Ill be honest, Camaro engines can be a pain, I've replaced everything from plugs and wires to the IAC, intake, Vaccuum check valve, and anything else I can think of without tearing into the engine. I'm a pretty broke college kid so spending hundreds of dollars isn't always the best thing to do but this has been more of a project than anything. So, when I seafoamed it a little while back I could see some white smoke coming from the left side(standing in front of the car) of the engine. Could it just be a manifold gasket or a lower intake gasket?is there a way I can pinpoint it?something I can spray etc. I don't want to keep replacing parts that don't need replacing. Noone in my town has a scanner for my bastard engine(95 3.4). I know for a fact there is a leak in the vaccuum system because the car idles around 1500 rpms and there's still that slight engine shake. Any pointers?

 

take some starting fluid and spray around the base of the intake, vac lines, anywhere you think it could be leaking. the starting fluid will get sucked in and cause the engine to rev slightly

 

$109 at rock auto parts

VICTOR REINZ Part # 953554VR

 

compression test on all cylinders. test evap system. test/clean egr,

 

So I tweaked some things up and tightened some connections. I go to check out my spark plugs and they have soot on them along with smelling like fuel (running rich, need tune ) I also checked the oil for coolant, none was visible and I even tasted it, with no taste I knew there wasn't coolant in it. I go to start my car up and to my excitement the RPM's gone down to just under 1000 (the norm for 4th gens? it was at 1.6 before) I undo the radiator cap to check for any coolant bubbling. Nope. I go to the back of the car and the exhaust has smoothened out except for a slight trace of white vapor coming from the tailpipes, on and off. Could this be remnants of the seafoam?

PS: I plan on getting compression tests done if take it to the mechanic but I don't want to waste money. I also figured out I have a small manifold leak which is actually cool since I need to install my headers anyways.

 

For 4th gen v8's the rpm range can be around 800 or slightly higher at idle....for a v6 I thought it was around 550 or 600?

 

Could it be the manifold leak then? :/

 

It wouldn't be a steady rpm...I had a manifold leak and it created a spurratic rpm fluctuation it was never smooth. Mine jumped rapidly a lot between 700 to almost 2000 at times. The engine also had a lot of shake to it.

 

exhaust leak before 02s will mess things up. gives a false lean reading. that could explain some of the rich condition. fouled plugs will also cause idle problems. so far the ngk iridiums work best for me.

 

v6 3.4 is 700- 800rpm idle. wouldnt run very nice at 550.. anything up to 1000 will be ok ill. given the age on the motor. you very well could be in need of a gasket set. how many miles you got on her?