Hello, i just bought a 88 RS Camaro, the engine was out when i bought it, now i have to put it back in there, i need your help fellow Camaro owners, i need to reconect everything, from power stearing to oil cooler radiator, i will be posting pics, but could you guys give me a list odf things i need to reconect? i didnt take it apart, and i bought myself a 1 year subscription to alldatadiy.com and a Haynes Manual, so i hope that helps, please my friends, help me pop in the engine back

 

What shape is the engine in? Why was it taken out?

We'll start there...

 

They wher going to replace the engine with an LT1 from a Corvette, in the end the guy, who when on tour to afganistan, he came back and decided to buy himself a new car, so, they sold me the car with everything, just that the engine was outside, i know it was a risk, but i hope th engine works, it has 175k miles on it, 5 SPeed Manual Tranmission, so know ill buy miself a Engine hoist for 200 and put it in, i tried once with all componets but the clutch would keep misaligning itself, so i think it would be easier if ijust droped the tranny, mounted the engine and then reised the tranny again, after that theres where i need your help my friends, theres all these wire connections that im not familiar with, and plus i have to connect it and make it smog proof, so please amigos, help me, also im From San Diego CA and im 16, turning 17

 

TPI, TBI?

 

TBI

 

It would be easier to install engine and tranny at same time if your remove the front bumper. You'll need a tilt along with your engine hoist. I was able to attach T5 to engine when it was out without too much trouble, just gotta keep things level.

This is a good time to ohm out all of your wires to the ecm etc, while the engine bay has alot of room in it. I found alot of broken/cut wires before I put mine back together. Mine is a 305TPI, I would venture to guess it has alot more electrical connections than a TBI.

Good luck, watch your fingers and knuckles , have fun and be safe.

 

I dont know if I've just gotten lucky, or what, but whenever I've reinstalled my engine I've left the transmission in the car and was able to do it without much resistance.

What ive done to make it easier:
-tilt the trans upward slightly with a bottle jack
-they sell a cheap tool to help align the splines that I've used
-have sets of hands to help guide the engine in

 

I'd take the time to remove the front bumper, get a tilt, and put it all in as one, you'll have less headache and won't have to sit under the car with a flashlight in your mouth trying to align while you wrap your arm around a bellhousing to get the top bolts in.

 

And while you've got the motor out I would recommend replacing the front and rear oil seals and a pan gasket.
All of these are extremely easier to do with the motor removed and you've got a considerable amount of miles on that engine

And inspect the flywheel and clutch...

 

the tranny was just replaced like 10k miles, so i know the tranny is good, ok, so my next teps are taking down the tranny, so lets start with that, my friend told me that if i drop it, when i take out the drive shaft i would leak so much oil it would just be a pain in the ***, in the mean time i will replace the oil pan and all seals, also, should i replace the head gaskets? i mean it would be a good excuse to open it up and see any danger before putting it in, im running in a tight bidget, i only get 250 every two weeks, part time job and i still have to pat like 230 at the DMV =/ anyone near SD have an engine hoist, renting them cost alot, and buying one is not my wish

 

Just the oil pan gasket, not the pan itself.

Drain the tranny first.

Head gaskets are cheap enough and this would be the best time to do them.

 

thanks, i will be posting up info and in i get stuck i will resort to the gods of 3rd gen

Also, should i drain it by taking down the oil pan? is there a nut that drains the oil =3

 

Theres a bolt on the driver's side (thats the right side if you're looking at the front of the engine) on the bottom edge of the the pick-up hump of the oil pan. Drain it there... If you have a full oil pan and you undo the bolts you'll be sorry...

 

Gaskets are cheap enough, head bolt sets aren't. You don't want to replace head gaskets and reuse head bolts. BAD idea

Heads are something that can be done with the motor in the car. If u remove them now, there's a long list of other stuff that you might as well do to a 175k motor.

And as I said before you don't need to drop the trans if you don't want to

 

 

You said it was a 5 speed, I assume a T5. No drain pan, theres a drain plug on passenger side, the lower plug is drain the upper one is fill, but I fill it from inside the car, gotta take the shifter off tho.

 

the shifter is off, so thats something else i have to put back together, im get pics on the car this saturday, i hope you guys can guide me then, also, why should i remove the front bumper?

 

you dont have to, but if your planning on putting the engine/trans. in as one piece, it might make it easier. if your going that route, removing the radiatior is enough. ive seen it done before WITH the front of the car intact.

i still think your making this harder on yourself... my advice is...

with the trans. in the car, and the car on stands:

-tilt the trans. upward slightly with a bottle jack.

-use one of these to aline the splines on the clutch plate
http://www.jegs.com/i/Centerforce/183/53026/10002/-1

-have 2 sets of hands to guide the engine onto the spline shaft of the transmission.

its worked for me relatively painlessly twice now.

 

i alreadty tried with the clutch aligment tool, also i tried to raise the tranny, that backfired and the tranny twisted, ill just drain the tranny and put it al in one piece, neither way i have to buy miself a leveler and an engine hoist

 

You might could scratch up your bumper with the hoist if u leave it on.

 

True, but you can come in from the side, too.

 

Good point, I didn't have the room though...

 

mm i see your point, ill just put a towel XD

 

ok so i moved the car home and registered it under my name, in the end i got this girl for 500 dollers, what do you guys think?










all the parts that the car is missing is the distributor cap, and the radiator Fan, thats it

 

 

you didn't replace the gaskets, seals and timing set; did you?

 

Its an L03, if it's healthy it'll last another 100k anyway.

 

i just poped it in there to move it, now i will take it out and replace the gaskets

 

Bump

 

I see you've got the water pump removed... Might as well replace that while your at it

 

well, im on a really tight budget, and im going to use the other water pump until it breaks down, but thanks

 

any sugestion?

 

suggestion about what?

you've basically said that you are on a very limited budget

Just hook it up as is, slap in some new plugs, cap, rotor and wires

flush coolant, change oil and cross your fingers and go to church


Here's what is going to happen, you'll remove the cylinder heads, you'll notice a couple combustion chambers look worse than others, you'll want to send the heads for a valve job $$$

You'll look into the cylinder walls and see a big ridge and realize it's beyond just a reaming and needs to be bored $$$4

that will mean a tear down $$$$

there are no such things as cheap fixes.

if you don't have the money to do it right, then understand what you have and learn to live with however it performs. If it burns oil then so be it, just add oil.

 

ok thanks, i just bought an engine hoist, engine stand and the leveler yesterday for 142$, so i will take the engine out this week end and cleand up and prep it up, i need to move my 70 chevelle out of the drive way to put in the Camaro in the garage, the chevelle will be my week end car

THanks for the help guys