took it into the shop to get new tie rods and have him look at the timing cause the car felt sluggish and he ends up telling me that the car is totally missfirring and the spark plugs are filled with oil. and that ill need a new engine cause this ones ready to seize up. but i read up on it and it seems the problem is fixable.

can someone please help me with what i will need to do to get this car running in tip top shape again and how to do it. im by no means a mechanic but i do like working on cars, just not as knowledgeable as i should be or want to be.

1988 trans am 305tbi

 

It could be something relatively easy like valve seals, or it could be broken pistons and/or oil rings. Need to do a compression test on eng to see it it's worth trying to save. If it's a goner, it would be a good time for a 350!!

 

doesnt sound done at all, sounds like ur machanic doesnt know what hes talkin about, just check ur compression its probably just valve seals or pistion rings,

 

Saying an engine is done by just looking at spark plugs is a very poor diagnostics. First a compression test needs to be done to determine just how bad the cylinders are. Then a leakdown test should be done. If nothing serious shows up in either of those tests, simply replacing the valve seals will probably clean up the oily plugs.

My 91 454 had bad plugs in the LH head. I had to change them every 6 months. Replaced the valve seals and ran the plugs for 3+ years before I decided they were worn out enough to replace. Finally put platinum plugs in so I wouldn't have to change them for another 5 years. Never fouled up after the valve seals were replaced.