Ok guys, my 31 year “Old Red” is not acting right. I believe she is **** at me for not taking her out for a ride more often.

Some background: I bought her back in Sacramento, California in 1990. She has travel the US from West coast to East coast several times. She spent 15 years in Germany riding the Autobahn and German Car shows, and also made the occasional trip to France. She spent years in Texas with my son who was taking care of her while I did another tour overseas. My son who was also in the Military and on deployments could take care of her no more so I trucked her back to Florida where she spent over 2 years in storage. In 2014 we return from overseas and since then she has been here in Lower Alabama.

In all her 31 years she has never let me down, NEVER, no matter how long I leave her park you just turn the key and she comes to life eagerly wanting to take me for a ride.

That came to an end this past weekend. After she has been sitting for about 3 months I decided to take the cover off, clean her up and take ride. As always she fired right up, the A/C was blowing cold and the music was right on time. Drove about a 2 miles and got to a major intersection to wait on the red light and all of a sudden she died. I was thinking OK maybe a fluke or something , crank up and she responded and died again. Now anxiety sets in as many cars behind me and old Red don’t want to move. I turned off the A/C and radio and crank again and she putted , I was able to make a quick right and travel about 75ft into a fast food place parking lot and she never woke up again.

Needless to say after many attempts “Old Red” did not want to move. Since there was no way I would leave Old Red sitting alone in some strange parking lot I made the dreaded call for a tow truck.

Three hours after we started our little journey “Old Red” was right back where we started.

So here is the deal and before someone asked if I did any searches YES I did and tried to apply many suggestion given.

Bottom line up front: I believe she has a fuel problem because a squirt of starting fluid in the Throttle body brings her to life briefly before she dies again.

What I have done so far:

I checked the fuse both by the battery and on the fuse box.

I checked the fuel relay ( the old relay does click) but bought a new one anyway.

I turn the key and hear the fuel pump hum in the rear.

I bough a new fuel filter and Tried to change it but as I loosen both ends of the old filter I had gas coming from both sides coming out all over the place. I tighten the ends again as I was in my drive way in the middle of Alabama summer and it was not fun. I believe the filter is not the culprit here so I will change it when I can get it on a lift.

Please the last thing I want to hear is the fuel pump needs changing. That pretty much mean removing the whole back end ( unless you want to cut through the trunk (not).
I have to say that the last time I drove her I did notice the " check engine light" come on but I did not pay any attention thinking it was nothing, was I wrong.......
Any suggestion would be appreciated

Thanks

1990 Camaro RS, 5.0 88K miles





This was back in Germany early 2000

 

Hook up a scan tool or do the paperclip trick to get the codes. Check fuel pressure. It sounds like a fuel pump issue, if you don't want to do the job, take it to a mechanic.

 

It's tbi so no Schrader valve. Much harder to do than it should be.
But I agree, sounds like a fuel pump. If that car hasn't seen salt or isn't crusty rusty then the pump isn't nearly as difficult as people sometimes claim it to be. A competent shop should still be able to handle that easily today if you don't want to do it.