Hey all, my cousin just bought an 84 Camaro 2.8 that is is rough shape, however, he is not mechanically inclined, so I get to be the unlucky soul that wades through the oodles of vacuum lines and rust bubbles to keep it running. Anyway, he plans to upgrade the engine to a 350 with a Manual transmission in the future, but that's once he gets back from active duty...which would be in about two years. In the meantime, he is stateside and needs his ride up and running. When he brought it home, it was idling kinda rough and didn't want to start. Anyway, he changed the oil, spark plugs, wires, and air filter. There was no real change. So, I took to the car, I checked for codes and found code 22 (TPS), although subsequent "scans" (using the jumper wire method) did not bring up any codes. I then changed the distributor cap, distributor rotor, TPS, some hoses leading to that big black canister in the front fender (Evap canister I assume) and the starter, which had a faulty solenoid in it. Anyway, now the car won't start at all. I checked for spark, and got it on all 6 wires, I also have a carb rebuild kit waiting to be picked up at the local auto parts store. Also, the AIR pump has seized as is evidenced by the chewed up belt. Literally any advice n how to go about finding the no start problem, rebuilding the carb, removing the AIR system, and replacing the engine/ transmission (for the future) is welcome since I do NOT know my way around the engine bay of these cars, or carbureted engines for that matter. Thanks in advance!

 

I don't know a thing about the 2.8's but my 84 z28 with the 5.0 gave me a helluva time the first tune up i did. Turns out that when i was changing the cap and rotor, i changed the timing because my distributor clamp wasn't tightened enough. Could account for the rough idle and difficulty starting. Another thing that has driven many guys doing tune ups insane is the ignition control module. They are inexpensive and found at nearly any auto parts store. I hope this helps and good luck!