hello everyone, im new to the site and could really use some help on this or be pointed in the right direction. i now have my uncles 1986 trans am. the car is all stock to my knowledge and has been sitting in the garage for the past 20 years. i remember when he parked it it just needed a tune up, but he passed away before he could do it. so now i have the car and want to return it back to its former glory. but i have no clue on how to properly awaken a engine thats been sitting for so long. i placed a breaker bar on the crank pulley bolt and it does turn rather easily. is there a certain procedure or steps that i need to follow in order to get her to crank over and start? any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Does it actually turn over and start ?

 

purchased a new battery and placed it in, and all the lights slowly came back on. have not tried to start it yet due to not wanting to damage anything trying to crank it. surprisingly the t-top seals do not leak but the gas in it smells horrible. btw @KR81 sweet ride.

 

In my opinion, if you can turn it easily by hand, there wouldn't be any harm in trying to start it. If it were me I'd just try and if it starts and idles then at least you know and then I'd start with possibly sucking out old fuel from the tank, dump oil and coolant and replace with fresh stuff, oil, air, fuel filters and go from there.

Thanks man, mines been a slow work in progress the last 7 years, I only just got it out of 5 years storage earlier this year, currently putting it back together after doing intake manifold gaskets and valve seals, among other things, biggest job I've done on this thing yet, but its been good, feel like I know the car so much better now.

Good luck with yours, keep us updated and post some pics!

 

Next to a collision, the worst thing that can happen to a car is to let it sit without maintaining it and driving it regularly.

Don't try to start the engine with 20-year-old gas (and possibly a tank full of rust). You'll need to find a way to siphon the tank and fuel lines empty and get some fresh gas in there.

What does the coolant look like?

What does the engine oil look like?

The trans fluid?

The hoses---all of them---both in the engine compartment and in the brake system?

After you've addressed all that, before you attempt to drive the car, you'll need to at least replace the brake fluid, and tend to any stuck or leaking calipers/wheel cylinders. Additionally, those ancient tires aren't safe for anything more than a slow drive around the block.

 

Is this car fuel injected or carb'd? If its fuel injected plan on replacing FPR diaphragm, injectors, and fuel pump because they are most likely shot. Should probly at least try to pump out as much as that old gas as possible with either a hand pump or cheap electric with fuel rated hose , a few youtubers who do revivals have done that and replace it with some new gas to freshen it up. You could also pull the valve cover before starting so that when it fires you can see if its getting oil up top. Also check your trans fluid before firing it up, if its low it can starve the pump and ruin it if ran dry. I watch a lot of revivals on Youtube lol, good luck with the Trans Am and keep us posted

 

It is going to be a fair amount of work and expense to do this right. First is the fuel system, I would drop the tank to clean it out and determine the condition it is in. If the tank looks useable ,I would replace the pump and sending unit assembly and the fuel filter. Don't cut corners here it is not a job you want to do twice if you don't have to. Carefully look at the fuel lines to the engine bay looking for rusty spots, then blow them out from front to back. The easier things will changing oil +filter in both the engine and trans. At that point you may be ready to try to start it just to see if you may have a viable engine and trans. BUT then you will need to replace all belts + hoses, tires, flush the cooling system + brake system. It is likely that along the way to you first drive you will be replacing things like injectors, calipers, wheel cylinders, water pump and the list goes on. When you have problems , and you will, the people on this forum are awesome and will be a great help to you. When you are ready to drive this car you will know it inside and out and it will truly be YOUR car. Good luck!

 

I revived a 1988 GTA that sat for 18 years. Like others have stated, I had to replace the tank, sending unit, pump, injectors, fuel pressure regulator and filter. The tank was far beyond cleaning. It looked terrible inside.

I also replaced the cooling system along with plugs, wires and distributor cap for piece of mind. Car runs great now

 

tank has been dropped and it is not in bad shape, but a little rusty. but since i have it out has anyone upgraded there tank to a plastic one from a 4th gen? i plan on putting in a fuel access panel that i found in my summit racing catalog. would i need to redo the entire fuel system since the 4th gen pumps i have seen only have 3 lines and my stock pump has 4.

 

Don’t cut an access hole in the trunk. Even with doing that, you can’t get the sending unit out without cutting the lines.

Just replace the tank, sending unit and fuel pump with stock replacement. It will be fine for the next 20 years.

 

i have replaced the fuel pump, fuel pressure regulator, plugs wires and all fluids. tried to start it and she just cranks and wont start. it is getting spark, but no pressure to the fuel rail. the fuel filter has been changed and when i connect power straight to the fuel pump it powers on. checked the relay and its good. is there a signal or something the computer needs to see in order to turn on the pump? tried looking for a wire diagram for the fuel system but came up with nothing.

 

The fuel pump will only run a two-second prime cycle when the ECM is powered on. The ECM will operate the pump again (via the fuel pump relay) as soon as it sees the first distributor reference pulse, usually from the engine cranking. It will hold the fuel pump relay closed for two seconds after the last reference pulse is received, or until the ignition is turned off.

If you have jumpered the pump directly to power and cannot achieve any fuel rail pressure, something is preventing fuel from reaching the rails, OR the pressure regulator is stuck open and is simply dumping all fuel back to the tank. A pressure gauge will need to be connected to the test port on the fuel rail to monitor pressure.

 

Ah this is a helpful thread as just posted a new one for an 85 I'm trying to revive too, 2021 must be the year of garage finds

What a great forum!

 

Also since the ignition system will function all on it's own without the computer - you should try to interface with the ECM - check it for codes with a paper clip at least. See if it's alive. And if it is you need to verify the distributor reference pulse.

No mention of injectors? Did you replace them?

GD