Hi, posting again but this time introducing myself.

First off I'd like to begin by saying that I am a big fan of the Chevy Camaros and the Pontiac Trans Ams as they are one of the better looking and better performing cars out on the market today.

I am to say though that I have been wanting a Camaro for a really long time and this Friday my wish will come true as I bring home a 1991 Camaro RS 305 TBI 5.0 liters for 1800 dollars.

First off, the car I drive now is a Volvo 940, the car has been very good to me and its peaking up close to 194000 miles almost. The Camaro I am buying has almost 108000 miles on it but it still drives wonderfully. Now here are my questions, i am going to be using the Camaro as a daily driver, but just how reliable are the transmissions and engines in these cars?

I have been reading reviews on the car saying that if the engine is maintained on time the car could exceed 200k miles and normally you dont expect that especially out of an American car. Now I know for a fact that I won't be keeping the car for very long (I'll be surprised if I have the car until it hits 140k miles. Now I do believe that the RS models come with a 700R4 Transmission line. Now I heard that the transmissions were bulletproof in these cars but then I heard some people having some problems. I have studied the car long enough and I do believe it will give me a good years worth of ownership and all, but is it wise to be using this car as a daily driver. I am going to be selling my Volvo as I will have no use for two cars.

I like the way the RS sounds and I have always admired performance cars (even though the RS isn't really a true sports car it still packs quite a good punch when you need it) Now from my point of view this car has been fairly reliable as it is my brother who is selling it to me. The car had many chances to breakdown on him and leave him stranded but it never did, and this gives me a sense of satisfaction.

So i am wondering if this car is really a good car? I mean, I love Camaros and all and I hope to be with this one for atleast 5 years.

 

The transmission is far from bulletproof, but with regular maintenance behind a stock engine without being abused, you can expect a lot of miles out of it. Certainly another 32k is reasonable.

Basically the same with the rest of the car.

 

There are many many TBI motors with 200 to 400k on them. They are a very reliable motor. They don't see a lot of RPM and they don;t make a lot of power. They have a simple fuel injection set-up on them with little amount of parts. With proper maintenance there is no reason why you shouldn't see another 100K plus from your car.

 

I have driven the car and I must say the transmission in it shifts alot smoother than mine and needless to say the transmission in my car is making strange noises when I accelerate like a grinding noise and it sounds very nasty.

Its been doing that for over a year now and it gets irritating.

Anyway, the transmission in the Camaro is indeed very smooth, and it got a transmission flush about a month ago so I dont need to worry about that. The only thing about the car is that it may need a 300 dollar recharge to the A/C unit (OUCH!) and it needs new back brakes along with a left blinker bulb. And both power window motor switches are out.


(I think I may just do the driver's side window only)

Its a little bit a of a fixer upper, but 2-3 years with this thing and I'll make it a true performance car.

What are the 0-60 on these things? I heard a few guys telling me 6.0 seconds and 7.0 seconds.

 

You may want to check the fuse for the power windows if they're both not working....

Where abouts are you? Do you really need A/C

Mark.

 

Converting over to R134a should be much cheaper than $300. Alot of people DIY for about $20-$30. Not a bad car, but the TBI isn't really a huge performance engine.

 

I live in Arizona so the A/C is a MAJOR factor for me. I have a R134a system in my current car and I can honestly say its the most reliable, and best A/C I have ever used.

And as I said before I understand the TBIs are not performance engines, its ok even because I am not looking for speed, I am just looking for good acceleration and lots of torque.

If this Camaro proves to be a good one for me, I will buy a Z28 down the road, but these recent spikes in Camaros/Firebirds lately are getting ridiculous. I mean these days people are selling their Trans Ams with some 85k miles on them for 8000 dollars, and some with over 100k and an asking price of 9000 grand! I mean this camaro was 6000 dollars with 69k miles on it 5 years ago. I dont know if its because less people are putting their Camaros up for sale because of the halt in productions but a part of me is saying that I wont find a Camaro this nice looking for less than 3000 dollars.

And the motors did die in the windows, its nothing with the fuse. I believe the driver's window started dying and then it died and then a couple of months after that the passenger's side window died as well.

If converting to an R134a is cheaper than 300 dollars please tell me where and how to do it. I am not really an all out mechanic person but if I sit down and read I may find a way to do it myself. One of the reasons why I am getting the Camaro is to learn a thing or two about performance cars and modifications.

 

what year was your volvo? I have a 91 940 turbo

 

it's a 93...personally I am very happy with the car, and I only got it a year ago. its peaking up to 193,000 miles almost and its still running strong.

Its a non turbo though so the acceleration is a bit sluggish and even moreso during the summer because the A/C is running almost 90 percent of the time.

Now I just remembered that the Camaro smokes when it starts but the smoke clears after about 30 seconds.

 

That would be the valve seals. This is very common and not really a big deal. I think every LO3 does this at some point in their life. Over time they wear out and dry up/crack and let a bit of oil seep by on start-up. If the smoke progrssively gets worse it may be a good idea to have them changed. Your motor is not in jeopardy or anything but it is just the asthetics of it.

 

and I also forgot to ask, there is a strange rattle coming from the back of the car, near the exhaust area.

I dont know if this is something that is loose or if this is something falling apart. I am pretty sure if I jacked the car up higher I could see the problem and maybe tighten it.

But does anyone have any idea of what this may be...

 

your exhaust itself is probably hitting the car, just bend it back down(not by much) and tighten the clamps. the 7 to 6 second thing is the tpi cars, the better ones can break into the 5's. i would imagine low to mid 7's for the tbi. A tbi 305 is a very good motor because it doesn't die if maintained.

Make sure you change your tranny fluids. They tend to fall apart if you dont. The newer 700R4's maybe bullet proof but not the originals. Read the owners maual.

The smoking is just the valve seals, nothing serious every first gen sbc does that. Do regular maintance and change your cap, rotor, possibly pick up coil, spark plugs/wires, oils and filters and that car will last.

As far as prices the nice ones are going to be expensive, they are getting old, look @ the 69 camaros that are in nice condition 50-100 grand. After about 20 years american performance cars start to appreciate in value. I paid 7200 for mine with 36K and it barely ran @ the time.

If you keep the camaro, keep in mind very few people still own them and when the motor dies drop in a crate engine for a couple grand!

 

One LAST question heh, I am asking quite a bit....

Are the seatbelts supposed to lock when you pull hardly on them. Because in my current car, the seatbelts lock instantly when you pull on them all of a sudden.

In the camaro I did the same test and it just stretches out freely. Does the seatbelt lock mechanism only work if I apply the breaks hard?

Or is there something at fault with the seatbelts?

EDIT: And the Transmission was flushed about 4,000 miles ago. I tend to change the fluids and flush it every 20k miles, but whats the problem with the 700R4 trannys? Are they like problematic machines or something? I heard good and bad things about them

 

I believe so. Likewise the seat backs will only lock in the same manner.

Ah AZ. Yep You'd need the A/C

Mark.

 

My car has been puffin on start up for about 100K miles now. I have grown to like it.

 

The seat belts are controlled by g-forces their is a slide lock, when you stop fast they will lock. If you have all wheel disc, take is up to 70mph and brake real quick. They are not conventional seat belts

 

yeah I tested it out yesterday and the seatbelts locked.

It was kind of a quick sudden stop I made as I was making a turn and the seat belts held me back, I just thought that in order to test them out you have to pull them hardly thats not how it goes on these cars. If I remember correctly the Sububran we used to have was the same seat belt system.

I bought the car on Sunday and I love it....the corvette suspensions up the driving feel of the car, the throaty deep exhaust...I want to fork this thing up to atleast 200hp at the wheels. Its kind of sad the 305TBI have only 170hp at the wheels...but I dont care the car has more than enough torque.

 

The rattle you here at the back of the car is possiably the muffler. I had the same rattle so I removed the muffler and cut it open and all the baffles were broken loose. I gutted the muffler and had someone weld (big chore) it back up but the rattle was still there. The muffler outside has two layers and one was rattling against the other. So I removed the muffler and installed a bunch of rivits to hold the two layers together. Worked. I repainted the muffler so you can't even see the rivits and what a great sound!!!

Auggie

 

the weights in the seat belt assemblies make great catfish weights too.

 

I cant really tell if its the right or left output...I believe its the left one but I have to get the car on a tire jack....or not even I have to jack the car up to get a better view of what the hell is going on. I dont want to do it with the car running either because all that gas spewing out of the exhaust mouth can't be too good for my health....There's probably a loose bolt or screw there, nothing that a trust screwdriver won't fix.