So, im about to buy a 1988 camaro sport coupe with the 305v8 tbi. What pitfalls do these cars have? I know the engine was rebuilt recently but other than that I'm pretty much blind. It was an old womans car who recently passed away and i can pick it up for about 1000. so, hi, this is kinda my intro and i live in 93551.

 

Hey, neighbor! The first thing I would do is make sure it will pass smog in the condition that you get it. Just check for general used car stuff after that.
Bill

 

it passed smog. but is 1000 a good price for a sport coupe with t tops the v8 and whatnot. it even has vinyl interior. and it smokes when it starts up but when its warm it goes away. these cars known for that like is there a tsb on how to fix it?

 

A RS with a 305 TBI is a "daily driver" type car, not a performance car. The '88 was a special year too, with a one-year only computer, that isnt compatible with the 89-92 stuff.

If you want a daily driver and the car is in good shape, then get it. If you're looking for a performance car to race, then run far away. TBI's do the 1/4 mile in 16 seconds, compared to 15 seconds or less for the TPI cars.

To fix the smoke on startup, you need to remove and replace the valve stem seals. Its not a job for a beginner but it can be done in a driveway with the right tools.

 

Cool, add one more to the 3rd gen crew. Later.

 

now to just sell my 1995 mitsubishi 3000gt. anyone know anyone lookin for a car???

 

cool

 

well i sold my 3000. now i need to get a 3rd gen. ive got about 1000 to use for one and want one that runs decent. so...where do i look?

 

look on www.craigslist.com
make sure you don't get a tbi :-D

 

well....i got it. shes a thing of rare and unusual beauty too. rebuilt top end with a new trans and 135k original miles, in cream with the gold bottom and rims. shes now at western edge automotive in palmdale getting worked on due to me not having a lift to which to replace the motor mounts or tranny mounts. it also has an exhaust leak and is running way rich. so with my budget of 300 i sent her there to get drivable so i can register it so she can become my dd. so...next question, where is good place in socal to score some cheap parts. probably a junk yard or somewhere. because it needs a hatch latch a headliner, carpet, and some other assorted plastic pieces( like the part on the auto where it shows what gear youre in, im driving by memory now thanks to having an auto gm before). and before you ask....305tbi, ill post pics once i get it detailed, it sat for a year before i got it and its really dirty on the inside and all stained up from people spilling in it.

 

Nice score. $1000 for a running car isn't bad at all. That it's a 3rd gen is always a plus around here, especially with a V8 and T-Tops. TBI is not bad compared to the old quadrajunk carb. These older cars will have their quirks and maintenance issues, but barring that, you should get years of enjoyment from her.

 

For the hatch latch, your best bet is to get a remanufactured one from Lon at Top Down Solutions.

http://www.Top-DownSolutions.com

For the interior parts, you can either contact Thomas *** at House Of Camaro, Dave Staubli at Third Gen USA, or try a diy wrecking yard. The problem with the DIY wrecking yards is that people stripping those cars often destroy the interiors while going for other pieces.

http://www.houseofcamaro.com

I can't help you with Dave Staubli's web page. The page and email in our Third Gen Friendly Comapnies sticky for him is obsolete.

 

well now that i have it i cant drive it thanks to a cracked exhaust manifold. its letting cold air in and the 02 sensor thinks the car is running lean. so i need an exhaust manifold or headers asap. it also needs a major tune up, which i didnt anticipate on having to do. so it needs plugs, wires, rotor and cap. and the manifold in order to pass smog. and it still might have the hesitation problem it has now( the car likes to try and die going up an incline or something). so, question to you all, how hard is it to change the plugs and wires and whatnot? and....if anyone is local might i get some help doing it?

 

I updated it with another website I found for him.

http://members.***.net/thirdgenusa/index.htm

 

If the stock manifolds are the same on TBI and TPI you can have the ones from my 92.

 

thanks for the offer, i dont think it will work though considering the tpi had larger exhaust ports. but all im trying to do now is get it to pass smog until i can get enough money together for headers.

 

Jon's car with the 305 TPI automatic has the same exhaust manifolds and y-pipe that your TBI car has.

 

well congrats on your 3rd gen but dont say we told you so after a year or so when you wanna rip that tbi off and bury it. i found a sweet deal for my 91 rs for only 900 cash BONE stock and now look im undergoing an, almost done now, swap to 350tpi. in the future if your gonna want more your gonna spend some $$$ weather forced induction or a bigger block

speed is addicting

have fun with it!

 

i dont plan on keeping this one long. i was just using it as a test to see if i even liked the f body platform as a car. if i like it (ive driven my car all of 15 miles, from one shop to the other), i'll probably end up with an iroc or t/a.

 

I'd suggest a '89-'92 5.7 TPI. Just my .02 I like my '88 IROC, but I think Kevin has a good point. I also like my full serpintine belt set up that the earlier cars lack. I felt a noticeable difference going to a 5.7 TPI from a 305 carb. One thing that I'd like on my car is a newer odometer that shows the 100k on it. I know mine has rolled over twice since I bought it, but I bought it used.

 

Many of the original tpi cars have been "micky moused" to the point that getting them right will cost more than you would really like to spend. You are better off to find a really clean car even if it is a tbi. Installing a 350 tpi, and changing the ecm and engine harness in an Rs model is a lot less expensive than doing major body work and rewiring a trashed IROC.

 

id just be happy for a car that works at this point. the shop its at has gone through a distributor module, an ecu, and about to be another ecu, in order to fix its hesitation problem. but...on the bright side, the ecu from the salvage yard did have a superchip in it, so i talked to the shop and they said if the superchip works, theyll throw it on my car as a small consoluation prize for having all these problems. but aside from the hesitation...they say the car runs beautifully.

 

you do have a good point Russ and i cant complain for one i can afford the swap so thats no biggie and i dont feel so bad that i bought the rs for 900 and as soon as i drove off with it till the day i pulled the motor for this swap i didnt have a single problem (except low PS fluid every once and a while) i did of course re do the front and rear suspension but all for the better. i guess i got lucky finding a formula 350 that got smacked in the a** and jumped on the offer for the whole set up. if you even plan on undergoing a swap make sure you get the ecu wiring harness knock sensor etc or else it could be a real pain.
however, i didnt notice the harness had some damage so i shipped it to speed scene wiring in san antonio to get repaired. im sure after you get it up to par youll enjoy it and then its up to you to keep it stock or swap the block etc.

 

i got it back. yay. 914 bucks later. tune up, distributor ignition control module, new ecu, fix my exhaust manifold, serpentine belt. and fix the hesitation problem it had. a module between the engine and tranny had been tweaked and wires that came out of it were grounding and killing the car. well they poked the wires back in and it fixed it. and 34 bucks for an oil change. but its all good now. it makes me happy. now to clean her up and fix the little things wrong with it like a headliner and a busted rear hatch. its power, so how would i go about opening it. i only have two metal keys, nothing power.

 

Give us more info on the hatch problem. Your car has a pull down motor for the hatch, but it should unlock with the door key. If you have a switch on the dash to open the hatch, it will have a plug in the wiring harness that plugs into the transmission on an automatic car. It is an interlock that keeps the hatch from opening if the tranny is not in park or neutral. For a stick shift, the plug goes to the parking brake light circuit and requires the parking brake be set to "pop" the hatch. Both plugs are in all cars so your automatic car could have it wired to the parking brake light circuit like a stick shift car. A stick shift car cannot be wired like an automatic because the necessary plug is not in the manual tranny.

 

where would the switch on the dash be and where would the keyhole be to open it from the back. im used to newer cars with a fob, so this is all new to me.

 

Keyhole is behind the liscence plate and the release button should be between your elect window buttons.

 

its there, doesnt work, but its there. but now i found out my cruise doesnt work. i hit the set button and nothing. is there a special way to set it or is mine just broken? and whats the best way to get the smell of smoke out of a car. someone smoked a pipe in it...a lot. and i want to get the smell out because the smell makes me sick to my stomach.

 

check the hatch fuse, on the fuse box above the hood release latch, should be a 15 fuse

 

will do. i also need to fix the oil leak. im seriously beginning not to like this car. ive had it for less than a month and its already cost me over 1000 in repairs.

 

These older cars will leak like a seive eventually. Assuming you repaired the exhaust manifold, check the valve covers for leaks and replace the valve stem seals like Kevin said as well as the valve cover gaskets. These are known to leak and nowadays people use hold-down tabs when they replace the gaskets to keep it nice and tight. Like I said, it's par for the course with 20-year-old cars but a little (read: expensive) detail like that doesn't stop us from enjoying F-bodies. Once the little issues are fixed though, there should be no reason why you can't enjoy your camaro.

This video should help if you're new to auto repair:

http://www.expertvillage.com/video/1...k-from-car.htm

 

On an automatic tranny car you should have a switch that works on the brake pedal so that when you step on the brake the cruise disengages. If that switch is missing or out of adjustment, you can't turn on the cruise control. When you look for the switch, I think there may be two switches there. One would be to turn on the brake light, the other to shut off the cruise control. I don't think G.M. used one switch to do both jobs, but I'm not sure. You should also have a linkage under the hood hooking up to your butterfly in the throttle body. If that is not hooked up or missing, the cruise control won't work because that is the heart of the cruise control.

I think the first thing I would try to get the smoke smell out of the car is to shampoo all of the upholstery including the headline especially. The smoke from a pipe would rise and permeate the headliner in particular, but everywhere the smoke would go it would leave an odor.

 

fixed the oil leak. the local grease monkey didnt check the old filter and it double gasketed. so thats fixed, now on to the smoke smell. i took out 3 holding tanks on an upright home carpet cleaner full of black water, somewhere between chocolate milk and used oil in shade, and that took some of the stains away but the smoke smell is now worse because the carpet is wet. so, once i get a stereo, because i kinda broke the stock one trying to turn it off, time for a carpet kit.

 

we have 20 year old cars, things break, just as long as you keep up on it, the car will be very reliable and fun.

 

welcome to third-genning. im sure we have all put hundreds and thousands into our cars, i know i have. but after ever mod and fix it seems to get better and better. every time i do something i love it even more.

this was the best generation of camaro IMHO.

 

You bought a car for $1000.00. You have spent $1000.00 on some repairs. You might spend another $2000.00-$3000.00 before you are done. What can you buy for $5000.00 to $6000.00, that needs no repairs? I bought my T/A for $400.00 after it sat in an alley for 4 years. I've probably spent about $6000.00 for body work, paint, replaced the drive train, and I plan to spend another $2,000.00 for a new interior. What can I buy that would give me similar performance? A new Mustang or Camaro would run $25,000.00-$30,000.00.

 

Well put! I have countless hours and $ spent into all my Chevys. I think that it's part of the joys of having something different than everyone else on the road these days. My '88 IROC ran "well" and passed smog when I bought it for $5k. It was stock, but the paint faded about 1 year after I bought it. Since then I have replaced all the suspension, had it painted, tinted, put headers on it, a larger TB and runners, etc. If you aren't excited to restore or mod your car, maybe you should look at the new 5th gen car coming out next year. I'm sure the new base model will have a better hp/weight ratio than the 5.7 IROC did.
http://www.5thgen.org/forum

 

Cars cost $$$. Do you want to spend the money fixing up and older car, or do you want to make car payments? I wonder if I spent the price of a new Camaro or Mustang on my Third Gen, what kind of car could I build?

 

well after a week...i offically love the car, eventhough im still finding out its quirks. so, here are the little problems it has right now.
1. it wont heat up, ever, i think the thermostat is stuck open or something
2. i have an oil leak, but it only leaks on starting and when i turn it off, but when i crank my oil pressure gague works but soon it goes down to zero, so it might be a pressure sending unit
3. my auto door locks, interior and map lights dont work anymore, i think its a blown fuse
4. my hatch is broken, it needs a new motor
5. it smells heavily of pipe smoke
6. i broke the stereo
7. needs weatherstripping
8. needs headliner
9. new power antenna
10. my cc is broken
11. my battery doesnt hold a charge


so, theres a partial list of everything, so if anyone sees a 3rd gen at a salvage yard let me know, ill be there in a flash. if anyone has opinions too let me know, i want to fix this thing fast, espically the not warming up part.

 

So for less than $2k you should be able to resolve these issues. Are you mechanically inclined, or is there fellow 3rdgeners in you area that enjoy tinkering on these cars? I'm glad you love the car. I have an emotional attachment to my vehicles as well. 1.Mine burns oil,2. the power locks drag,3. I recently replaced my rear hatch with the TDS kit, interior smells like burnt oil when I start it up,4. My stereo is old, 5. I replaced the rear hatch stripping, 6. I removed my headliner because its shot, I shaved my antenea when I painted it because it broke and I can't stand commercials, and I recently purchased a new alternator and Optima red top so that I can mount it in the rear where the spare tire used to be. I share your pain and enjoyment!

 

i can do most of it myself. its just time consuming with school and work and a girlfriend. she doesnt see the need of having a fast car, she drives a ford focus. which ones should i do first? the mechanical ones or what?

 

Id do the ones that make your car run. Cosmetics will come later. Not to mention the cosmetic parts tend to be the most expensive.

Id put in a new alt and batteryand Fix the heat while ur under the hood.
Check all fuses, might be most of your problems.
Then the oil leak, cuz that will sure enough be a PITA.
----------
If you need help with anything let us know except the girlfriend, i cant tell you how many times my wife has gotten mad at me for "spending to much time on my car" lol I just tell her hey, at leest im not at the bar

 

alt checked out at the mechanics. so im thinkin battery, its old anyways, the car sat for over a year before i bought it. and it needs paint too, but i was reading online the CAS had gm repaint cars because of bad paint or something? where do i get more info on this? and where do i go to get all the tsbs on my car? there was one that specifically affected 1988s and the cruise control.

 

IT PASSED SMOG!!!! im sooo stoked. im blown away. now for carpet, a stereo, a headliner, new seats, and above all new electronic hatch release.

 

yea my cruise control is all hooked up but don't work lol, mine is also a 88 :/

Whats broke on your hatch ?

 

not sure, all i know is its broken, and since there was rope there when i bought the car, i think it needs a new latch.

 

You can get one from another third gen member cheap. I got mine for like 25$. Just a recommendation since a new one runs 100+ Drop a thread on the classified section im sure someone will hit you up


Do you still have the wires and what not back there ?

 

i got all the wires...just a busted latch.

 

Thats gotta be so annoying, when mine was broke it would bounce about an 1/8th inch and just sounded horrible. If you got any trouble getting the hardware i got my old unit which is in good condition but the plastic gear inside probably stripped out. if you don't get what ya need with the new one/used one lemme know ill send that out to ya.