before installation by connecting it to the cruise control connector under the dash and turned the key on. (I had the hood open to hear easier.) Then arm the cruise by pushing the stalk switch to ON and you should hear a click from the vacuum actuator solenoid closing. This didn’t happen with the old stalk. With the system armed the actuator should be able to hold vacuum when you press it. I installed a new one and it held vacuum. I also replaced the vacuum hoses that were leaking and took her for a spin. So now I can set the cruise and have it hold without smelling any exhaust fumes. I’m happy with it.
My wife took my car one day so I could take a look at hers and she was nervous about coming home with damage. She took it to work and parked in her usual spot and people started asking whose car was in her spot. She said she drove it and got a lot of "Wow. I didn't know you were into cars." (She's is a little bit)
She said the stereo sounds good with the factory deck and replacement speakers. She noticed that there is an issue with the headphone jack I installed starting to short one side. If you tap it it goes back to normal.
She also likes that the cruise is working and that it holds 80 without a hiccup. She jokingly said that when she normally takes a car for a test drive she makes sure the speedo is accurate. I've been told by the previous owner that he had done the same on occasion.
Since she drove it too I can't verify the latest gas mileage, plus the fact that it's gone over 200miles and still has plenty in the tank. The gauge shows over half but I'll believe it when I fill it.
I did fill the AC with another can of R134 so she was happily driving to work with the radio blasting, the AC running, and the cruise set. Happy wife = awesome car!
BTW, she is now laying claim to Cammie and is telling me I need to finish the paint so she can take 'her' car cruising.
Anyway, I need to order a new headliner. I see that truck freight stays the same if I order 1 or 3 headliners. Anyone in central illinois want to join in on that?
Has anyone tried an OBD1 to OBD2 adapter? I saw one on ebay that will allow you to use an OBD2 scanner on an older vehicle. Most are under $10 or so. I considered buying one to see if it will work with my scanner.
I just ordered a headliner and it arrived today. I'll have to dig Cammie out of storage to install it. Hopefully there won't be any snow soon but the weather doesn't seem to be in my favor at the moment.
I bought the standard ABS shell and plan to buy a carbon fiber pattern and have that installed. I think it will look pretty sweet!
Does anyone know if the wrap around spoilers from a 91-92 formula are interchangeable with the one from an 88? I found one in good shape that I might be interested in picking up if it will bolt right up. I've considered the fiberglass ones from hawks but the last quote I got was about $600+ with truck freight. I had a TV shipped from walmart for $5 last year... idk.
The 91-2 wing will not bolt up where the 85-90 aero wing is. the holes are different on the decklid and the metal/clips around the window are completely different.
Where in central IL are you? I may be interested in the 91-2 wing..
Well the 91 spoiler fell through and for my birthday I got the fiberglass spoiler from Hawks. Now I owe my father in law some yard work help. (How ironic...)
I installed the ABS headliner about two weeks ago but due to parking sticker issues I don't get to drive her everyday. It's been nice to have something for a headliner again.
As far as fitment, I would say if you want perfect then get something else. There are gaps along the edges by the drivers and passenger pillar covers and it didn't fit exactly around the sunvisors. You can still see a slight gap around the sunvisor mount openings when the sunvisors are down. I don't care so much so I'm very happy with it and it took about an hour if I had the correct tools the first time and hadn't dropped some of the screws and have them roll under the car.
I did not purchase the faux carbon fiber headliner fabric yet. I just wanted to move some things around in my garage and it was easier to install it. I'll just have to remove it, apply the fabric and then reinstall it later. Easy peasy...
I also got tired of looking at the rusty paint so I got my drill and an abrasive rust remover wheel and went to town. I was able to get a lot of the loose paint and flaky rust off quickly. Some pin holes opened up and it looks like the passenger fender isn't in as good of shape as I thought so when I get the money for new rear quarters I'll be sure to have paint job money too.
For now I rattle can painted it with some flat black rust converter. I did mask up the windows while I was at it and made sure to clean up some areas where the primer was showing. I was able to save one of the firebird emblems but the other had primer all around it so I painted over it.
My neighbor was walking by as I was checking for coverage and he started telling me how much he enjoyed watching the transformation and that he liked the flat black paint job instead of going with gloss. He asked if I planned to paint the front bumper cover and fender and I said no because the bumper cover required a flexible agent but figured what the hell and painted it anyway. Basically if you look at the pictures near the beginning of the thread I'm down to two colors, the maroon fender and black.
So now I need to pop off the rear spoiler and clean up the hatch before I install the new spoiler and get the other fender. I may have to get a quote for a quick paint job just to even up the color. I'm not looking for show quality but it can wait a while.
The drivers fender has the GTA fender hole in it so I'll be replacing it with another I picked up. If anyone needs a maroon fender then let me know. It's in good shape.
One thing that's been bothering me is the way the tires will rub when I turn the wheel too far. Am I correct that this was cured with wheel wells from the 90-92 f-bodies?
I'm running standard sized tires, 245/55/16 so I don't think that should be an issue. I've thought about having narrower tires up front but I might have this car be an auto crosser at some point since there is a group that does it where I work.
Having said that, I've noticed that with a full tank that even slow right hand turns can cause fuel to slosh out of the cap. I've tried another cap with no difference. I checked the charcoal canister lines and replaced some that were very hard and brittle. I checked the valves and I can hear them click when i apply vacuum. I have not gotten under the car to test the white tank vent yet and I still get a gas smell when I come home from work and it also hisses when I open the gas cap. It doesn't always do that when I come home or when I go to fill up with gas. It's coming directly from the gas cap. I've looked around and can find no leaks and I've gotten under the car to sniff around but only smell it at the cap itself. There is the flapper on the filler neck but obviously that and the cap aren't doing enough to fix the problem.
What do I need to do to fix that? Is there a check valve I can install in the filler neck to prevent the fuel from coming back out? If it can't be stopped on a slow turn, what is going to happen if I get in an accident and the car flips?
I have a question for you guys. I got a check engine light recently. I don't have a scanner but I used a paperclip and got codes 21 and 34. It is also acting kind of funny. When it's cold it will run fine but once it has been driven a few miles and I come off the highway it feels like it's pushing. It’s not surging or bucking, just pushing while I am slowing down for the lights. I also noticed that at a hot idle it will be running at 1500rpm in neutral. It starts up normally at cold starts and idles just fine until I get to work and it’s idling high.
Now about a week or two ago, I did try readjusting the Idle Air Control (IAC) motor because I hadn't adjusted it before when I cleaned up the carbon in the throttle body. To do it I turned the key on, engine off and then unplugged the IAC connection. Key off, plug it back in. Then I tried turning on the car and it started up fine. A few days later the check engine light starts turning on.
Code 21 says it's a TPS low voltage, correct? That's what I found when I looked it up. I checked the TPS and it said 0.27V and according to a few posts I saw 0.54V is correct. My uncle, who helped me with the car before, suggested 0.50V but that 0.54V would be fine. I had to probe the wires themselves by making a small slice in the insulation and touching the actual wires since I couldn't get a reading any other way. I was able to set that easily enough without much hassle.
My uncle said it might be a vacuum leak. I haven't found one yet but I'll keep looking. Also, when the car is running I don't hear any leaks and have already replaced most of the hoses last year when I repaired the cruise control.
I have not tried messing with the code 34, which I believe is the Mass Air Flow Sensor (MAF) low airflow. I figured that might be related to the first error. Maybe the MAF is going bad. Does that happen?
I have taken the Firebird on trips to my parents’ house in the Chicago area. She’s been running just fine and I can set the cruise to 75mph and get about 20.5mpg during a 300mi round trip. I know I’ve seen other people say that they can get higher mileage than that but as of now I’m happy with it.
I’d say that’s a pretty good run to clear up any internal buildup and get the catalytic convertor nice and hot too. I’ve been thinking that maybe I do need a new cat in the exhaust since the exhaust has a history of smelling a bit off. I don’t think the one on there has been gutted and the last time I temped it with a laser temp gun it seemed like the cat was working since the temps were higher at the rear of the cat. I’m not sure how to describe the exhaust smell but my father in law and I think it may have been poisoned from oil burning in the cylinders over the years. I can say that there is an area by my house when I get off the highway and open the windows and could swear that someone is cooking outside because I get the smell of charcoal lighter fluid. I’ve noticed it a few other times too. I don’t think the car is spewing out a flammable liquid but just something I’ve noticed.
I have the OBX longtubes to install and a couple of extra cats with a 4bolt flange (See Walker 15532, fits 83 Monte Carlo SS and 85 Camaro) that I can install instead of the original firebird flange/slip fit design. I am thinking I cut both of the flanges off one cat and weld them to my exhaust so that I can have one in place. There are no emissions requirements here, but the exhaust does smell a bit so having a good cat installed wouldn’t hurt. Besides, the cat for the monte is cheaper than the one for the firebird and can be replaced in the driveway, which I’ve done before when the monte had to go for emissions testing.
I'm a bit confused again. Last night I tried setting the min air procedure by disconnecting the IAC and starting the car. I set the idle down to about 500rpm in park because i was alone. I shut it down, then plugged in the IAC and restarted the car. This time the idle jumped to 1100rpm in park. I went off script here and backed off the throttle stop some more but did get it down to an 800 rpm idle in park and even put it in drive and it idled at 800 rpm. I shut it down and restarted it and it still held steady at 800rpm. I hadn't been home more than 10 minutes when i started to set the min air so it was already hot from driving on the highway for a few miles.
I've seen some people say to set the min air with the spark advance disconnected and some say to leave it connected. I think what i'll be doing is to remove the IAC and clean out the passage and see if cleaning it will fix it was necessary. (Which I should have already done when these shenanigans started.)
THEN I'll reset the min air and THEN I'll make sure that the TPS is still at 0.54V, and THEN I'll disconnect the battery for a few minutes. That way everything is back to original as I can get and THEN I'll report back.
I'm scratching my head here on this. It starts and idles fine in the morning and today it hesitated a bit but other wise was just fine. I know I made an adjustment to the IAC because i thought it was pushing a bit after getting off the highway. Now it's pushing a lot when it comes off the highway.
I messed up when I adjusted the TPS when the check engine light came on and that threw it out of whack.
I pulled the IAC last night and the air intake elbow so I could spray some throttle body cleaner. I don't think anything came out but I did notice some carbon buildup starting. I wiped down the IAC again and just to be sure, I sprayed some more tb cleaner.
I did notice that there were some sort of streaks in the elbow coming from the MAF. Almost like water or k&n filter cleaner oil had gotten in and dried up. I don't have a k&n and there shouldn't be any oil in there. I'll grab some MAF cleaner and spray it if I think it needs it. Overall, it did look clean but the screen seemed to be a bit dirty with what looked like carbon. I sprayed a rag with tb cleaner and wiped at the screen. I'll keep an eye on it to see if it gets dirty again.
Anyway. I did perform the min air procedure and then readjusted the TPS back to 0.54V again. Last time I set the TPS I probed two wires on the TPS connection. This time I only probed the blue wire and set the ground on the intake manifold. So since I thought I had set the TPS to 0.54V a few days ago, this time it said 0.95V.
Don't worry. I slapped my forehead already.
Anyhow. I brought it back down to 0.54V with the ground on the intake and not on the TPS connection. I drove it to work this morning and I had to help it stay running because it stalled on me three times before I got to the street. Once I had gone a couple of blocks it started to hold idle better. It's a 5-mile trip to work and it ends on a downhill exit off the interstate. With the misadjustments it was pushing against the brakes but today I could feel it slacken and just start coasting downhill. At the red light it just sat there purring at about 800rpm. I didn't feel any strange behavior except a slight hesitation off idle. I'll see if that clears itself up but for now I'm happy to have been able to reset my mistake.
I got a lot of information off other peoples problems that were posted so I'm grateful for the documentation I was able to look through and figure out I am my own problem sometimes.
I have a few updates to share. First, some time ago I picked up stiffer springs for the distribution block under the master cylinder. My father in law helped me to replace it and bleed the system. The first couple of times I drove it I noticed a difference. After that it felt like it went back to stock and that the brakes were fading again. My daily driver has a strong pedal feel and in comparison, the Firebird was very weak and it felt like I was being pushed as I slowed down. Over time I noticed that I was losing brake fluid and kept topping it off as I looked for a leak. It would never leak enough for me to see it on the ground where I parked so I was stumped. I decided to take a look under the car for the leak and finally found it on the passenger side of the rear axle. The brake line had gotten quite rusty and broke. There was a small leak and it looked like it was spraying in a small fan shape as I pressed the brake pedal. Since it was close to winter I parked the Firebird back in storage. I probably drove it for way too long with only front brakes anyway.
So last summer I stumbled onto something as I was looking for car parts. I ended up finding a ’90 Camaro with a 5-speed that had been damaged by a falling tree branch. The car MIGHT be able to be saved if I turn it into a convertible but since it had T-Tops there was no support underneath and the roof is caved in badly and destroyed the hatch as well. I can see over the windshield when I sit in the car. So since it’s a “running” car with a 5-Speed I will be converting my firebird to the manual transmission. I’ll take as much as possible from the Camaro to make this easier.
Does anyone have any advice on this? Should I have the trans rebuilt or is it not able to be built up? I was going to have it checked out once it’s removed anyway since I would like to do a few things at once.
I want to:
Swap to manual transmission
Replace the brake lines
Install headers
Solve the fuel slosh problem during right hand turns
It's been a long time since I've written an update, about 4-1/2 years according to my last post. Anyway, life got in the way and I wasn't able to do much with the firebird over these few years. I found a shop that offered to replace the brake lines for me so they put in nickel plated lines on all four corners, then filled and bled the system. That was over two years ago and she's been stopping much better since. You can actually tell that the rear brakes are engaging when you press the pedal. I've done a few test panic stops and there's plenty of whoa now. It used to feel like it was being pushed before and that's totally gone now.
As far as the engine it's been running strong. So thanks to everyone who gave advice. I was able to set the tps, timing, etc and she ran as well as i could get for a while. Still a hesitation in the morning when cold, didn't want to start very easily but when it was warm she could get moving. I moved a few years ago I took it to a different shop than before, close to my house. They suggested that the MAF was acting strange and quoted me something like $300 to replace it but stated that they weren't sure what it was. I asked a few questions to some folks here and Brian at Tuned Performance suggested I change the ecm if I was sure that everything was set correctly.
I ended up swapping the ecm first after I finally found one under $150 and in stock from summit racing. That helped with it starting up in the morning and it ran better. I was driving it around and had to be careful not to spin the tires at every stoplight. I got used to pressing the gas apparently because the first few times I drove it the back end would start to swing around on me. So anyway, within a few min I was upset that the check engine light was back on. I checked the codes and it was the MAF and relay. I checked with Brian again and he suggested I replace that too. I ordered from advance auto with a 20% off coupon and got both the maf and relay. I installed that one morning and what do you know? Hesitation is practically gone! That was about a month ago, no check engine light since then.
So now the car starts and accelerates pretty well but the morning idle has been tricky. If I hold the throttle open, when the hood is up, I can get it to hold idle with just a small amount of pressure. If I let it go "closed" then it has a surging idle. I'm guessing that the IAC needs to be sprayed and readjusted; probably the min air something something procedure. I think I have some throttle body cleaner.
I still have a concern about the catalytic converter. The oem replacement is $140 at rock auto, before shipping and taxes. I'm tempted to have a universal 3" cat welded in place if I cut off the current one. I would like to pull the valve covers and have the umbrella seals replaced first. It seems that the engine is burning oil idk exactly but there is white smoke. Any ideas here? It would be nice not to smell like exhaust fumes all of the time.
Overall, she's running better and if it weren't december I'd take her for a drive but I removed that hose on the throttle body for the coolant to heat the air. I'm in no rush anyway, I've been working on installing some subwoofers into the rear cargo area. If you read one of my "recent" posts I bought a damaged camaro that has a 5-speed in it. Well that project is still on hold but could happen soon.
Anyway, the guy who sold it gave me some extras that he couldn't use anymore, like subframe connectors, full tpi intake & injectors, extra set of wheels (they match what I currently have on the firebird), a subwoofer box for dual 12" subwoofers. I ended up getting a free box from my brother in law who had a pair of 12" pioneer subs, rated at 150W RMS/450W MAX, and amp that he hadn't been using for some time. I removed the factory tape deck and swapped in a JVC stereo KD-T710BT. So far that was the easy part. I removed the subs from that box into the one in the firebird. I ordered a power wiring kit from Boss audio. It says it's 8awg but they look like 10awg wires to me. The amp my brother in law gave me didn't work so I had another from a friend that is only rated for 30W. It powered on and everything was working but the subwoofers didn't really make much more noise than the regular speakers. I might upgrade that amp to a better one later.
I'll have to get pictures from my phone into this feed soon so you can actually see what I've been blathering on about.
First fitting the empty box into the car. I started mentioning this project to people and they started to offer their old parts for cheap or free. Thanks for good friends who want to help and even get rid of things they don't use anymore.
I swapped the radio again because the interior lights are red and so are the lights on this radio instead of blue from before. This is the JVC KD-X270BT, it’s a digital media player so it isn’t the same size as the previous CD player and fits easily in place. I paired my phone to it and I love it so far. It has a wired mic that helps when I’m driving. My daughter wanted to FaceTime with me so I could find a good location for it and it was right on the windshield pillar under the visor. I turned away from the mic a few times to do something and she could hear every word.
I finished the wiring and fit the speakers in place easily and had some grills from a pair of subwoofers that I sold probably 20years ago and they fit too. The amp is only 30W but after making some tuning adjustments to the stereo it started to sound better. I’m not looking for loud or anything like that anymore, I just wanted it to sound like my other vehicles or even my “home theatre” setup in my basement. I ended up going to menards and picking up a few pieces of M6 hardware to help me fit those cargo hooks into the same spot as the large headed plastic screws fit. I have an idea for 3D printing some pieces that would make it easier but I'm not finished with them yet. Anyway, long story not shortened very much at all, I picked up some 50mm M6 bolts and some of those threaded m6 spring steel nuts with the intention to clip those nuts onto the firebird where the plastic washers that always break would go. Well that didn't work so I ended up using some washers and fit the bolt behind the tab and capturing it in place with the same spring steel nuts. (search for dorman 700-539 to see what I mean) Anyway, I fit the panels back in place and got the threaded bolt to pass in the correct locations and threaded an extra washer & regular nut first, then the cargo net hooks on to keep the panel in place. I picked up the cargo hooks from the junkyard years ago. I couldn't tell you what the vehicle was that had them but I know I've seen 4packs of them for sale on amazon and ebay.
So, cutting to the end, I have the cargo hooks in place because at menards I bought some paracord. It was like 50ft for $4 and I'm stringing up a diy cargo cover so that the speakers & amp aren't so easy to see. I have two of the OEM pull covers for third gens but not the panels that lock them into place when the cover is extended. I have a pet protector that is something like canvas that I want to use for the material but I've seen some fabrics for $4 a yard that should work. I read about a carbon fiber patterned fabric that might work too. I have a few days off for the holidays and I want to try to make some progress. We shall see, in the mean time thanks for reading and happy holidays out there!
Last edited by crazymex83; 12-22-2021 at 09:32 AM.
Reason: misspelled words
I wanted to upload a few photos of the recent work done to the body and paint. The body and paint aren't perfect, nor do I want it that way yet. I had done some previous paint work and some sanding so she wasn't a multi colored vehicle any longer. Now it's more like 4 different shades of black. Personally, I like the flat black look; it reminds me of plastidip. I got it home and had it parked in my driveway for a few days when I was talking to my neighbor and he asked me about it. We got to talking about the paint and some other plans and he agreed that the flat black has something going for it that a shiny paint doesn't have. You can see the red peeking through where the clear coat is peeling. I also included a shot of the damaged camaro I still have. If anyone is thinking about some parts, please let me know. I have a car full of things, even clothing apparently.
Anyway, the firebird looks good and is also driving better. I work from home and don't drive much really. I'm guessing that when the company wants to get back into the office I will just have to drive this.... such a hardship.
I realized that some other maintenance needs to be done. The trans pan is leaking, so is the rear seal. I need to flush the radiator and the AC leaked and no longer works so I'll be saving up for some new hoses and such. I might just get a new compressor too. I'd love a retrofit to the more efficient ones but they're twice the price of the R4.
This was last spring before I was able to get some work finished to park in my home garage. Idk why they used a board to open the hood, the struts work just fine.
Just awakened and moving. No, that's not me. My uncle was "gracious" enough to move her for me, but I saw the smile on his face when he got it started and again after he parked it.
A little rain helped to get the dust off
Much cleaner now after using soap too.
The 5 Speed still stuck in a camaro. Preparations are being made to do the swap from the camaro into the firebird this summer. You can see some of the extras that were included. There were some added ground effects included too, both already on the car and another set. I already bought a Trans Am front bumper cover and the missing pieces to complement the parts that were included. I'm hoping to replace the peeling nose with the Trans Am nose and get some more flat black sprayed onto it again. Then a new set of FORMULA 350 stickers to replace the ones that are cracking. My nephew wants to help out and asked if I would drop him off to his prom in it, so now i have a deadline to meet. Wish me luck!!
Hey everyone, I wanted to type up an update for how things have been with the Firebird this year.
I started the year ok with the car running again but needing some attention all over. My nephew graduated high school earlier this year and he asked if I would let him drive the Firebird to his Prom. That meant I needed to get it looking better and running better too. I dragged my feet for a while and my father in law "convinced" my kids to take some chalk to the paint and drag some things on it. (it needed paint anyway, it was not great) I had the name Cole Trickle above the drivers door. A large Firebird emblem by my daughter on the hood with some flames and lightening bolts on the side. A couple of the neighbor kids rode by on their bikes when it was parked outside and exclaimed "What kind of car is that?" to which his friend so eagerly replied "That's a Lambo One! My dad has one just like it!" My wife and I were outside and heard the whole thing. We thought it was hilarious.
Anyway, closer to prom we sanded down the paint and sprayed it with flat black. It's not great but it's better than it was. There were some crappy spots where the paint didn't blend very well so I bought some vinyl in a black camo pattern and covered the hood with it. My coworker came over and helped. My nephew hadn't seen the car yet so he loved it's new look for his prom appearance.
Unfortunately, that was the highlight of the weekend. I drove it up to the Chicago suburbs and got about two hours in with another 45min to go and something "broke" and the car went into "WTF mode" and wouldn't run right; I suppose limp home mode activated. It was slow, hesitated terribly, blowing fuel out the tailpipe, etc. I spent the weekend trying to figure it out when I could but drove it home as is. For the most part it was fine again but got about two hours in and then it kicked off again. After that I spent time with a snap on scanner trying to get data. I got codes 22 and 33 most often. I checked the tps and it would always be at 0.54V, just like it was the first time I set it. The MAF was new so I turned it in under warranty and got a replacement. I kept getting the same codes every time I drove the car and I got pissed I couldn't figure it out so I parked it.
I did a lot of research into the codes thinking that the wiring was bad when I started stumbling onto parts getting cheaper. I found a MAF on amazon (I know, I don't always want to shop there...) for $45. The same MAF I got at Advance Auto for $160. I already had checked relays and swapped a couple back and forth with no changes. By that I mean I was ALWAYS getting the same codes flashing. I started buying parts: a new fuel pressure regulator, fuel filter, ignition coil, oxygen sensors. I was going to try them one at a time. I decided to start by trying a new ignition module I picked up from advanced and a different IAC. Then I cleaned out the intake with some cleaning spray. I readjusted the idle for the tenth time and tried turning the tps lower since it was ALWAYS giving me an error. That didn't do much, I got the opposite error, code 21? When I readjusted it back I noticed that I turned it further than I remember it being, so I turned it some more and it was practically all the way out and only reading 0.68V at idle. So, I picked up a new TPS sensor from amazon and swapped it out.
That night I took it around the block to see if it would kick off at the same point in my neighborhood it always did. Nothing. I go around the block and give it some gas. Nothing. I go out onto the main street nearby and get it up to 45mph. Nothing. So I turn right and go down into traffic and stop at a few lights, speeding up to 45-50mph. Nothing. I start to notice that it hesitates some at the lights. I get to a bigger road and wait for traffic to pass and turn right. I press the gas harder because I want to get up to speed and see how it accelerates and feel it bog down again. "Hmm" I'm thinking this one is worse than the other times... until I feel the back end slide to the left and she shoots off. I hear the engine roar up some to about 3,000rpm and I catch up pretty quick to the traffic I just let pass.
I finished up going about 10miles that first night. I get home, check tires, check for insurance paperwork, garage remote, etc. I had to go to work the next day and she's coming with me. I've put maybe 60miles on without a check engine light so far. I fixed the cruise control a few years ago so that's nice to have when I drive down the interstate to work. She's just humming along and driving much much smoother than ever. I couldn't say whether or not the mileage has increased. I've been a bit spirited in driving it now. Plus, I notice that on a hard right hand turn it has been losing fuel. There is residue of it sloshing out from under the cap and filler door. I thought this car had baffles in the tank to prevent that from happening. No evidence that happens on hard left hand turns though.
Edited to add this recent photo. You can see fuel slosh from taking right hand turns a bit too fast. I thought these tanks had baffles to prevent this. Maybe these are broken? Nov, 2022 - Finally reliable enough to drive to work
Last edited by crazymex83; 12-02-2022 at 10:48 AM.
Reason: added photo
Hey guys, so I spent this year driving the car and after the TPS sensor swap I've been able to put a few hundred miles on it without a problem. I did get a check engine light a few times though while driving to visit my family in the Chicago area, about a 2.5hr drive. I was able to pull code 32, which is for the EGR temp sensor? I am not concerned with it as the light turns off most of the time and only comes on when I'm driving down the highway for longer than an hour as I've yet to see it otherwise.
I've done at least 6 trips back and forth and she's handled the miles easily. In most cases, I can get better than 18mpg driving to work. On the highway, averaging 75mph on cruise control I can get 20-21mpg. So she's been running pretty well and I've been able to enjoy seat time.
Now, my only complaints are the seats get uncomfortable during those drives, the lack of cupholders (cuz it gets hot and I get thirsty!), and the lack of being able to put my phone somewhere reasonable to play music or for navigation. (there's been construction lately and it's nice to avoid it) I will admit, being in central Illinois, I can follow Route 66 home, so that's cool. My oldest rode along with me once. She didn't like that the AC wasn't working, but did enjoy cruising in "that old piece of junk." I had the AC system checked earlier this year when I had the radiator flushed and they were able to pull 0.4lb of freon out. It's been almost 10years since I "converted" it to r134 and it was still sealed!! Anyway, it had some dye injected but I've not found the leak. I might get a new set of hoses to replace the soft lines and put new parts on. I saw an AC kit on rock auto for like $180 that comes with compressor, receiver dryer, and o-rings.
I played some music of my generation during the drive and we got to talking about music. It turns out she ended up liking a lot of the same as I do so we were cruising to the greatest hits of the 70s the rest of the way!
I have an idea for using a vent mount phone holder. I'll take a picture later after I get it installed. I want to swap the blank on the left, above the radio, with the defroster buttons so I won't bang my knee into the phone. Then, a good cupholder....
Anyway, the real reason I'm writing this update is because the rear hatch pulldown failed. We did some work on it way back when, about 10 years ago and it's finally broken. Because I had the damn subwoofer box with dual 12" subs in it, I had to remove that and decided to go with a low profile subwoofer instead. I borrowed the one I installed in the Monte Carlo and because I already ran the wiring it was easy to hook up and test. Sure enough it sounded just as good, so I'm getting rid of the big box and will get, and hide, a low profile subwoofer behind the drivers side panel. That really clears up a lot of trunk space!!
I inspected the pulldown mechanism before removing it and made an assumption that it was just the main gear that stripped. I could see and hear the motor turning the worm gear but no other movement. I was correct, the main gear did strip but the housing is broken in a few places. I mean, it's not just cracked, chunks are missing. I should have just bought the full replacement off amazon for $98. I bought the gear and the nylon guides and waited for them to arrive. THEN I removed the pulldown from the car and found the plastic shavings and the sticky grease that was no longer greasy. I ordered a replacement housing by Dorman, on sale(!) and am waiting for it to arrive. I'm probably out only $80 at this point, I'm ok with the price but I should have just bought the whole thing an swapped it since I would have saved about a weeks worth of my time. I did clean up the old housing, inside and out. I could probably reuse it all with some fresh grease added to it. That would be silly. Idk if it will snow before new years here and since winter isn't really firebird weather I'll attempt to put some miles on it before it snows and stays cold.
Thanks for reading, sorry for rambling but it was a good year! Happy Thanksgiving!!
06-02-2014, 11:28 PM
