I just got this1984 Camaro Z28 form my parents. It sat since 99'. It came stock with a carbureted 305,TH700R4 etc. I spayed WD40 down the carb and fired it up and it runs rough as though it has a misfire and is also seems to be rich. I was delightfully surprised that it fired and ran at all. There are no leaks and all the hoses and belts etc look like they are in good shape for having sat so long. Im old school and have not worked on any electronic or computer controlled stuff. I figure a good tune up and oil and filter changes is a good place to start. I haven't got a manual for it yet and do not know what the electric devices on the carb are for. I guess Ill start by changing the plugs (I guess their down there someplace). I really need something to drive right away, I lost my other vehicles recently. Any ideas to get her running smooth would be greatly appreciated as I have little money and time right now.

 

I scanned for codes and got 23 MC solenoid and 16 coolant sensor tow low. I will for the mean time assume these may be faulty. Looking at aftermarket carbs (I like Holleys) I see many so called "direct fit" but Im not seeing the MC solenoid or throttle position stuff on them. What is a typical swap is what is done with the stock wiring to accommodate the computer on this car? Im in favor of eliminating the smog stuff if its not needed too. Dont know where guys typically start on these models.

 

Hello there! I, too, have an '84 and recently switched out carbs. I have a nice quadrajet (rebuilt) that's original to the car if interested. I have no idea how to tune and basically got fed up with the computer controlled set up. My ignorance could be someone else's gain. It probably is the best set up but if you have no one who knows anything about tuning it, it can be difficult to deal with.

I went with the Holley 650cfm direct replacement to the Rochester quadrajet. It fits the spread bore opening so I could keep the original intake manifold. If you go this route, you will also have to replace the distributor to a vacuum advance unit and also get an adapter to attach to the carb to get the correct geometry to hook up the throttle and auto trans shift cable. Also, you'll have to get a torque converter lock out kit so you don't burn up your converter.

I didn't need the carb adapter or lock out since mine is a 5-speed. My total investment was about $550 for carb and HEI vacuum advance distributor.

For me, my car starts and runs soo much better it's unbelievable. Fuel economy did suffer however but mine isn't a daily driver. 16mpg versus 20mpg with quadrajet. But power difference for me was quite significant.

Like I said, if quadrajet was properly tuned and all the '80's electronics were in perfect working order, I could've achieved same results. But now I control everything...not the ECM.

 

drjewalton, I am going to try for now to stay with the original carburetor. I dont want to complicate this any for now. I scanned it not running and again running with an auto xray scanner and got codes 23 MCS fault, 15 coolant temp low and 14 coolant temp too high. All the connections are good. I tried jumper-ing the MCS directly from the battery and got it clicking then it sticks. When I reverse the polarity it will begin clicking again sometimes. The thing seems to get stuck.

 

I replied to your PM about the quadrajet. I assure you the TPS and MC solenoid on the carb are less than 2 years old since they were replaced during the quadrajet rebuild. Mostly it just needs some fine tuning to be perfect.