I recently just bought a 84' camaro z28, with 69k miles. My test drive went great, ran straight, good response, brakes were good. I picked up the car today and on my way home I noticed a strong odor not oil or gas smell, maybe plastic or rubber. (not a car expert at all) When i pulled up to the next light i noticed smoke coming from the left wheel well and as I was driving my steering wheel pulled to the left seeming like i lost my power steering. Did my power steering pump go out? would that cause the smoke? any other things i can look at? Smoke was also coming out the exhaust. All fluids are fine. Thanks for your time.

 

Sounds like the left front brake stays applied 100% of the time.

Most likely it needs the rubber hose on that side. Very very common in old cars generally, no more or less so in these cars than any others. The fittings at the end of those have a VERY small hole in them, which over time, rusts up and clogs; then when you press the brakes, the pressure forces fluid into the caliper, but it can't escape back out, so the brake drags.

Replace all 3 of them. They've all been exposed to the same fluid for the same length of time, and if one is failed, the others can't be far behind. Just make sure not to let the master cyl run dry; have your assistant refill it every so often as the fluid drips out while you're working. Bleeding the MC is impossible with it installed, so if you let it run dry, you make yourself AHELLUVALOTTA extra unnecessary hassle. Better to adopt the "fence at the top of the cliff instead of ambulance at the bottom" mentality, and prevent the screwup that leads to the hideous unmentionable 4-letter word that starts with a "w".

 

Thanks for the quick response sofakingdom. I will check it out this weekend and report back with what i find. Its like my worst nightmare, getting a new "toy" and it failing before i even make it home.

 

brake hoses are cheap and easy to replace. make sure you flush out all the old brake fluid really good. while it's apart, it's the perfect excuse to check the condition of the brake pads and shoes, as well as maybe repack the front wheel bearings (buy the wheel bearing inner seals when you get the hoses) and squirt some grease in the tie rods and balljoints..

 

New hoses are a good idea, but you also need to make sure you don't have a frozen caliper. I had that happen before, Once I got the old caliper off, I wanted to see if I could force the piston back in just for the heck of it. No amount of force would get that thing to move even a bit.

 

front calipers are cheaper than a good set of brake pads. I have always replaced calipers and hoses on a car new to me.

 

Yup; calipers are like $12 apiece or something. Replacing those, goes without saying. (after a look at the price)

"When in doubt, swap em out".