I just got back looking at this car with a buddy who is considering getting it.The maina problem is the power.There is none!.It wouldnt spin a tire or anything.It felt like a 305 TBI.It has 104,000 miles and ran real good.No vibrations or anything.The SES light wasnt on.It shifted great.I am not familiar with MAP cars and i not sure where the other 40 or so horses could be hiding.It safe to say it definitely needs a tune up and O2 sensor.But where else would the power be hiding??BTW,its an L98.Has the 8 in the VIN and RPOs show it to be one.Its totally original.ALso would $4000 be a good price for a heritage edition in good shape??Thanks for any help,chris.

 

it should be MAP....it should be speed density...but $4000 isn't a bad deal for a 92 Z around here...they are very hard to find here...and I have to travel to Chicago to pick up my 91.

it should definently spin the tires....not sure what the problem is there...

 

It couldnt just the the tune up could it?My 88 GTA would spin tires when i got it and it needed alot.This car idles perfect.Doesnt smoke.I f it was idling funny i would at least know where to start.

 

not sure...we need to get some more engine guys in here. When I first got mine....it really wasn't really impressive to me....and alot of it had to do with the Kick Down cable that connects to the tranny....it wasn't even hooked up...so..I could floor it...and it would barely pass a car. When I got that all fixed...it ran like a factory freak. There are alot of things that can makes these cars run like crap...and it can be something very simple....

 

When I first got my 92 Z it would spin the tire! with a 305/5spd combo. I thought it had pretty good acceleration for what it was, felt good to me!! And I paid $5000 for mine in '00 with 95K.

I can't say why it doesn't spin the tires, but that may not be a bad thing! Since it is used, and I know you said it is all original, but how do you know. Did you guys put it in the air and look at it? Is it possible that some previous owner did some suspension work? Does it feel strong on acceleration? You see what I am getting at. Just cause the tires don't spin doesn't mean there is anything wrong with, doesn't mean it ok either...Unless you already have, try to get it throughly inspected by a trusted mechanic or someone you know that knows their stuff...

 

you might want to check the fuel filter to see when it was replaced, it may be clogged. also, check the catalytic converter to see if it too may be clogged. drill an 1/8 inch hole in front of the cat, when you start the car and rev it up, there should be hardly any air coming out of the hole. if this is not the problem you can just put a rivet in the hole.

 

Yeah i forgot about the fuel filter.It just doesnt feel like 345 LB/Ft for torque.My 88 is stronger and is rated at 20 less HP and torque.Obviously something is off.If he doesnt get this i am afraid he will try to get a 5.0.The womam selling it said she has a guy coming tommorrow to buy it that wants to paint it like a NASCAR and give it away at the business he owns.What a horrible way for a heritage edition to go out!

 

First off get it scanned and fix the SES problem. As well as the tune up also try cleaning the injectors. Don't just pour cleaner in the tank, pressure clean them. Some shops charge ~ $100 but it is worth it. Oil change, filters, plugs, wires, cap and rotor possibly could help. This car just needs some TLC.

 

Well he ended up passing on the car which is unfortunate.It was really nice and even had the bose system which i had never seen before.I just hope the guy wanting to paint it like a nascar car didnt get it.BTW,after looking at it i noticed some vacuum hoses absent.The one that goes to the charcoal canister and the one that plugs into the top of the heater control valve.Would these have made a difference in power.Like i said it didnt act like my GTA when the vacuum lines were off.Thanks,chris.

 

It shouldn't have caused it to run poorly. Where ever those hoses were connnected were capped off or it wouldn't have idled well.

 

Hey black 91 Z28,i see you are right up the road in starkville.We should meet up sometime.My girlfriend actually works in starkville at hibbetts.

 

Cool...shoot me a pm sometime.

 

I would check the fuel filter and fuel pump and the cat. I had my fuel filter and pump replaced and it felt like a different car.

 

Well it turns out that the car was sold to the guy that was going to paint it and give it away at his business.I went with my buddy to tennessee yesterday to pick up his new GTA,which is nowhere near as nice as that z28 was. Oh well.Black 91 Z28,if you are ever out this way let me know.

 

For future reference, one of the first things you should do is check the timing. AND make sure the balancer ring hasn't slipped, so you know it's accurate.

I know this from experience, because my balancer ring slipped and I didn't know it, and I thought my timing was right. Everything else in fuel and ignition systems was perfect, yet the car ran crappy.

Turns out the balancer ring slipped so bad that when I thought I was around 10 deg BTDC, I was actually about 35 deg ATDC!! You wouldn't believe the power difference when I got a new balancer and timed it right....