I have a '83 Camaro and when I start it up and tryto get going forward, the engine cuts out on me and the choke warning light comes on. The check engine warning light comes on when I start the car and stays on. When I put it in reverse, only the check engine light is on. When I step on the brake when it's running, the choke warning light comes on and the engine cuts out. When I hear it start to stall, I step on the gas hard and it comes back. I'm guessing it's a severe rich mixture caused by the choke not opening, but I'm not sure what would cause the choke not to open. Any suggestions on a fix would be greatly appreciated.
-Matt

 

Check your alternator. The choke runs off of it. I had my belt fly off my 84 and the choke light came on. Also check your codes and tell us what you got.

 

It will only do that if I fully depress both the clutch and the brake at the same time. It will either completely cut out with the choke warning, check engine and voltage lights, or the rpms will drop and it will run bad with only the check engine light on. The belts look fine from what I can see, but I didn't do a close inspection of the belts.

Also, I've gotten error 23 from the check engine light. (Two flashes, pause, three flashes)
23 -Low temperature at manifold air temperature sensoror throttle position sensor error

 

You have a 2.8 carbed? The intake air sensors are vacuum operated and wont give a code. That code for a feed back carb would be the mixture control soleniod. That part goes into the top of the carb and has two wires I think. Make sure the wires are good and not shorting.

 

Yeah, it's a 2.8 carbed. I disconnected the choke coil wire, all the warning lights went off and the fault code disappeared. Everything seemed like normal until I went to start the car. It wouldn't start and it was acting like the battery was dead. I may have shorted the battery when I was putting the leads back on. I'll get it charged and see if the problem was a shorted choke coil.

 

Ok, I unplugged the choke coil wire and I still get the same symptomsand the check engine light, but no choke warning light. I plug in the choke coil wire and unplug the wires going to the mixture control solenoid and same symptoms, no choke warning light, but check engine light still illuminated. The engine runs like crap when started and wants to die when I step on the brake and clutch at the same time, stomping on the gas when it starts to die brings it back up. When both are plugged in, it dies when I step both brake and clutch. When one of them is unplugged, it doesn't die, but rpms are very low whith both pedals depressed. Would a bad M/C solenoid cause that? I'm still stumped and I can't seem to find any shorts so far.

 

PM me with an email addy and I will scan and send you a flow chart for testing the M/C soleniod

 

I think you have more than one problem. Part of me wants to think you have a vacume leak, this is why you have to rev it to keep it alive, check all the connections/vacume linesat the carb. When the engine starts to die when you press the brakes is also an indicator of a vacume leak. Your electronic problem is pointing toward a new alternator. I would go to autozone or advance auto and ask to use thier obd.obd2 reader to figure out the codes and find out how to fix them. Like mike said you might have a short somewhere near the choke.

 

His code for a carbed 2.8 is a mixture control solenoid. The m/c adjusts the air/fuel ratio at idle and part throttle. Thats why I think it clears up when he opens the throttle. There is an o-ring on the tip of the solenoid that wears out or I have also heard breaks off. That may also give him problems. Its been so long since I worked on my mom's carbed 2.8 s10. [:'(]

 

Good point, sometimes when removed they pop off and are quickly replaced, only not properly and kind of shim thier way off when they are reinstalled. I should have read everything before mentioning the codes.....Gotengusu, have you made any progress? Is your 2.8 factory carbed?