Okay, I picked up a Camaro that supposedly didn't work because there was sugar in the gas tank. I got it home, replaced the filter, and ran fule directly from the tank out to a bucket, pre-filter. No sugar. Cut open the filter. No sugar. Put some Lucas Cleaner in the tank, did oil change, replaced spark plugs, wires, cap and rotor, reattached some vacuum lines that weren't attached.

After some cranking, the motor turns over, idles for 3-10 seconds, dipping lower until it dies. If I give it gas, it stays running. If I give it gas right before it dies, it blows a backfire through the throttle body. If I rev it up to above 4K and lay off, it sounds like small backfires out the tailpipe as it settles back to idle. Also, after working on it and having it running stationary for about 45 minutes, the coolant is boiling in the expansion tank. Also, a vacuum gauge attached to the intake at the outlet for the brake booster reads about 10Hg when idling at 1K, but fluctuates verry rapidly +/- about .5-1Hg. I can't get it to stay running long enough to check timing. It was doing the same thing before I replaced everything, so I know it's nothing I did. I'm on a very limited budget, so I can't afford to replace piece by piece until it works again. If anyone could help it would be greatly appreciated, as this needs to be my daily commuter.

Thanks alot,
Michael

 

Oh, and no trouble codes. If anyone has ANY ideas, it would be GREATLY appreciated. I really need this girl up and running, as a driver, and also to get it off the ramps in front of the house before the wife kills me!

HELP!!!

 

Sounds like the air/fuel mixture is wrong, if you can keep it running for 45 minutes while giving gas i'd guess that it does not get enough fuel.
Could also be the unit that manages the idle (don't know the english name for it..) that is messing with you.
Unfortionately I can't tell you how to fix it but try finding a Haynes manual or something simular, they are really useful when fixing cars on your own. Or wait for someone else to fill in the information

As for the boiling coolant fluid, does the radiator get hot? If so, replace the thermostat (it's cheap so don't worry).
If the radiator is cold while the fluid is boiling it could be the water pump that is broken.

 

sugar screws up the injectors. if it gets to them

 

Is the coolant overflow reservoir being overfilled after running for a while? Does the coolant smell like exhaust or is there any traces of oil in it? If so, your headgasket is leaking or your head is craked. Probably not though, but just a thought. Does the exhaust smell sweet?

 

your car sounds like what mine used to do. change the injectors. as far as coolant. if the car isn't moving your not getting much air even with the fan on. no grill=bad air flow. mine almost overheated in line at the auto x. cheapest injectors i found were accel's from summit for 200 for the set as opposed to 160 each from carquest

 

Should I buy new fuel injectors for $200, get mine cleaned for $70, or get some out of a junk yard and pray they work for $30? I'm on a thin budget- I'd probably have the same problem if I got some out of a junk yard, huh?

I was worried it was the distributor or timing slipped or something- I didn't think that injectors would casue the backfiring through the TB and everything else. Also, the mix smells very rich out the tail pipe, so I thought perhaps that meant that it was getting enough fuel, or even too much, so I was thinking maybe ECU not controlling fuel properly...

Are we somewhat sure it's the injectors? Because if I get new ones, that's my entire get-it-running budget. Anyone in southern California with a 2.8 lying around I can borrow the injectors out of and see if it fixes the problem?

Thanks alot,
Michael

 

well if your running rich i wouldn't do the injectors. check your o2 sensor to see if its pluged in and how it looks. not sure how to test it to see if its good but a place to start

 

Actually, when I did the tuneup, I replaced the O2 sensor too. Under hard acceleration (no load) there's some white smoke coming out the tail pipe- not much, just enough to be noticeable, and it blows away, so it's not steam. That's why I was thinking the injectors were putting out too much fuel, if it's not all combusting. I put some Lucas in the tank and have ran it a total of about 3 hours since over the last month or so trying to figure out what's wrong, so I thought that would clean out the injectors enough that if they where clogged, they'd at least work okay.

I went through the procedure to fully close the IAC then unplugged it so I could set the idle. I know the PO had reset it, and I don't know if they did it the right way, so I redid it. Ran by itself for about 2 minutes, then cut out again and back to the same problem. Also, my CHilton's says there is no MAP sensor on this engine, only '89+ engines had it, but there hanging next to the firewall on the passenger side is a MAP sensor. It had no vacuum to it, so I replaced the vac line to se eif that helped. No change. With the backfiring and everything, I'm suspecting timing- do you know if Autozone or Kragen tests Ignition modules if I pulled it off the distributor?

Also, on the driver's side, there's a blade connector for a temp sensor on the radiator, but it's not plugged in, and I don't see a connector for it anywhere. I found out after I bought it, that it's a salvage title, so I really don't know what kind of crap has been done to the thing.

 

look at the iac or the tps. some sensors can be really crappy and not throw codes... check the timing too.

 

Berlinetta's came with a coolant level sensor. That is probably a berli radiator.

 

The timing chain could have jumped a tooth or two.