btw, where could i take my car to find out what has been done to it? chevy doesn't seem to be knowledgeable in aftermarket parts and suggested i go to a speed shop. is there a good chain store that can tell me everything i need to know or do i bring it to a dyno or something. i mean they can't tell me if i have a mild cam or not, said that i have an aftermarket maf and filter, but that's it.

 

anything outside ur motor can be visually determined. as for inside, dyno. check your power against what you would expect considering any boltons. but even this isnt really a foolproof method. the only sure way is to tear down the motor and pull that cam out and have it all measured by someone who knows how lol. dont do that. not worth it.

 

ah good idea, i'll take it to a speedshop so they can tell me about the visual stuff and how much hp gain im looking at, get it dynoed and do the math. though it would never tell me exactly what kind of cam i have.

 

and my dad who was laying out the money for the car until i sold my v6 just cut me off. so i now have no money to try and get this thing fixed. awesome/

 

I've never seen a cam give a rough idle but a lopey idle. Rough meaning the rpms change all the time but a cam will usually keep it at a certain idle just hear it "lope" that's my experiance though...

 

larger cams will make it hard for the computer to find the idle. my idle thread is in 4th gen as "car making funny sound! - Help" it really has a rough time finding its idle for a while, and dies on warm startups alot

 

well that's what he told me, that the cars lopey or w/e

 

as long as there's no codes i should pass though right?

 

sometimes the car does feel like its gonna die, but does any of this have to do with not passing inspection like the guy said? i mean if it caused codes then obviously but i didn't think having a mild cam would make them not pass it because it makes my car "lopey"

 

I have an aftermarket maf and have never had any issues on my z. I wouldnt tear the motor down just to see if you had a cam or not. Waste of money. When I use to live in cali a couple years ago I would just pay 150-200 bucks to pass my smog and inspection. I dont know what kind of person you are or the type of integrity you have but If i were in your situation like I have been in the past. You only have a few options without breaking the bank. You can sell the z which sounds like you dont want to do, you can break the motor down and see if its a cam, I would not suggest this or just pay someone for a smog/inspection and worry about how to fix the car later.