First off I'd just like to say he to everyone! Very nice forum

Alright so I purchased my first Camaro fall of last year. The car is really rough (inside and out). I wanted a project car for my first car (I'm 17) and so I chose this. So far the car seems to be the car from hell.
The lady I bought the car from told me that it needed a new pump.
So I put a new fuel pump in the car. No start.
I asked around and someone suggested it needed a new distributor cap/rotor.
I put that in there too. Nothing again.
I had the ignition module checked and it passed with flying colors.
The car cranks everytime and sometimes will fire if it has starting fluid in the throttle body.
This lead me to believe that it was a fuel problem.
So I pulled off the throttle body and the intake plenum. Once I got to the fuel rail I began to take off the fuel block and what do you know FUEL CAME OUT!! There was even some fuel in the fuel rail!!
I figured then that the injectors MUST be clogged.
Well I just went to go get my injectors checked today and the guy who tested them for me said that they are performing to spec.

I don't know what is wrong.

I've checked the spark plugs and fuses.
The wiring in the back where the fuel sending unit is looks kind of like a ghetto rig. I don't want to mess with it because I don't want to accidentally do something wrong. Also the RPM gauge does some weird jumping around while it is cranking.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. As I said I'm still very new at working on cars and feel like I may be in over my head.

OH! One last thing. I got a Chilton manual (that's how I learned how to remove the fuel rail)

 

Well every engine needs 3 things to run..
Spark,
air,
And a fuel source.

Check inside the cylinder by pulling a plug to make sure it does in fact have fuel. If the plugs wet you have fuel. If not, your dry.

Pull a plug and check the spark...if you have spark on that plug and its a bright blue then thats good.

And last, you almost ALWAYS have air.

So, if you have all three of those, then the only likely thing left is timing. If you never messed with the engine, or don't know the history of it, have the timing checked. For all you know it may be out 180. Nothing else, you can elminate it as a possiblity. And its not expensive to have done either so thats money well spent.

 

Im having what I believe is the same issue out of my 89 Camaro. Is you motor the v6 or v8? Unfortunately I have a 2.8 camaro which is alright except it has no go. Anyway my car has good compression seems to have good fuel pressure and even runs supurb once it is primed (maually using a spall squirt of fuel down the intake) and it will start everytime after that and run fine all day. I need to do some more research because this thing has me stumped. I thought it might be the oil pressor sensor, or the CPU but I wanted to see if anyone else has experienced this before first. Good luck I'll let you knwo if I come across any useful information.
-Great spark
-Fuel pressure good at fuel rail (havent rain noid light test yet though)
-Great compression

 

From what I remember of these cars, the fuel pump is powered by two different electrical paths. When the engine is first started power is provided by the fuel pump relay. Once the engine starts and the oil pressure reaches over 5 PSI, a contact in the oil pressure sensor closes and provides an additional electrical path to the fuel pump. A bad pump relay will cause hard starting because the engine has to be cranked long and fast enough to get the oil pressure up to 5 PSI before the fuel pump gets power.

 

I checked the fuel pressure today, its really strange went I first prime it the pressure is just under the spec range. I think its a fuel pressure issue because the car wouldn't begin to run before I replaced the fuel filter today. After replacing it I cycled the key a few times and it fired up hesitantly. Even after that though when the car is cold it fights to start, you always have to cycle the key to build pressure. After the car warms up it will run all day and the fuel pressure will hold around 40 PSI.

 

Are you thinking its a bad relay or the oil pressure switch? What your saying makes sense, expecially given the fact the car runs good after its warmed up. For some reason I think the fuel pump might just be a little on the weak side, the car sat for years before I came across it. Thanks for all your help so far