Okay, here's the story. I just bought this '85 V6 5sp Firebird from the president of my companies Auto Club. He'd owned ot for about 10 years and maintained it well. Drove it all over the place. It now has around 150k on it and it's running very rough. It idles okay, and it cruises okay, but when I try to accelerate....in any gear....it kicks, bucks, misses, surges, ....just about anything it can do to get me to take my foot off the gas. As long as I am maintianing a steady speed, it's no problem. If I go up a hill, the increase load causes it to start up again. I think it has to be a timing issue but the lights on the dash aren't working so I can't check for codes yet. It still has the original timing chain but I don't know how long those are expected to last. Belt are only good for around 70K-80K. The guy I bought it from is an old timer so he doesn't know anything about computers or sensors or anything like that. I was thinking if it was the O2 sensor or the mass air sensor, it wouldn't idle well either, it could be the TPS. I plan to do a complete tune-up as soon as I get it back from the paint shop, but I doubt it is as simple as an air cleaner. He said when it started doing it, he took it to a dealer and they couldn't find anything wrong. They suggested it might be an injector, but he chose to park it rather than fix it. It's been sitting for a year. By the way...all guages read normal.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

Tune-up lugs, wires, cap, rotor,
02 sensor needed, replace every 30k miles
Timing chain, good for about 100k miles, then gets sloppy, replace it.
Fuel filter, air filter.
Set timing after all of the above is done.

Start with this, and you should be in much better shape.

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Rob
'86 TA 305 TPI
Gutted MAF
Ported Plenum
TB Bypass

 

Thanks, I'm hopeing that's all it needs. Not a bad deal for $300. Even doing all the things you mentioned, It'd still be a major bargain.

 

Did the original owner replace the catalytic converter? It could be restricting exhaust flow.

 

That one I don't know! He said the exhaust was replaced "Stock" at one time but that usuall infers a cat-back system only. I had thought of that too and have it on my list to do, but it was a little ways down the list. Perhaps I should move it up!

 

If you don't have to worry about emissions testing, just pull that sucka off and bang all the s*** out of it. Then later you can replace it with a straight piece of pipe.

-Mark W.
'88 SC Camaro w/ 305 TBI

 

I live in PA, near Philly, so I have to pass very strict emisions testing. I am moving back to St. Louis soon but the test emisions too... but they aren't as strict.

 

Its too bad you guys dont live down here in pasco county florida.(just north of tampa). There are NO emmissions testing in this or about three of four other counties around here. i have no cat on my car and i love it. besides if its tuned right, the cat is almost not needed.




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BIGDADDY GMITTER 1983 CAMARO 305 V8