Hello all, glad to be finally posting here. I have used this site many times trouble shooting different issues and doing research over the years, and now I am an actual 3rd Gen Owner.

I recently ran across a great deal on an 89 GTA, 5-speed with what appears to be a good running, stock Vrtec 350 with a Holley Stealth Ram running on the original style computer and custom chip. I bought the car from someone who had just received it from the northeast, NY I believe via an e-bay purchase - so I am at least twice removed and thousands of miles away from anyone that would know what went into the car.

The good thing, everything seems to work - including the A/C I had to reinstall in place of the delete pulley. (We need A/C in the South!) Over time I will figure the rest out, or replace it, but for now I have two issues I need to address.

The car sometimes "chatters" or vibrates heavily when moving from a dead start, mainly before the clutch is totally engaged. Once running at idle speed in first gear, as in a slow traffic situation, it will occasionally lug back and forth when a little pedal is applied.

I'm not a total novice at 47, and my father has been hot rodding all his life, but neither of us are masters of EFI or computers where we think the probem may be.

The plugs look lean, but they are also AC Delco RS45s gapped at .040, factory specs call for completely different plugs gapped at .060 (yes .060), so we are going to start there. In the mean time, ANY INPUT POINTING ME IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION WILL BE GREATLY APPRECIATED!

BTW, the PC looks to be correct for a 350 car (was originally a 305), but the Bosch MAF crosses over to a 305 application based on the inter-web. The car also has 23lb injectors, which should be plenty for the stock Vortec.

 

I was going to start by ordering a new chip from Hawks or Hypertech to lower the fan temp leves and fatten up the fuel. Hypertech got hung up on my temp request and seemed to only have one answer, not showing much interest in the rest of my application.

Hawks didnt call back, so I faxed over their data form. They called back needing the broadcast numbers from the computer, which can no longer be read. So, according to the woman I spoke with, I need to buy another correct computer for the car, with a stock chip, before they can begin to help. (The other info from the computer didnt seem to be helpful)

I think I have found someone local how can hook into my computer on the fly, then burn a chip based on that information, which I assume is the best route. However, I have no reason to believe the current custom chip isnt done correctly at this point.

Again, looking for more experienced input. Thanks again.

 

Before you start that, get a cheap scanner and pull any codes you might have. If none, then do the basics, (filters, plugs, wires, etc.) before you start spending money on things like chips. If it is basically stock, the factory chip should be just fine.