Id like to start out by saying that ive been a viewer of this site for more than a year now and it is by far the best out there. That having been said, on to my first post.

I am the proud owner of a '89 Camaro RS, 2.8 V6. The car is absolutly stunning cosmetically, but i have been plagued by mechanical issues since I got her. As is always the case, with every problem I identify and fix, three more spring up in its place.

My current, and worst problem is bad and i have no clue where to start. At idle the tach is a bit shakey, twitching slightly. When i put her in drive to start my drive i get no responce from the gas for a second or so, then she picks up. As i drive the tach is going nuts jumping up and down about two notches on either side, and you can feel it in the car. The whole car is known to shake violently from time to time and vibrate at best when throttle is applied. If I have to accelerate for an on-ramp or something of the like, a kicking noise (which i first thought was backfire) steals all the power until i let up on the gas. At a steady throttle she slips in and out of power, the tach and the feel match up as she powers, lets up, powers, lets up all with my foot just maintaining on the pedal.

Ive asked around about this and ive had every responce known to man (spark plugs, wires, exhaust, etc) Its gotten pretty hard to just cruise when every time i eccelerate from a light she just starts popping. Even my father (chevy guy for life) has reccomended that i get rid of her and but a toyota

I really dont want a toyota, or anything else other than a third gen beauty.
If anyone has any ideas or suggestions as per what i should do I would greatly appreciate it.

Thank you in advance - Bill

 

350 with a beefy 700r4, That's probably what I'd end up doing

 

Is it throwing any codes??? It sounds like it should be. It could be any number of things actually. Do you have access to a scanner? I wouldnt get rid of the car. Our thirdgens are known to have things go wrong that drive us crazy. They are still worth having cuz most of the time it is simple stuff. Have you tried cleaning the IAC valve? Have you checked the tps sensor to see if its reading properly? What about vacuum lines. Check them all for cracks etc. A small vacuum leak will cause problems. A "popping" could be the timing. Have you checked that? I would start with those first. They are easy to check.

 

He's asking for help...not a suggestion to swap his motor and tranny..

 

I know, I just couldnt offer him any kind of good advise, so I told him what I would do, if funds permitted. Sorry.

 

i dont have a scanner but i will ask around to see if any of my friends has one. Ill definatly check those things mentioned, as i dont have much experience with engines it will take me a bit though thank you so much, ill check in after i try each thing. thank you again.

and krly, that was my original plan for the car but as you mentioned, funds are an issue. thanks anyway.

 

There is a full line of tech articles on how to make adjustments on stuff I mentioned. You can find them on the home page on the left hand side under "tech articles."

 

well im not sure exactly what did it, but i changed the exhaust (still stock, just new) spark plugs, wires, cleaned contacts, checked the maf, the tps sensor, the iac valve, replaced a frayed vacuum hose, and checked the timing (just in case) and now shes purring like a kitten, not to bad for a couple of weeks work and about $100 dollars worth of stuff. Thank you captpicardsz28, id stiill be lost if it werent for you. Thanks again.

 

vacumm leak.... no doubt

the frayed hose you found was the problem.


when you steped on the brake to put in gear it stole the vacumm from the engine to run the booster that is why it showed so much there.

 

Sometimes its just a little thing that causes a big problem. 100 bucks to fix it aint bad at all. Now you still have the car. Glad I could help. Anytime...