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1985 Camaro Z28 - Horrible Misfire Under acceleration and Hard start ups

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Old Oct 10, 2014 | 06:09 PM
  #1  
OmgItzCheerilee's Avatar
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Joined: Jul 2013
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From: South Jersey, New Jersey.
Car: 1985 Chevrolet Camaro Z28
Engine: LB9 5.0 305
Transmission: 700R4 Automatic
1985 Camaro Z28 - Horrible Misfire Under acceleration and Hard start ups

So to start off, I want to thank whom ever it is reading this and that is willing to help. This Misfiring issue has been an ongoing issue and I've pretty much reached my final straw with it due to how much money I've spent replacing basic things to try to fix the issue.
The Car is (as titled) a 1985 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 with the LB9 5.0L Power plant, and 700R4 Automatic transmission. When I first got the car, it had a check engine light for the EGR system. Through further inspection I realized the EGR Temperature sensor's wire had been spliced and eroded off from improper re-installation. Along with that fix (This is the main fix that got rid of my check engine light) the car has had it's 100,000 Mile tune up. This includes Plugs, Plug Wires, Distributor Cap/Rotor, Oil/Oil Filter, Fuel Filter and Air Filters along with Sea Foam through the crank case and Fuel system.)
After all of this had been done, the car ran great for a period of time without a check engine light, then out of the blue came back with a bit more harsher intentions than it had started with.
My car now dumps fuel like crazy, runs extremely rich, Idles like crap once it's warmed up and even when it's cold (In and out of gear) and sputters/Misfires to a near undrivable state under moderate/Heavy acceleration (I should add that before the issue prompted me to park my car until I find a fix, the misfire only really occored under operating tempature of 220 Degrees, now it happens no matter how long it's been running).
Through out all of the test I've done on the Throttle Position Sensor, Injectors, and even spark going to each cylinder the outcome is still the same. The part that truly throws me through a loop is that there's NO check engine light now...

This car was my graduation gift, and I am determined to get it back to it's prime like the day it rolled off the assembly line in 1985. I look forward to hearing from anyone that thinks they can help me... It would be greatly appreciated.
Attached Thumbnails 1985 Camaro Z28 - Horrible Misfire Under acceleration and Hard start ups-10719149_871467429582016_1718378986_n.jpg   1985 Camaro Z28 - Horrible Misfire Under acceleration and Hard start ups-10719307_871467439582015_274513720_n.jpg   1985 Camaro Z28 - Horrible Misfire Under acceleration and Hard start ups-10721292_871467436248682_1731097619_n.jpg  
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Old Oct 10, 2014 | 10:41 PM
  #2  
InfernalVortex's Avatar
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Joined: Dec 2005
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From: Macon, GA
Car: 1992 Camaro RS
Engine: Vortec headed 355, xe262
Transmission: T56
Axle/Gears: 9-bolt 3.70
Re: 1985 Camaro Z28 - Horrible Misfire Under acceleration and Hard start ups

Do a test on the coolant temperature sensor. Not sure what the ohm range is on them, but that would be the next place I check.
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Old Oct 11, 2014 | 04:24 AM
  #3  
rusty vango's Avatar
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Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 2,036
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From: knoxville tn
Car: 86 IROC
Engine: 5.0 TPI
Transmission: 700-R-4
Axle/Gears: 2.73 open
Re: 1985 Camaro Z28 - Horrible Misfire Under acceleration and Hard start ups

Originally Posted by OmgItzCheerilee
So to start off, I want to thank whom ever it is reading this and that is willing to help. This Misfiring issue has been an ongoing issue and I've pretty much reached my final straw with it due to how much money I've spent replacing basic things to try to fix the issue.
The Car is (as titled) a 1985 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 with the LB9 5.0L Power plant, and 700R4 Automatic transmission. When I first got the car, it had a check engine light for the EGR system. Through further inspection I realized the EGR Temperature sensor's wire had been spliced and eroded off from improper re-installation. Along with that fix (This is the main fix that got rid of my check engine light) the car has had it's 100,000 Mile tune up. This includes Plugs, Plug Wires, Distributor Cap/Rotor, Oil/Oil Filter, Fuel Filter and Air Filters along with Sea Foam through the crank case and Fuel system.)
After all of this had been done, the car ran great for a period of time without a check engine light, then out of the blue came back with a bit more harsher intentions than it had started with.
My car now dumps fuel like crazy, runs extremely rich, Idles like crap once it's warmed up and even when it's cold (In and out of gear) and sputters/Misfires to a near undrivable state under moderate/Heavy acceleration (I should add that before the issue prompted me to park my car until I find a fix, the misfire only really occored under operating tempature of 220 Degrees, now it happens no matter how long it's been running).
Through out all of the test I've done on the Throttle Position Sensor, Injectors, and even spark going to each cylinder the outcome is still the same. The part that truly throws me through a loop is that there's NO check engine light now...

This car was my graduation gift, and I am determined to get it back to it's prime like the day it rolled off the assembly line in 1985. I look forward to hearing from anyone that thinks they can help me... It would be greatly appreciated.
on TPI cars ,when the MAF relays go south, it can give these symptoms. BUT you need to check your codes first and post up what you find. be advised that the 85 TPI MAF sensor is particular to 85 only. if it turns out that you need one DO NOT BUY a re-man one! (do a search on here to see what happens when you do ). you can also un plug the MAF sensor and try to start it. if it runs better that way, you found your problem.
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Old Oct 14, 2014 | 09:40 AM
  #4  
ASE doc's Avatar
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Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 4,337
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From: Aurora, OR
Car: 87 IROC Z28
Engine: 355 cid TPI
Transmission: Custom Built 700R4 w/3,500 stall
Axle/Gears: QP fab 9" 3.70 Truetrac
Re: 1985 Camaro Z28 - Horrible Misfire Under acceleration and Hard start ups

On the MAF sensor, if that turns out to be the culprit, there is a means by which to convert your system to use a newer(86-89) MAF sensor. The real issue with the 85 system isn't just the outdated MAF sensor itself, but the obsolete MAF sensor control module, again one year only, that is virtually unobtanium.

The reason you don't have a check engine light on is because the fault you are experiencing is an "in range" fault. Meaning that the sensor that is causing this problem is still producing a signal, just an incorrect signal. These early systems only set a fault code when a sensor is out of range, meaning very low or very high voltage. They can't tell when a sensor is just low or high, as long as it still produces some kind of signal that is within its normal operating range.

Definitely start by checking the coolant temp sensor. Look for the connector to be corroded with green vegetation. If it it is corroded, clean it with electronic circuit cleaner and repeated disconnect, reconnect to scrub the terminals clean. This isn't perfect but it should solve the immediate issue. There are two ways to test the sensor. Either by voltage, or by resistance. With the key on, the sensor will produce a voltage signal between about 3.5 volts cold and 1 volt hot. Resistance should be 3,400 ohms at 70 degrees(engine full cold) and 185 ohms at 210 degrees.

If you had a compatible scan tool, the test would be as easy as looking at engine temp on ECM data and comparing it to actual engine temp, either as measured with an infared thermometer, or just by common sense. MAF is the same way. It produces a varying voltage on the signal circuit, between about .5 volts with key on engine off, and about 4.5 volts with the engine at full volumetric efficiency. It should be about 1.6 volts at idle and you should see it go above 4 volts on hard acceleration. Since your engine seems to be running rich, the MAF would have to be faulting high, which would be abnormal. The O2 sensor is another thing to check. It should read around .450mV with the engine at idle in open loop. Voltage goes higher to .900mV with the engine rich and lower to .200mV with the engine lean. An O2 sensor that is shorted low will cause an engine to run rich. A test is to unplug the sensor and test voltage on the ECM side of the connector to verify it is about .450mV. This is the diagnostic base circuit voltage from the ECM. Reconnect the sensor and run the engine at 2,500 rpm. Watch sensor voltage. It should begin to toggle between .200 and .800mV. This is normal closed loop operation. If it sticks high, that just means the engine is rich and doesn't necessarily indicate a problem with the 02 sensor.

It doesn't sound like you have any hard misfires. Never the less, always start any diagnosis by verifying the integrity of the last repair done to the car. Check to be sure that timing hasn't changed and that none of the plug wires are burned or otherwise damaged.
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