Looking around for a third gen, but not a heck of alot of experience with them... I'm trying to compile a checklist of stuff to look for when I go view & drive a car.

I've got some standard stuff like oil pressure levels, fluid drips, rust and rot on the underbody, but other than that I'm kinda lost. Never owned a third gen and certainly nothing with a big V8. What symptons would indicate a poorly maintained car, or a 305/350 on its last legs?

Besides general stuff I'm looking for third gen specific stuff that a novice wouldn't normally be privy to...

 

Well I'll just go over everything I check for...
- Check the level, color and texture of the oil.
- Check trans fluid color and smell.
- These cars commonly rot on the lips of the wheel wells, edges of the doors, the driver's floor pan where the brake pedal and clutch pedal would be (number one spot they rust), and the back passenger's floor pans.
- Listen for any ticking/tapping sounds coming from the heads or under the intake manifold.
- Their is bound to be oil or some fluid leaked onto the motor, it's an old car. Try to pinpoint where it came from, usually motor oil on the trans pan is a good indicator of a bad rear main or excessive oil from the breathers.
- Spend $15 on a compression gauge and test each cylinder. They should be within 10-15% of each cylinder.

There is much more to check but it's difficult to explain everything, this list should help insure the motor and trans are at least up to par.


Remember if it's got a carburetor that you let it warm up, I snatched one very cheap for my buddy because the previous owner bought it at auction and thought the car wasn't running right because it would stall before it was warmed up. You shoulda seen the look on his face when I adjusted the idle slightly and let it warm up before driving it.

 

How would you narrow a leak down without taking it into a shop? Seems like all you could do would be verify if it is indeed burning some kind of fluid...

Hmmm, is this something you can do on your own, or need to take it to a shop?

There is much more to check but it's difficult to explain everything, this list should help insure the motor and trans are at least up to par.

Sage advice. Any tips on TBI or TPI?

Also, what options do you have if your traveling out of town to pick up a car and want to take it to a mechanic first? Do you just pick a number out of the phone book?

 

If your not mechanially inclined I wouldn't suggest you get a 3rd gen. These things will nickel and dime you to the poor house with shop bills. If you are willing to learn, we'll be here to help though. Test drive the car and make sure it goes through all the gears with no lag or slippage and redline that hoe it to see if it can even get there. Watch for smoke out the exhaust, smell the oil (shouldn't smell like gas), push down on the rear and front to see the shocks are ok. How much are you looking to spend?

 

Willing to learn as long as its not everything at once. Proper maintenace I can deal with, changing brakes, alternator, brake pads, ect, ect. That is to be expected. Just not looking to have to rebuild an engine or transmission right out of the gate.

Thats also why I'd like a TPI, not looking forward to tuning a carb on a regular basis.

3000 grand right now, 4-5K perhaps in March if I don’t find anything suitable locally.

But 3K realistically speaking. With that in mind, what should you reasonably expect to see in a 3,000 dollar third gen?

 

Fot that kind of money you should be able to find a very good driver, nice looking, mostly stock and without any major issues. Also, if your in an emissions regulated area, make sure it will pass, not just get by, but pass with some room. Get to know the RPO codes, theres a sticker (called the SPID) in the glovebox or in the cargo area lock box. These will tell you everything about the car, from color to axel gearing. Take a good picture of it and download the RPO decoder on here and find out what options it really has. B2L & L98 (350cid TPI), LB9 (305cid TPI), Z28, just a few to help identify a real IROC and what engines in it. Can't remember any good option RPO's, IIRC, G92 is for the performance axel, thats about it, been a while lol. Trans Ams and GTAs should have the same codes. Happy hunting!
Make sure the vin on the spid matches the vin of the car!

 

Flip up the hatch carpet to see if someone has hacked a hole in there to replace the fuel pump. Depending on who you are it may be a plus. Even if you are fine with it, use it to your advantage and try to get the price dropped because theres a friggin hole there, might work. Check door sag by lifting the door at the very end, if theres alot watch the door as it closes, if it gets forced up that means it time for a hinge rebuild. All 3rd gens have it, but how much you can put up with is up to you.

 

Transmission question: Should a 700R4 (or a TH350) "thunk" when put into gear? Test drove a buddies car to get a feel for a third gen, and while it drove great when it shifted out of park it jolted the whole car... Other than that it shifted perfectly with no other transmission issues.

 

shameless plug here but I will tell you what you could get in the $4000-$5000 range

89 RS with a reman'd (not rebuilt) 305 TBI engine under 50 miles on engine

shorty headers
new brakes
new tires
rebuilt 700R4 auto tranny
Florida car so no rust
new paint-white
new rug
new headliner
new sun visors
new leather seats
no cracks in the dash
gauges all work
new bushings
new shocks
all the badging
no leaks

it's the vehicle that I'm almost done restoring. I did a 4th gen Z and love the 3rd gens and it will be done in the spring. I don't install used engines thus why a reman'd long block is used instead of a used motor.

 

The thunk is probably due to a bad torque arm bushing.

 

The thunk is more likely high idle. Any auto car will jerk and most will thunk when shifted into gear at high idle. Normal warm idle is 550-600 on the V8 cars.

For a quick check of engine health, pull the PCV valve out of the valve cover and look form blowby gases from the cover opening. Snap the throttle and watch for the gases to increase. At idle, a little is normal. Much more than a rlight breeze at ilde is sign of worn rings. On throttle snap, there should be some increase, but if it seems exsessive, again its a sign of worn rings. Be aware that an engine that gets alot of in town driving can show high blowby as well due to varnish buildup in on rings. This is easily cured with Rizlone or equivilent. V8s will normally leak oil from the intake manifold end seals, the front crank seal, the rear crank seal. The one peice rear main seal blocks built from 87 on had one piece silicone oil pan gaskets along with the one piece crank seal. While the rear seals still fail and leak fairly regularly, the pans dont so much. Look for oil in these areas. A little is normal, more than a little will require repair.

Ask for service records. A good owner will keep them. Check the rear diff for leaks at the pinion seal and axle seals. Moisture around the rear brake drums/rotors is a sign of axle leaks(take a good flashlight with you). Check the trans for leaks around the pan and at the output seal. Fluid arounf the pan may be from a bad dipstick tube grommet, a selector shaft seal, or a front pump seal leak. Check the color and odor of the trans fluid. Auto trans fluid is often neglected in maintenance. This is a common cause of trans failure. Fresh fluid smells fresh and is bright pink in color. Old fluid smells old and a little bit like roasted nuts. Burned fluid is nasty and reaks, its also dark and brown like dirty motor oil.

Check the coolant, it should be bright green and not cloudy. Look for sediment in the reservoir and radiator. Coolant replacement is commonly overlooked. Look for leaks around the water pump, thermostat housing, and radiator, ofcourse look for any contamination in the engine oil. Water or coolant in oil looks white and creamy. Serious internal leaks will make the oil look like chocolate the lighter the worse.

Check color and condition of brake fluid. Look for sediment in bottom of reservoir.

When driving the car look for excessive play in the steering. Look under the car and throught the openings around the radiator and radiator support for any signs of poorly repaired body damage.

Check state of tune(plugs, wires, cap and rotor if possible)

After purchase, plan on changing all fluids(P/S, trans, brake fluid, rear axle lube) as these are often neglected.

 

BRING SOMEONE ALONG THAT KNOWS THESE CARS!!! PERIOD!!

 

Another rule of thumb. If it looks like a POS, it probably is

 

Sage advice

Didn't know that, does that apply to TBI, Carb & TPI? I thought a good idle on these cars was about 800. (Trying to stay away from a carb)

Also, about the leaks, I'm guessing unless its bad enough for it to be constantly dripping then your more or less looking for residue.

 

Also; is it possible to feel the difference between a solid panel and a panel thats been patched with bondo? (I know the old trick about a magnet, but its not practical to drag one over the entire car...)

 

Use the magnet in common damage areas. Rear qtr centers, rocker corners, etc

 

Old body damage that's been poorly repaired should also be visible by looking for mismatched paint and poor fit or missing brackets inside the fenderwells. A good body repairman uses very little bondo, will replace all body brackets and preshoot panels to provide a true "like new" repair. Many very fine cars have been damaged in collisions. It's the ones that were poorly repaired we have to watch for. Properly repaired cars are just as good as any other.

When looking for leaks, youre looking for traces of wetness around seams or signs of oil/coolant at the lower front of the motor. If you see any green(coolant) look for it to be coming from the WP weep hole, just behind the pulley, or from the thermostat housing gasket or the front or rear of the intake manifold.

The idle on all V8s is about 550-600. My huge cam 355 idles at 800 because of its lope. Idle speed is more key on auto trans cars to prevent harsh engagement of reverse and drive. Also, a high idle is often used to cover up a rough running engine, or an engine with a stalling issue.