Alright guys, I have some problems and am looking either for some answers in this thread, or a link to a good thread you think might be helpful. Ive tried searching but the content is pretty vague and I haven't found anything real specific.

I'm gonna try to keep this as short as I can and hope that the camaro gods have mercy on this poor soul. I bought a 1992 z28 off Craigslist about 3 or 4 months ago. Ran fine on the test run. I even brought my dad. I was informed that the previous owner rebuilt and swapped in an '86 305 motor with TPI but I'm not sure what he got it from, or how much of that is true. All I'm looking for is a nice little daily driver. Replacing anything with stock parts is fine. I don't need a drag car, however, if it wouldn't cost too much I don't mind adding a few horses...

On the drive home it would want to stall but I wouldn't let it. Then it finally did and it wouldn't start again. Took about 20 - 30 minutes until it would start. Ran fine the rest of the way home. Took it out every once in a while and sometimes it would run ok, and other times it wouldn't even start or it would run until you went more than 1/4 throttle. I have since then replaced the distributor cap and IAC valve. Put a fuel pressure gauge on it and it is getting good pressure.

I took it to a shop up the road to let them look at it since I didn't have the time really. They replaced the computer, spark plugs, and tps. charged me $860 or so and said it was fixed. I went down the highway for about 15 miles and going up a small hill it seemed to bog down in 5th gear. Shortly thereafter, the SES light came on so I pulled over. It wouldn't start again so I had it towed back to the shop. They looked at it a second time and they now say the number 1 cylinder is dead and the heads need rebuilt, some injectors are bad and all need replaced, knock sensor doesn't work, and the distributor is rusty inside.

So getting to my real question here. The shop wants about $1500 to fix it and says it will take until the end of April since they are swamped with other work. Option #1 - Should I replace the parts myself and save about $500 and a month or 2? (basically how hard is it to replace the heads? I hear that you have to get it just right or you can really screw up the motor.) I'm a motorcycle mechanic, so I'm not a stranger to engines. Its just a little different than bikes. Option #2 - Just let the shop do it, pay the money and wait, and not have to worry about the first time I start it up?

If I could find a dumbed down, easy as pie, step by step video for a 305, that would be really nice! To sum it all up, whats all involved in rebuilding heads and how much hassle would it be to do it myself? If you've read this this far, I thank you very much! Any help at all would be much appreciated!

 

Doing heads yourself isn't too difficult, its a bit harder in the car but it can be done. I'd personally say that the only difficult part about it is the amount of time that has to be spent on it because you need to remove, the intake, accessories, exhaust, and then pull the heads off. Going with stock replacements is much cheaper than going with an aftermarket head.

 

Awesome. Thanks.

 

If you are a mechanic, you should do the work yourself. But before I replaced everything they said was wrong I would do a bit of investigating first. Get a volt/ohm meter and test the injectors to see if they show good of bad. A ohm test isn't a definitive answer but it would be a starting place.

What did they mean by cylinder #1 is dead? If the distributor reluctor is rusty, remove the distributor gear, pull the center shaft and soak it in rust remover.

These are all free things you can try before going any further.

And if a shop throws computers and other parts at it and it didn't help, I wouldn't be taking their advice about it needing a new cylinder head.

 

at least get a 2nd opinion from a different shop.
sounds like a shady shop, trying to take advantage of you.

 

Definitely being taken. A few bad injectors would cause it to not run til it cooled off again. The injectors fail under heat conditions mostly. I agree, ohm them hot. Hell I'd just change them if they are original as those were failure prone anyways.. South bay sells a set for 165$? Shipped. All 8. Dead cylinder? I'd check to see if you have a roller engine and if not check the cam lobes. That would give u a dead cylinder. Hard to find a decent mechanic in some places that work on any thing older then 2002. Do it yourself and save a fortune as the diagnosis they gave is probably wrong just to scare you away if their so swamped.

 

They are throwing parts at it hoping it works....at your expense take it somewhere else for a real diagnosis

Doubt the heads have anything to do with your problem
Wonder if your module is getting too hot or coil?

 

These are some very valid points guys. Thanks! I asked my co-worker if he has heard anything about the shop and he said he knows they do good work on older, carbureted cars and he thinks they're not so good with newer, fuel injected stuff. So I'll have to check in to what other shops are in my area that might do a better job with the whole mess. Thanks fireburdluvr85 for the injector recommendation! That will help. It definitely seems like it wont start after heating up, so I'll get my dvom on them as soon as I can. What should the volts and ohms read by the way?

Thanks everyone!

 

If they all read out around 14-16 ohms they "should be fine", however it is still possible a few could be clogged up.

 

Anything under 15.7 ohms I toss. Ud be surprised what they drop to when hot. I had all 16.5 ohms cold. Then hot anywhere from 3.7-15.4. For the $165 shipped to my door I couldn't go wrong. I believe we get a small discount as well. Inquire. Its 10%? Off

 

Even with a stock engine you will want the factory manual and be familiar with basic TPI troubleshooting and engine tune up steps. Many times following the basics gets you out of the woods. Your baby will be demanding TLC every so often once you get out of this mess so I suggest investing the time to research here first, ask questions second, so you can fix it yourself. Unless you have the $ to keep paying out what sounds like unnecessarily. Just my .02.