Deciding what to do with a 95 z28
 

Hi all,
Thanks for your time and consideration first of all.

I got a 95 z28 Camaro on trade with 189xxx km. Had lots of work done to it but runs weird.

Has a weird misfire on idle until to warm temp.
Then also the other day I was driving it and blew a rad hose off. Pulled over and got my truck and trailer brought it home. I reattached the hose and filled it with coolant/water to see if it would work again. Over heated. Pulled the thermostat out and boiled it. It opened and threw it back in.
I have issues not being able to read the ob1 as it has a ob2 connector as I’m sure you’re all aware, I don’t have a laptop so I can’t use that program.

kinda stuck with what to do, I believe it’ll need a complete engine refresh as the oil pressure is low when idling.

I also replaced the wheel bearings as it was making a sound when I turned the wheels. It still makes the noise, this car is driving me insane. I want to love it so bad but seems to be riddled with issues, I’m not into it for very much.

Ls swaps seem like a major pain due to the ob1 and lt1 engine in there.

Any ideas why it’s still overheating? I checked the oil it’s clean, no white smoke etc. it was driving ok prior once warmed up, put roughly 1000km on it but now the heat seems to be an issue so I’m thinking possible head gasket? I tried to bleed the coolant system with the screw on the hose etc.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/camarof...a367dbe22.jpeg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/camarof...4a0d0838b.jpeg

gotta bleed the air out of the lt1. it will boil over every time if you dont. check here https://camaroforums.com/forum/lt1-l...-system-66742/

I tried this but not on a hill, only bled once. I’ll do it again I hope it’s ok overall I wouldn’t mind finishing the season with it then dropping the engine and trans to figure out my next steps.

go here, click how to, then click #24 4th Gen LT1 F-Body Tech Aids

have you changed spark plugs yet,,, lol its so fun. when I changed mine first time I swear the rear passenger side plug was original plug. it was so unhappy. lol. first time changing plugs took two days.... plug wires is even more fun...

I have not, suppose to have been done by previous owner. I have paperwork for parts but no labour. Hard to say.

As I’m not sure what’s wrong with this one, I’m working on buying possibly a 6 speed lt1 firebird to drop the transmission, k member and engine. Rebuild the engine and tranny for next summer. Seems easier than doing an actually ls swap because of this dumb pcm thing being ob1.

pull a couple easy plugs and see what they look like. if all black then they is fouling. same with 02 sensors if all black they is fouled. with fouled 02 sensors I have heated them with oxygen acetylene torch and burned off the black buildup. got plenty of extra use to get some new ones and wait for when its time to change.

I’ll give that a try on my days off Thursday, last night I came home and checked it again just because. The res tank went down, so I started it and ran it to warm it up draining the bleeder screw again. The screw drained but the res backed up and fluid went to the top of the cap but never over. But the car over time overheated again. It’s so weird

need to take radiator cap off and fill at radiator. dont use the overflow tank to fill radiator.

The hose blowing off is a either a hose issue or a rad Cap issue. The cap sets the max pressure. I normally pressure test a system 2-3lb above the cap max. Anything that leaks need a repair. You can borrow a pressure tester from most chain type parts store. IMO step one is make sure the head gasket is not blown. You can pull a youtube video on how to check your head gasket with a coolant pressure tester.

You can send out an oil sample to test your oil. It will give you back a basic run down of the condition of your motor. this could show a blown head gasket if it is blown between the cylinder and the oil passage/intake.

Pulling the plugs is always a good idea to see how you fuel system and ignition are work. If you think you have a dead miss one of those hand held temp guns will show you a non-firing or a lean cylinder. If you search there are scan tools out there that will work. finding a fueling/emission issue without a scan tool on a MPFI system is a night mare even for a tech.