I just bought an 86 Camaro off craigslist for 500.00. It has the 305 with a 4bbl. It was listed as not running and has been sitting for 3 years. I had it towed to my house and put in a new battery afterwards. After a few tries and a lot of pumping of the gas she fired up. Lots of smoke, but it runs and idles,just not well. I changed the oil , and picked up a set of spark plugs and wires that i have yet to put in.

The car moves in drive and reverse but it runs VERY rough and backfires. The car and engine shakes a lot while its running and doesnt seem to be running on all cylinders as it has very little power. I know the gas is old, but ive never seen a car run this bad on stale gas. Im gonna put in the spark plugs on sunday, but is there anything else that i can check? Also, the battery light is on, which may be a bad alternator. Any information would be greatly appreciated.

 

I would give it a complete tune-up first before worrying about everything. You can easily check with a volt meter to see if the alternator is charging. Keep in mind, if your battery was low when you started it, the alternator is not capable of acting like a charger on a discharged battery. 3 years is a long time, there may be some dry-rotted vacuum lines...etc etc. that will give you fits until you go through everything.

 

I started the car up today and checked the alternator output. After start-up it was putting out 13.01 volts with a rough idle, then after warming up for 5 minutes it was putting out 14.1 volts when the idle smoothed out. But for some reason the battery light is still on, and the battery is brand new.

Also, even after warm up when the put the car in drive or reverse the idle drops significantly and it looses alot of power. Also, the car lunges foward with a huge clunk that shakes the whole car when it kicks into drive. When i put it in park the idle goes back up to running smooth. How do you adjust the carb's on these cars, and what is the idle rpm suppose to be at?

Also, the hazard lights work, but for some reason the turn signals don't. Is there another fuse box in the car besides the one over the drivers legs?

Any help with these issues would be great, thanks.

 

Get a chiltons manual and start going over everything. As stated earlier, after sitting, you may have vacuum lines that are cracked, missing, or not connected. Check everything, belts, hoses, fluids....etc.

As far as the carb goes they are not very adjustable at all Your emissions sticker lists your idle speed, vacuum diagrams, and belt routings....

 

Well the car is running much better now. I replaced all the plugs, and wires are on there way in the mail. I also replaced the rotor and distributor cap. Its no longer misfiring and it moves in forward and reverse. But im still having some idling issues. When i start the car up from cold, i need to keep my foot on the gas for a few minutes, or else it will start to idle lower and lower, then die, whether its in drive or not. Also the choke stays wide open whether the car is cold or hot.

And the alternator is putting out 14 volts and the battery light is still on, as well as a very faint buzzing noise that sounds like a seat belt buzzer or something. But it doesnt go away with the seat belt on.

 

i have the haynes AND chilton manuals for my 86 z and i found them to be vague and in some cases downright misleading.if you want the RIGHT info the FIRST move to make is HELM inc where you can order the factory service and repair manual. i did and found it to be clear and concise something the other two cant seem to manage

 

The clunk you hear when you accelerate sounds like a broken transmission mount. Easy fix and inexpensive. As others have stated, replace your vacuum lines. They may have cracks you can not readily see. Running better after cap and wires? you could have had bad cap/wires or even a couple of wires crossed. You probably need your qjet carb rebuilt. The buzzing noise... where is it coming from? The engine? Under the steering wheel? If it is a plug in buzzer, unplug it and deep six it. Your turn signals may not be working due to burnt out bulbs on the front, back, or side.

 

The buzzing is coming from the carb when the key is in ON before starting it. It goes away after maybe 10 seconds of continuous buzzing. Also, i dont think the signal issue is the bulbs because both of the hazard signals work, but the turn signals dont.

 

the hazards and signals use two different flashers. depending on how the flasher decided to quit, they will either stay on when you request signal, or dont come on. a flasher is only a few bucks. its located under the gauges, remove the kick panel and look up. turn the hazards on and listen for that one, the signal flasher will be near it