ok i have an 82 Z28 with the 305 4barrel and she having problems running.

she'll idle fine, but will stall if i give it gas too fast, or sumtimes it doesnt seem to go until i really press the gas, and all the sudden she'll get a surge of power and then stall/ shut off.... ive been told it sounds like a fuel pump problem.

Can some help me further diagnose the problem, this is my first car and willing to all the work i can myself.
So can someone run me through proceedure on how to test a fuel pump and or other possiblities to my problem

Pictures will help...step by step once again this is my first car

 

That's not a fuel pump problem. It takes a little time - from a few to several seconds - to drain the fuel bowl under power when the fuel pump is weak.

You have either an ignition problem (always get the igition system up to snuff before going after the fuel system), or a carb problem such as accelerator pump.

(When I first got my car running 4 yrs ago, at WOT it would run fine for several seconds, then sputter out at higher RPMs. I followed my advice above and replaced the coil - all of the other stuff was already new - and it still did it. I then replaced the fuel pump, and haven't had that problem ever since. BUT, my symptoms were almost exactly the opposite of yours.)

 

ok so what all does getting the "ignition system up to snuff" entail?

plugs? cap 'n rotor? wires?...what else?

 

That. Sometimes coil and control module.

 

well in all honesty i have a cap and rotor in the trunk of my car ready to put in whenever i feel up to the challenge, is it that bad?

also wires are in my trunk, i feel pretty confident i cant conquer that much, since i already changed the plugs...except that very last one on the passenger side just cant seem to get to it from the top.....(where is the best place to jackstands at under our cars?)

the coil where exactly is that?....please help draw me a map lol

and the control module..im not sure but is that the same thing as the "ignition module? is it located in the cap?

 

well it'll idle fine and you can rev it up high fine slowly but if you hit the gas hard it will die....or if you put it in gear and arent pressing on the gas it will die..and it seems as if you have to really press the gas for the car to go, and once it starts to take off it stalls/shuts off

maybe this will help diagnose my problem a little better, i only took it around the block once..after stalling like 8 times i finally got there...so help me out guys

 

The coil is in the cap. The ignition control module is sometimes refered to as the ignition module or control module. It's in the distributor under the cap. I've seen both go bad, and it isn't unheard of that one going bad takes out the other. So, consider replacing both if the rest of the tuneup doesn't improve things.

Replacing the cap takes a little time, but isn't bad. If you're doing cap & wires at the same time, don't take any wires off the old cap until you're done putting all the new wires on. If you route them the same as the factory did, it's a bit of a pain, but doesn't require any particular skill (just patience).

The symptoms you describe could be ignition, bad gas, or carb.

You can verify the fuel pump by setting up a fuel pressure gage. But, I doubt that's your problem with the symptoms you have. Regardless, replacing the fuel filter would be a good idea, since you're under the hood anyway.

Do you have a repair manual yet? Haynes aren't perfect, but they're better than nothing, and are better on the earlier years like yours than the later years.

 

yeah, ive changed the fuel filter already as well. and i do have a repair manual, as well as the shop manual.

but sometimes its just easier to swallow your pride and ask some questions from people that know. Well after i get a chance to put the wires and cap/rotor on i'll get back to you.

...you said "bad gas"....do you mean the actual gasoline isnt any good, this could be very possible since the car was sitting for quite sometime before i bought it. Should i just run all the gas outt of the car an fill it with fresh gas?

 

Why did I suspect that???

Yes, drain it out and put in fresh. Depending upon how long it sat, it could have gummed up the works in the carb. Gas additives may help clean it out, but you're bound to plug the fuel filter a few times in the process.

 

ok first off how should i go about draining it out?..just run it through? or is that bad for t eh car.

what kind of additives do you recomend, for my girls neon if been told to your "gumout regane fuel system cleaner" , but what is recommended for a carbed engine?

thanks for being such a help

 

get a fuel filter....

if u can sneak a rubber hose down the gas tank, syphon it but i dont think you'll be able to...if u have patience, u can unhook a fuel line feed and keep turning on the key (which primes your fuel pump) orrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.....u can buy an 12v external fuel pump n wire some juice to it n pump like that, they are alwayw handy to have around anyway orrrrr I THINK

under your dash theres a ALDL connector that goes to your computer, theres a way to jump that that will activiate the pump constantly but u will have to do some research on that cause i dont know much about it, just heard it here n there.

i heard dry gas (not alot cause it does eat away at gaskets)
will clean up some of that carbon or some fuel injector cleaner will even help... yes i know u have a carb =]

 

An '82 LG4 didn't come with an in-tank electric fuel pump.

May be able to get it to syphon from the fuel pump inlet. Usually wants to when you disconnect it and don't want it to syphon.

 

not to be an ***, but can you clarify that last post a little bit for me, as i said, im new to this and want to try to get it right the first time doing the work myself....well maybe some help from another board member "camarogirl18" if shes willing to get dirty...better stop talking before i dig myself any deeper...anyways it'll be a learning experience for both of us. maybe ill make a new friend

sounds like your saying syphon the gas from the fuel pump inlet, cuz you always end up lossng gas when your not trying to. Is that the best way to go about syphoning the tank?