my cousin has a 1987 z28 camaro with the 350 tpi in it. Well it runs doggy and has no power at all, it also overheats really badly. We replaced the water pump radiator spark plugs wire cap rotor took it out for a spin well it didn't have power what so ever.... We pulled over popped the hood and the exhaust manifolds were glowing cherry red we called up my friend to come tow it decided driving it at that point in time was not an option unless we wanted to make things worse then they already are...
What would you guys think the problem is with this car?
We are thinking about taking the heads off replacing the head gaskets check the pistons and stuff make sure we didn't mess anything up, thinking about converting it to carburetor...
It is extremely lean or extremely rich. Both will make the exhaust manifolds glow red. Since you say it is overheating also, I'd guess it to be very lean.
Check your fuel pressures and make sure the timing is correct.
What would you guys think the problem is with this car?
We are thinking about taking the heads off replacing the head gaskets check the pistons and stuff make sure we didn't mess anything up, thinking about converting it to carburetor...
New motor? Did you adjust the valves too tight? I saw a guy one time adjust his valves like he had hydraulic lifters but they were solids. Exhaust glowed red!
Lack of power and glowing exhaust is almost always caused by the timing being retarded. Check/set the timing.
The next possible cause would be a major vacuum leak causing an extreme lean condition. Check that ALL vacuum lines from the carb, TPI (this is what you say it has), intake manifold, etc. are connected at both ends and are in good condition.
If you timed it with the vacuum line still on the distributor this can cause this problem. I seen guys that set total timing by reving the engine that forget to remove the vacuum line and cherry red headers everytime.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Hot Rod Forum
2.2M posts
175.6K members
Since 2001
A forum community dedicated to hot rod owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about restoration, builds, performance, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more!