Okay, I just got this 86 camaro as a graduation present this past month and I drive it for a while. It takes about a week till I see that the car won't start. I jumpstart it and its good to go, but once I drive for a bit around the block the service engine light comes on. I start seeing smoke so I get the car home asap. When I open the hood all the anti-freeze is spurring out of the tank and I'm like all f'n pissed and worried cause this was a horrifying scene. So with just that, I get a new batterry, new alternator, new water pump and a new thermostat. Everything seems fine now and I'm ready to go. No, not yet cause once I get my camaro on the road again I see the inside of the passenger window is fogging up. I go back home and I notice anti-freeze on the passenger side. A puddle of it! My mechanic says it's the heater core and that it'll take him all day to fix.

To sum things up, this is a car that looks like it came out of the factory. Super clean and all, but the thing is that my dad didn't drive it for like 14 years and it was just sitting in the garage.

What other problem could I encounter?

 

If the car sat for 14 years, be prepared for all sorts for problems.

 

I have a feeling that my car sat for a while as well. I had to replace the entire cooling system - radiator, water pump, heater core, T-stat, hoses. Once that was done, everything has been fine. When you do the heater core, at least have the radiator pressure tested since it may be on its last legs.

 

good idea to let a mechanic change the heater core cuz lemme tell ya they are a PITA to change i dont think ive ever cursed as much as i did that day

 

You can bypass the heater core for less than $2.00 yourself.
You won't have heat until you get it fixed, but if you have to have the car on the road, it's easy to do. You can do a search on here for "heater core bypass" and find instructions.

 

+1 on bypassing the heater core. cheap and easy to do.

if those are your only issues after sitting for 14 years, i would say you are pretty lucky...

what engine is in it? if you dont know search for a vin decoder and that will tell you.

 

I was thinking about bipassing it, but I just rather wait till the heater core is fixed. Its understandable that I won't be getting heat if I do the bipass, but I don't need the heater cause I'm only planning on driving it in the summer.

I just bought the heater core with the brass lines (none of that plastic) and it was $35. The thing that is going to cost me is the labor. I have asked around and everyone is telling me that it's like a $300 labor job
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It's a 5.0 305 TBI

 

Your call if you want to pay to have it done. I did mine with the Haynes manual in an afternoon. No special tools needed, just some patience. There are some threads describing ways to change it out without pulling the dash. I did it according to the book where you pull the dash out about 6" to get at the heater box.

 

Okay, the heater core was taken out and the new one is now in. The heater is working fine. I paid my mechanic $200 which is a deal cause he knows that I always have work for him when one of my cars need repairing.

But there is now the problem that the engine is overheating once again and I know cause the anti-freeze starts to bubble inside the container and slowly rises. Not only that, but everything goes hot fast. Besides that, I have to jumpstart the car everytime I turn it off. The alternator and battery are new so i'm thinking it might be the starter.

Any thoughts on why the engine overheats like it does and why there is no electricity after turning the engine off?

 

take an air gun and blow out your rad it could be clogged with dust and all kinds of crap, it may not completely solve your problem but it might help. also take the leads of off your starter and hit it with some electrical contact cleaner or take the starter out and have it bench tested some places will do it free. just some suggestions

 

Ask your mechanic to back flush and pressure test your system. There is either a flow or leak issue in your cooling system. Also, check your cooling fan to see if it runs at all. It should turn on with your INACCURATE temp guage near 230 degrees. If it doesn't start, check the relay on the firewall.