Hi i just got my '84 T/A.It has golden stripes with ground effects and recaro seats.Is it real recaro edition.Is there way to understand that?And what i should check first with those cars?What are the pros and cons?Thanks.

 

some common problems that come to mind with older thirdgens:

rust on body panels

corroded brake & fuel lines

worn door hinges

broken subframe around where steering box mounts

transmission failures

electric hatch pulldown failures

bad grounds & failed reistors on heater blower motor

a/c refrigerant leaks

carburator troubles (if still original carb, you will need a rebuild on the 84)

motor brushes wear out on power window motors

alternator brushes worn out

lubrication dries out on door latch internals, heater box, and window tracks

interior panels sunrotted

drivers seat fabric worn through

front seat metal frames bent

headliner foam breaks down and headliner sags

t-tops leaks

oil leaks, especially around the valve covers & on higher mileage thirdgens around rear main seal & harmonic balancer. note rear main seal leaks are troublesome to fix, usually have to regrind the crankshaft to get it to seal properly. valve covers easy to fix, there are repair sleeves for harmonic balancer leaks but they are time consuming to install.

on an 84' you won't have the problem, but many later model thirdgens have VATS related problems.

not too common but on some thirdgens, the rubber breaks down on the harmonic balancer and the two peices of aluminum start to seperate and damage the engine.

is very common on firebirds & transams to have faulty headlight door motors & support components

 

Sadly it was my first day with my car yesterday and the problems started right away. My battery was dead and when i boost the car it wasn't charging properly.Actually it was charging but not much on idle.It was charging properly when i was on a highway.I don't know what went wrong but it's kinda depressing.I drove the car to my home and after i park the car the battery was completely dead.I just hope it's alternator or the battery.As soon as the weather gets better i'll be checking the things that you told me.Thanks for the information.

 

is 250.000 km high mileage for my car?Cuz i know those things depends on the engine.And this is my first V8 car.

 

For battery and alternator, time is as much of a factor as mileage. It's not surprising you may have to replace them. I have 5 vehicles total: In the last 11 months, I have replaced 4 batteries and 4 alternators. The only one not needing them in that time was the Camaro. But, they were new/rebuilt back in the fall of '99.

An 18-year-old car is going to need stuff, that's just a fact of life. I will say, though, that my 20-year-old car with its 16-year-old drivetrain has been the most trouble-free of ours in the last 2-1/2 years.

 

When i was asking if my car has a high milage i wasn't thinking about alternator or battery.I was just thinking about the engine in general.I'm not sure if 250.000 km. is considered high mileage or not.But thanks for the reply anyway.

 

That's about 155k miles. If the car has been well maintained, it's not "excessive". But, it's getting up there.

You should probably go ahead and change all the fluids, including transmission, rear-end, and brakes. When the old is coming out, look for the condition of the fluid (dark, smells funny compared to new fluid), and whether there are wear particles in it (particularly the tranny and rear).

 

Engine looks well maintained and looks very clean.Actually it's the cleanest engine i ever saw on a dealer here in montreal.the only thing messy about the car is interior.And there's a small detail, when i was driving home for the first time.Smoke came out through the heater for several minutes.It didn't smell anything.It was just a weird smoke.Then it was gone.I went back to the dealer and the guy told me the car was sitting for a long time that might be the problem.It didn't do it again.But when i was driving after the battery was dead and the alternator was not charging properly i smelled something like antifreeze.It wasn't very strong.Today i've checked the engine again.There was no leaks or anything.It was just that funny smell.And i've noticed something was not plugged from the battery.It's just one black cable with plastic connectors.It's coming out of negative.Any ideas what that cable is for?Maybe the problem was just that cable.But i'm not sure really.Thanks for the reply again.After fixing the electrical problem i'll be changing my fluids right away.

 

hmmm.....smoke and antifreeze smell sounds like the heater core is on it's way out. You should have said it's a dealer car. I'd be a little leery of a clean motor with that many miles. It's amazing what a can of engine bright and a pressure washer will do to a motor that leaks like a siv. You can't judge an engines internal condition by the "appearence" of the exterior of the motor. I do know that any third gen at a dealer in my city is a ripoff. I went and looked at quite a few before i settled on mine. Basically, my car was half the price of these dealers (bought it privately) and in better condition.

 

Well before buying the car i've checked some stuff.And on the highway the engine was great.The smoke that came out from heater was not smelling anything.It was just a smoke.After battery was dead the engine was almost stalling everytime i hit the brakes.It was when i smell antifreeze.Right after i parked the car the battery was completely dead.And i thought because of the battery something was not working properly and it was smelling like that.The dealers here are the worst dealers in the world i guess. The place i bought the car was a small dealer out of the city in a small town.And the car was from ontario.If it was from montreal i wouldn't buy that car.This is my 4th thirdgen in 3 years.I give my '88 V6 Camaro RS hard-top plus $300 can. and got this '84 trans am.I think it was a pretty nice deal.

 

Tongi,

Take 5-7's advice. Take some time with the car to update all the maintenance items. Change all the fluids and filters. don't forget the CCV filter and the filter on the bottom of the EVAP canister (your '84 still has a filter there).

Unless you have all the maintenence records, don't assume anything. At that mileage, everything is due for service. Fluids, ignition, filters, bearings, brakes, lubrication, suspension and steering, etc. It doesn't all have to be done at once, but plan on getting to it eventually.

As for the charging system, you can remove the alternator and have it load tested at many auto parts stores, and usually at little or no cost. Same with the battery. If you have a Batteries Plus franchise on your area, all you have to do is drive in and they'll load test the battery and alternator on the car for free. It's tough to beat those prices.

 

I was thinking about the same thing for alternator and battery.The filter that your talking about is that small pollution filter in (under maybe) the carburetor?Thanks for your reply.

 

If you want a Major Tuneup list, find it here: https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...threadid=62070 The same things apply to your '84 carbureted motor, with an exception being that you can use carb/choke cleaner. You could either inspect all the parts to make sure they're in good shape, but if I were you, having just bought the car, I'd replace 'em all. The Haynes manual is a good investment. A better investment is the "real" GM Shop Manual, by http://www.helminc.com - I have both, and the GM Shop Manual is invaluable for diagnostics. The Haynes book is great for the rest- they even give a picture by picture chapter of how to do your brakes. Plus the Haynes is cheaper, so I don't worry about throwing it around.

 

I already have Haynes manual.But it is for the camaro.But i guess engines are the same.But it's kinda confusing to look at camaro manual and try to fix firebird.I guess i'm gonna get one for the firebird.Thanks for the link.It'll be very helpful.