So the head gaskets went bad in my 95 Z28 at 101k. The fans would kick in when the car was not even at operating temp and it was due to the water being low. Anyway, the head gaskets were fixed, injectors cleaned out, oil changed, spark plugs, new thermostat, etc. The car definitely has more power but it used to be so smooth, like you didn't shake at a stop light. It's just not smooth like it was before. It's not overheating, temps are steady at about 210 which is another question I have. The thermostat was replaced with a 180 temp (not sure what was in it previously), and now it runs hotter. Not even close to overheating, which it never did before it went in for repairs.
It was smoking when I picked it up and the mechanic said it was antifreeze in the smog pump, which has since worked its way out and the car no longer smokes.

So that's it, it's a little rougher running and a little hotter than before.

any ideas?

 

mine went at 99k an i opted to put a crate engine in mine wich has its ups an downs,but i would ask have you done the opti spark plugs wires so on.a bad wire or plug could couse the shake too,could be some air in the system still ,the guy who did the job should continue to make sure he did a good job an that the cars runing the way it should they did a pressure check before an after . mine was runing fine still was just geting warm ,i am sure it was not cheap to have the work done,?you also did the manifold gasket too,another guess to is do we know what damage was done to an engine ,i drove mine for 9 months with the fans doing those tricks off an on ,water light was on the whole time,though i have to admit i had beat on mine a bit the old saying they can handle 500hp ,but seals get old ,one time i had a 98 ford f150 4.6l replaced after blowing it up ,an they put a brand new block in it becouse of recalls for seals ,an the truck never ran the same again had the shake you talk about ,could have look at the motor mounts too,oh sometimes mechanics find cooling problems then think its the head gaskets when it could be other things as well like a hair line crack in the block or a freeze plug warped heads couseing the owner to have more problems ,some food for thought ,hope it just needs a tune up that was something i did read resently when not all the right tests are ran,but a tune up if not done should be by now

 

how are the plug wires, if you can find a very dark place, garage at night with lights off works. open hood, start car, turn lights off and look for sparks. i checked mine like that once and it looked like a light show with the plug wires practicaly glowing. also if you have a loss of power check your plug wire locations to make sure they go where they are supposed to. #1 goes to #1 plug and so forth. its easy to get a couple crossed and if you get the right ones crossed its hard to tell untell you get it on the road and notice loss of power.

 

Yes, manifold was changed and the car was tuned up. I drove it a few weeks with it acting up, and it never overheated. Mechanic thinks it's the smog pump that will either reset itself after I drive a few days or it will need to be changed. The mechanic is standing behind his work and said the engine looked really good.
The last time I drove it was when it ran, worse than what it's doing now, and so much smoke which he thinks was from that smog pump having coolant in it.

I've done the whole engine change in my 94 before it was wrecked and had a good experience with it. Expensive for sure. This repair however was considerably less at right at $1000.
Thanks for the input, you guys are the best!!

 

yes i was thinking about that maf sencor too

 

The smog pump injects air into the exhaust system so the cat can do a better job at burning off extra fuel during cold starts. I would love to know how spraying anything (oil, coolant water) into the exhaust would have any effect on how the engine runs? I mean beside the fact it is ruining the O2 sensors.

If there was coolant in the smog pump, god know how it would get there, it would be pushed out in the first 5 seconds of startup. If it ruined the O2s I doubt they will get better with age.

 

fuild of any kind in the air pump would ruin it. its electric and not intended to be a water pump.

 

What kind of a pump does the Camaro have. The "air pump" in my LT1 Vette was a fan, not a sealed pump of any kind.

 

ok i learned something new cant or should not have have water only air in there the smog pump that is ,he has the lt1 engine

 

same, mine was rusted to crab and froze up, had to replace