Alrighty, so today I go to wash my car...Get done, pull out, get going down the road. I get to a stoplight, and my car backfires and dies. So now, it won't idle without stalling.

About 2 months ago I replaced the sparkplugs with Bosch Platinums. After that, the car had almost no power at all. I don't know when the last time this car had a tuneup was, but my thought is that the new sparkplugs were too much for the used and abused old ignition components and they just couldnt give the new plugs enough spark, seeing as the old Spitfires were pitch black. I also added Accel Super Sport 8mm wires.

Now, today, I go to the car wash and wash her off...Well, I get about a mile down the road and it backfires and dies at a stop sign. No biggie...I start her back up and it dies again when the light turns green. So, I manage to rev to 2000 RPM's and drop it in drive, she stumbles and finally goes. I have to do this all the way home.

So, i'm gonna do a MAJOR tuneup. Heres what i've got so far...

Hypertech Power Coil
Purolator Air Filter
Purolator Fuel Filter
Purolator PCV Valve
ACDelco Rapidfires
ACDelco Cap/Rotor
Flex A Lite Flex Fan (18")
5-6 Quarts of Mobil 1 w/ Purolator filter
Reset and adjust TV cable
Rebuild distributor


How does that sound? What could be the cause of it dying at idle? I'm sure it's been in need of a tuneup for years...Previous owner just neglected her. So now it's time to give my little 2.8 some love and hopefully get her running better than ever. Will all that solve my problem?

 

Dont forget:

Carb/choke cleaner thru the carb
Check/readjust timing to stock spec

You might want to change the oxy sensor too; if the plugs were black, the oxy sensor might also be covered (and useless), too. Remember that if the car's been running super-rich, fuel destroys catalytic convertors; bang on yours with your hand- if you hear rattling, it might need to be replaced before it clogs up.

You might also want to rebuild the carburetor. The Haynes 82-92 Camaro manual (found in places like Pep Boys or similar, or thru http://www.haynes.com or JC Whitney) covers the rebuild of the E2SE carburetor. A rebuild kit is about $30 for a "major" kit. If you want to get fancy, http://www.eastwoodcompany.com sells carburetor "restoration" paint to snazz up your 2-barrel.

Silver: http://www.eastwoodcompany.com/aspfi...asp?T1=10187+Z
Bronze: http://www.eastwoodcompany.com/aspfi...asp?T1=10179+Z

You mighta just gotten the distributor wet. Did you cover it with tinfoil? Did you get the alternator wet? I got my alternator wet once; it died a week later- I found a ton of corrosion on the regulator contacts (where the two-pin connector goes into).

 

I don't think the distributor got wet...I've accidentally gotten it wet before and when that happened the car wouldnt even start. This time I think everythings just ****ted out on me.

I didnt pop the hood when I washed it...So no chance of alternator getting wet either.

I didnt know my old 84 had an oxygen sensor...Although I just went and looked at her and it appears the I do in fact have one. Thanks!

Where can I buy a rebuild kit for my carb? That would definately help. I don't have cats, gotta love Oklahoma and our no emissions checks.

I just checked my #1 cylinder spark plug. The ring around the electrode is pitch black. It's been running alittle bit more than super rich...

 

Oh, okay, I mis-read; for some reason I thought you had cleaned the engine. Any "real" auto parts store will have one- don't go to an Autozone or Pep Boys or etc... you want the places with concrete floors, greasy counters, and piles of old catalogs- where the "real" car mechanics go.

You can also order one from somewhere like carparts.com - put in your model, year, and type of car. The page might give you an "error!" page- if so, hit your back button, and it'll be okay. Then go under the Fuel section, and click on Carb Only Systems- Idle, Main and Throttle. The AC/Delco E2SE kit goes for $40, Borg-Warner for $30, and Standard for $30. You'll need the part number off your carburetor; it's been a while, but I believe it's on the mounting plate on the driver's side- no, wait, it's stamped on the carb body on the front passenger side? Shoot, I can't remember... but it's not "hidden" too badly, you should be able to find it.

I'm not even sure what module is inside your distributor; it might be the old 4-pin module. If so, MSD makes a replacement for it; part # 8364, Summit has it for $67 - http://store.summitracing.com/partde...art=MSD%2D8364 . And if it -is- the 4 pin module, if you put an MSD box in, the MSD box can actually act as the module, and eliminate it from your distributor. (Us guys with the 7 pin modules can't do that.)

Do you know if it's a 4 pin or 7 pin? Is the coil inside the cap?

 

Nope, coils mounted off to the side.

I see what you were talking about with this site. I can't get it to go past the "Select car model" page.

I'm gonna be ordering all this stuff in the next couple of days. Hopefully this will get my car back in good shape. I wanna beat the last owner of it.

 

After the select car model page, it'll go to an "error" page.

Click your "back" button on your browser; it should work fine.

Can also try http://www.expressautoparts.com or http://www.partsamerica.com too...