Hi Thirdgen guys i have been having some troubles with my 1986 iroc-z28 camaro....

So ill begin with whats happened so far.

Bought the car in april nearly 5 years ago. i was a kid then only in my teens and didnt think much of the troubles the guy pointed out. paid 600$ and brought it home...

needed new radiator battery some gas gas lines Patched *for now its still not road worthy*... and it started right up. a bit smokey but u would smoke to if u didnt run for 8 years >.<... also replaced the heater core / all lines.

replaced spark plugs tried to redo the timing my self *dont know alot about cars but i dream to become a mechanic some day...* and it runs about 1500 rpms.. way to high >.< for idle. its got a 305 4bbl Eldebrock carb *600 CFM manual choke.* with a 350 turbo transmission.

has alot of eletrical bugs but wont mention in this post cuz im not worried about it i plan to rewire the entire car this year with my taxes.

so the problems / questions i have....

its hard to start.. usually takes 3-4 cranks and alot of pumping the pedal for it to start.. and by 3-4 cranks i mean turning the key fully about 5-10 seconds each while pumping on the gas pedal.. then it will die...

as far as i know its got the original eletric gas pump. which could be causing my problems with starting? the starter is really loud.. while its turning over..

i have a hole in my firewall infront of the Heater core.. any ideas on repairs?...

with my engine being a 305 and my Carb being a 4bbl Carb will it wash the rings out in my engine?

// This car has alot of missing peices which i cannot fully identify.. there locations/how to put them in. *missing being stuff like vaccums Ect... found out today that i didnt have any Transmission cooling lines running to my radiator*.. i dont have a fan/shroud/radiator mounts/ i have lots of vaccums that are hosed and plugged with a screw in the ends.. ive managed to identify a few of these and they went to the carb.

i can take any pictures that anyone will need.. i just need a mentor pretty much cause i cant get anyone to take the time out to help me and im really wanting to get it on the road this year. but i wanna make sure shes fully road worthy especially because i plan on bringing her to Thirdgen fest this year even if she isnt complete!!! not worried about misc paint/body stuff right now.. i just wanna get the motor situated...

My radiator was bought from 1800-Radiator. they gave me a single core alluminum radiator with plastic black tanks not sure of the dimensions. but it will not go under the frame of the car where the radiator mounts in? is it supposed to be like this? its slanted... like \ ive tried every possible way to get it under there.. and i dont have a Radiator mounting bracket so ive managed to use clothes hangers to hold it against the frame its a cheap fix but id like to find the mount for it.. / a correct radiator.


Some of this is rant im sorry but any ?'s just ask me and i can tell u pretty much...

Thanks!,
Tyler

 

Some of your problem with starting may be the vacuum lines you mentioned. also you can adjust your idle down with a screw on the carb. if its adjusted all the way out your timin is probably off. since you said you replace the timing your self. 600 cfm carb is good for a 305.

 

Most Edelbrock carbs have a fast-idle cam on the throttle shaft to kick the idle up for cold-starts.
That combined with a vacuum leak could be most of your problem.

You should probably get a book or at least the manual for your carb and start reading it. It would also help to find someone competent in your area that could look at it and help you in person.

I would visually check that your carb is not flooding fuel into the engine with the pump running but the engine off. Make sure your spark-plugs are not fouled or wet with fuel.

 

i checked the plugs awhile back and indeed they need to be changed. i plan on doing a tune up spark wires dist cap rotor new sparks hopefullly next weekend....

**//******UPDATE*******\\**
today i decided to go out and let the camaro idle so me and my girlfriend went out put a new lower radiator hose on it clamped it down put water/antifreeze in it and started it up. right off the bat i seen smoke coming from the passenger side rear Valve cover more or less it was behind it inbetween the A/c Filter box and the valve cover itself near the downpipe that connects to the y pipe. but smoking from the rear of the valve cover..

Also smoke was coming from the driver side valve cover grommet? not sure what goes in the grommet hole.. but theres nothing there and theres a plugged grommet *ill provide more detailed pics tommorrow w/ tags to specify everything im talking about... and possibly a video.. i got one on youtube here its old but it shows some of the areas of smoke that im talking about.. keep in mind as i do this car hasnt really been started and let idle for along time cuz i been in a different state.. i blew the engine compartment out and tried to move some of the wires around that could possibly be burning *all the wiring in this car is scatterd out if i knew how to pull the engine i would and clean it up a ton...* and it came up with no result :/ ive checked the oil and theres no "milkshake" look to it so it cant be heads?... maybe a seal? or burning oil?..

Also she idled at 2K rpms then gradually decended as supposed to when it warms up? but never went below 1500..

Water was squirting out of the top of the new hose it seems like *kinda like rain under the hood LOL soaked my girlfriend "W.I.N" which is why i replaced the old one. so i moved the clamp up on it and clamped it down and still no result.. maybe the water pump is f*ked ?

starting was excellent.. pretty much first crank did it not like a fuel injected but was fair enuff still has a noisy starter it seems like though u prob seen that in the video..

thanks guys for the advice ill keep on using it and keeping it down can't wait to get the small stuff sorted out

just a small misc note the chick in the video is not my girlfriend anymore lmao. and i dont have that crazy hair anymore >.< this video is OLD. i will update it as soon as i hear back.

 

A belt or pulley may be flinging coolant up into the air. You may not have found the leak yet.


Oil burning smoke from rear of engine is common if the valve-covers or intake manifold is leaking oil down to the exhaust where it burns.

 

**//UPDATE**//

so i went out and bought
Water pump
Spark wires
Dist Cap
Rotor
Gasket Sealant
Spark plugs
2 cans of sea foam
Pcv Valve single port for passenger side *Plan on running the Vaccum setup for valve covers on the passenger side and a breather on the driver side.
Costed me 150$ for all of it.. sorry no pics yet been working major hours :/ will try and get some up here in the near week or so after i do the tuneup and get someone to help me set the timing. will be complete with a video 2 ^_^ cheers!!

-Tyler

*Also thanks for the tip it is the valve covers leaking onto the exhaust no bigge. Water pump shaft is blown :/ so i got a new one ready to install sooon! *

 

update :///

put on dist cap rotor spark wires spark plugs all new.. *cant get the dist cap to lock on all 4's 2 of them wont even push down?? >.<

now its cranking but not starting. checked the spark for fire and none.... its also getting fuel.. maybe i messed up the dist and rotor install??..

 

******IMPORTANT UPDATE************

just got around to working on it again today for a couple of hours while it was nice here in AR i tried setting the dist cap spark wires for firing order of a 305 chevy and noticed a major change. the firing order stamped on the block is 18436572 so what do i have here lmao? its not a 305.. any way to tell? list shows up that Chevy uses this firing order for 307,330,350,400,403,425,455 can someone tell me how to identify this without pulling the motor.. casting numbers possible to be seen from under the hood? ???? anyone answer this quickly please? itll solve alot of headache!!

 

I'll help you out where I can, Where the oil leaking out of the valve covers is "normal" in cases, you can buy a new gasket / silicone or maybe even tighten the bolts down a little more, to fix the oil leak in those areas. It is common, it's not a huge deal, but little things add up. I can't help you on the temperature gauge, I am having the same problem, I do however know the wire that goes to the sender (on the block between #1 and #3 hole is a green / dark green wire with a spade connector. Might make sure that is connected right. It definitely sounds rough to me in that video. Seafoam will help get a lot of the carbon and what not built up in the cylinders out. Just follow the directions on the can, and you'll be fine there. The carb should be fine. Firing order for chevys is 18436572. I believe for any small block V8 If you did the timing yourself, I'd check it for sure. Best idea I can give you, is line the timing mark up on the harmonic balancer and timing tab, and put your plug wires on from there, to avoid any mistakes. Make sure the rotor is pointing at #1 cylinder when you line up the marks. Change the plugs, oil, and wires, (if you haven't already) and throw up a video / any more questions you may have.

 

As for what you do with the wires, just put #1 where the rotor is facing, and go counter clockwise on the cap with the appropriate wires. If the cap doesn't want to clamp down, wiggle it around a little, it should "fall" into the grooves

 

OH, and when you replaced the cap, did you make sure you plugged the connectors back into it?

 

and, your starter sounds fine to me.

 

Tyler, to set your timing correctly, you will need a timing light, if you hvae never used one, I will walk you through it now, hook the end that has a clamp like ned on it to the number one plug wire, hook the other end with the alligator style clamp to the positive side on the battery, un hook the vacuum line from the carb to the vacuum advance on the dist. plug vacuum port on carb. loosen the dist hold down just enough to turn dist, start engine, make sure it will run on its own. pull trigger on timing light and point at harmonic balancer and timing tab, some 305 timing tabs are inder water pump, look between the back of water pump and timing cover, some are on the drivers side under the waterpump, timing should be set at 0 deg, you may have to clean timing tab the best that you can to see clearly, while aiming timing light at the timing tab, make the timing mark(line) on balancer line up with the 0 on the timing tab, you do this by turning the dist, once this is done, tighten dist down tight, dont over tighten, enough dist wont move, replace vacuumn line and you should be good to go. You might have to re adjust your itle up or down depending on if your timing is off.

in your video it seems to choke fuel up through the carb, cause could be timing related. Keep me posted and ask all the questions you may have, I will help all I can from here!

 

yes cap has been replaced. timing is still not set got off work to late and it was dark :/ 5-7 today >.< i will get off work tomorrow round 230 so i can get some stuff done. gonna redo the wires for the above firing order found. motor isnt a 305 for sure since the based firing orders are different. reason to believe that the motor isnt a 305 is based off firing order only since im not that smart lol. im gonna look for the casting #'s on the block aswell that will tell me for sure....

i do not have a timing light/nor have i ever used one. as far as temp gauge goes replace the temp sending unit and inspect the dark green wire for any breaks/shorts that could be grounding to the body. also replace the thermostat along with the sending unit and it should start reading. as so in my case thats the issue.

Also other info not included.. tranny has a bad gear for speedo 2 cant remember tooth count but once i get the shop cleaned up i can pull her in there and start jacking it up and putting it on stands so i can get back underthere and pull it again...


Also. in the video the camera had a shitty recording the car sounds beautiful when it runs in person all besides it being a little off time... and it sitting around not being ran much most of its life..

Plan to get carb rebuilt/cleaned as soon as i can find someone to do it for a fair price.
found a scrapyard near me with 300 Camaros and firebirds 91-60's!!!! called em and he gave me a price list for everything i need and will even help me take off the parts i need

For now this is all.. help still req for Finding engine size without reading the casting #'s or tell me where the location is for them.

Also yesterday i got the cap to go down on all 4 pins theres a notch on it that it falls into ^^

thanks!!

Tyler

 

The firing order for smallblock chevy's is 18436572, it has been this for several long years, 305 included, the casting number is on the back side of the drivers end of the block, atop the block where the trans bell housing bolts on, best way to see this is with a light and a morror, may need to try and clean it up to get accurate numbers.

as for a timing light, you can get one at any auto parts store or a sears if you have one.