Considering that I think the odometer was severely rolled back on my car, I just have a question about how much longer anyone thinks this car will last me- It supposedly has about 148k miles on it...if I take very good care of it, bout how much longer is this thing gonna last me before it gives up? Only thing on the engine that is bad are the valve guide seals (smoke on startup), but I hear that isnt major. Also, does anyone know about that Restore stuff that apparently coats your cylinder walls and "repairs" engine wear (scratches, etc)?

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305IrocZ28- Al
1990 Iroc-Z
305 TPI
0-60 in 6.8 (timed)
2.73 Posi (3.42 or 3.73 to come)
Flowmaster exhaust
T-tops
Red w/ black racing stripes
Pioneer headunit, stock speakers, Rockford 10'' punch woofers

Ricers beware...I eat you three meals a day

And the Camaro said to the Civic "Now, I know what you're thinking...in all of that mess, did he have 8 cylinders, or only 6? You just gotta ask yourself one question...do you feel lucky? Well do ya....punk???

 

Can't hlp you on the restore, but run acompression check on the engine, that info and oil pressure at idle and at speed (warmed up) wil give you an indication of what shape the engine is in.

Don't discount the smoke on startup as "no big deal", when you pull oil into the combustion chanbers, some has to coke on the chambers, valves, and piston, all which can lead to hot spots and deonation/pinging...which isn't good for the bottom end at all.

 

My 87 firebird with a carbed 305 currently has 220,000 miles on it. No problems but it has smoked at startup since I bought the car when it had 77,000. At 190,000 I took the timing cover off to replace the chain.(was worried the wife would get stuck somewhere with it)Anyway I didnt really need to the chain was fine, but since I was in there I replaced it anyway. Other than regular maintenance thats the only thing I've done to it.

 

My car has 161,000 miles on it and runs great. At the track it'll run 14.4's all day long with just a 3" cat-back. Only problem it has is a leaky fuel injector.

 

I would avoid the "rebuild-in-a-can" stuff.
My 92 RS 305 had 225,000 miles before swapping motor out,still ran great, just wanted more power.
My 91 S10 Blazer (4.3V6) has 217,000 miles and blows a little smoke at startup.Otherwise runs great.
Neither has had any "miracle-in-a-can"stuff, just good synthetic oil (Mobil 1) and regular oil changes.
-Rich-

 

I don't really have any input on how long your car will last, but I can tell you that doing valve guide seals is no big deal, if you have compressed air. I just did the job on my malibu, and it was pretty simple, and probably worth doing if you want the motor to last. HTH

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90 IROC convertible, dead stock 305TPI and TH700R4
79 Malibu, 350, ZZ3 cam, Vortec heads, Performer RPM manifold Th200r4, GN rear, real sleeper(excuse for not doing any body work)

 

I've got 330 K on my daily driver Caprice 305. I did have some carbon buildup and detonation, but I used the water trick to clean it out (spraying mists of water into the carb with engine running), and the detonation went away. Every so often I'll put a little Marvel Mystery oil in the crankcase for the last 100 miles before changing the oil. Other than that, I just change the oil and filter every 2 or 3 K.
Engine's never been opened, except for waterpump. On my third waterpump.

[This message has been edited by GTA88 (edited November 25, 2001).]

 

My family has 2 Birds. Daughter drives a 90 Formula with a 305 TBI & 174 k miles on it. It runs well and is ultra-reliable. It smoked on statup so I ran a COLD compression test and all cyllinders tested about 115-120 psi. I changed the valve seals in about 4 hours using compressed air to stop valve drop. The valves wobbled enough that I know the guides are worn. The valve guide seals that I went back with are from a Cummins diesel and the problem is gone.

About the RESTORE additive; I tried it once on a small block Chevy and it did absolutely no good whatsoever. I asked for my $ back and was told I had to send the can back with the original receipt. Naturally, I did not keep the empty can. Oerhaps it will work for you, but I am an Unsatisfied customer.

Wife's Bird is an 89 Formula w/TPI 350. Posi, etc. It has 198k miles and I will replace the valve seals soon, as there is some light smoke occasionally at startup.

As for how long they will last, I don't know. I am planning on changing both timing chains one of these days, as I have had bad experiences with SBC timing chains in the past. When I was young, they were good for about 120 k miles. Now they are obviously better, but I am still concerned.

Enjoy your Toy - Logger