Friend just got a 1992 Camaro RS. I so happy to drive a stick shift camaro after driving chevy's recently (blazers).....I come to find it's a tweaked out car

My friend would like to fix it up if not too much work. I see no leaks besides maybe the PS line....sealant all around like someone didn't know what they were doing but I mostly have I4 and rotary experience except some chevy few months ago.

So I know about TPI (some are manifold with spider and some are like carb looking if I recall right, atleast I've touched those two- so this is the older carb looking one ... actually the owner and other friends of mine keep calling it the carb LOL

Anyways it seems that injector pack long lived it's days but our issues are much more odd.

Coolant - Kinda mucky but they appeared to put some radiator stop leak in at some point (PO)

Oil was changed by my friend (Also I guess PO's friend did coolant the day my friend got it) it's ok looking, looks like they didn't drain it all the way + it's a dirty engine so I bet it wasn't changed in awhile and the detergents are breaking stuff free?

While cranking theres often this metal grinding sound but it might be the starter, best way is to push the throttle half way but fully will often make the grinding sound, which sounded kinda like a starter on this one votec v6 blazer, cept it was more like a starter. This is more like it's trying to seize however this engine roars when fired up.

Once running it seems like a late 80's early 90s running engine, the dizzy is loose so I think thats screwing up the timing as it shakes.

for the fun part


On cranking theres white smoke out the PCV breather looking thing in the air snorkle and soemtimes it puffs out near the injectors. Once fired up it kinda runs alil funky no blue smoke or really white out the tails just the tpi

As said coolants funky looking but not like it got oil, smells like vinegar. The emissions smell odd too...

Tips appriciated, going to JY and replace a few things and see how the JY engine's dizzy's are

 

Sounds like a coolant leak probly needs intake gasket Does the exhaust smell sweet?? If it looks kinda like carb its a tbi not tpi. U sure its a 92 lol The po could have mixed dextron (orange) in coolant it would give it the murky color i would get it flushed mixing the 2 can create a gummy substance which would could give u a list of troubles. As for the grinding starter probly need shimmed tightened ,wrong starter

 

The exhaust smells rich. No smoke at all out of the exhaust (On start, during running, shut off...)

Oh yeah I ment TBI, TPI is with the injector pack and injector spiders.

They apparently flushed the coolant but it's still disgusting so maybe we should do it again.

Would intake gasket cause puffs of white smoke out the TBI during start while warm?

 

tpi looks like a spider sitting on top of the engine, you are thinking of central port injection { vortec trucks}. just to clarify. you never know what the po did because it wasn't you. that's how i always look at it. flush all fluids. are you starting this car with your foot on the gas pedal? that will cause fuel vapors to " back up" especially if the timing is off alil. that may be what you are seeing. i know because in my course of looking over a no start once i held open the throttle and had a friend start it. before it fired the injectors spit and hit the hot manifold and " boiled" per say.. sounds like you have a few things to fix.

 

Update

Check out my other thread https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/post...018-post8.html

They suggested some stuff to check the overheating issue. It's for sure the intake gasket.

My friends mechanic (Guy owns a mercedes shop or whatever that told him to let it run that the smoke was excess oil- which I was pretty sure was coolant just from some text mesgs) welp guy came today after I diagnosed it's eating coolant, theres also coolant in the oil.

So I'm thinking we should ditch this abused engine and pull one from a JY, change the easy to access seals and intake gaskets and call it a day?

 

Why not just change the intake gasket on the engine you have?

 

Well then the shop guy diagnosed awhile after I diagnosed the coolant "leak" hehe. He also says theres coolant in the oil which explains why none picks up on the stick.

so I'm guessing when PO drove it 40 miles with barely any oil/coolant it cracked the heads?

Friends shop owner quoted him at 900 for new gaskets and such including labor/parts. However I think the engine's seen it's days, even though it's strong it's been constantly ran without fluids and literally DUMPS coolant out the exhaust pipe like a hose was turned on, and the oil looks awful esp considering nothing even can stick to the dipstick due to so much coolant in it. Coolant in the oil probably explains the puffs of white smoke out of the pcv like hose on the pass side going into air hat.

 

dump that motor. get a junkyard special and replace the seals. your on the right track there. hopefully you can hear the new motor run? i know when i sell a motor i try to keep it runnable for the new owner to hear it for atleast 15 mins to verify it doesn't over heat or knock. just courtesy.