Decisions, decisions.

"Boneyard Rendezvous" (BoneyardRendezvous)
08/05/2013 at 21:58 • Filed to: None

I think I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place. In a flash flood/electrical storm.

A little backstory is needed, I think, so you know where I'm at. I have a '96 Camaro. Its a v6. Bone stock. I bought the car from the first owner (elderly gent) when the car had just over 30k miles. I used this car extensively for road trips, usually from North Carolina to Iowa and back, or NC to Atlanta. I did a few trips to Texas, and one to Washington state. It now has 180k plus, and it runs like absolute garbage. So badly that I probably put 50 miles on it in the last 3 years.

I like to think I know some things about cars. I can usually fix just about anything that goes wrong. But this is beyond anything I can comprehend. It started with a slight misfire on cylinder 6. It was completely drivable, except if I really got on the gas, it misfired a couple times before it got on a roll. I did the usual plugs, wires, injector flush to see if that straightened it up, but no dice. I swapped around coil packs to see if that would make the misfire change cylinders. Not any better. Tried an ignition module, and then replaced the injector.

I ended up taking it to a shop for a compression test. they said number 6 was not getting the pressure that it should, and it was probably a burned valve. This is a mom and pop kinda place, and they have never done me wrong before. They said they could pull the heads and get them rebuilt in a couple weeks, so I gave them the thumbs up and just drove around in my work truck. About a month later, I swing by, and my camaro is sitting out back, and the shop owner said the valve definitely was bad, had both heads worked, and got them back on the car. While the engine was out, he replaced the timing, waterpump, radiator, rear main seal, and exhaust manifold gaskets. I knew about all this in advance, I knew it needed to be done, and this seemed like the best time to get it done. Except now the car wanted to idle at 3 grand. He was not sure why, and he checked all the vacuum lines, etc. Purrs like a kitten at 3 grand. FML. He recommends another shop, a place that has equipment he does not. I dont have a problem with that. This guy put a couple engines in for my sister, a transmission for my old man, and some stuff for me, and hes usually spot on for what he can and cant do.

I trailer it across town to the next place, they knew the story because the first shop had already borrowed a couple scanners to try and diagnose this idle issue. First they say its the throttle body, so I give in and get one. Still no better. They then insist that its the engine computer. By this time, they have had the car for more than a few months, and I'm pretty impatient, so I said whatever gets it fixed. So they get the reman computer, and it idles where it should, but if I give it any throttle, it stumbles and misfires (we think). By this point, I'm slightly irate, and I trailer my car home. I got out of any large bills from the second place mainly because they just wanted to throw parts at it until it worked, and I called them out on it.

I'm pretty pissed at this point, so it gets parked out back under a car cover and a tarp. I dig it out in the spring, and take it to the last place I wanted to go. A dealership. UG. But they have a dozen old crusty guys that know just about anything, and I've been without this car for over a year. The shop foreman was pretty "meh" over the idea that my car is a demon-child of GM, and is confident that his guys can fix it easily. Its now August. I was there for an hour, answering questions about this now legendary car that nobody can fix. I had probably 7 guys asking me what was done, by whom, and when. They have all had their tries at this car, and it has everybody stumped.

Compression check is perfect. Computer throws codes if you unplug stuff. But if you give it any hint of throttle, it stumbles like a drunk. But it does not throw a misfire code. Pull an ignition wire, you get a misfire code. FML. I think its timing. They think it needs an exorcist. They want to pull the motor and toss in a crate or a used one just to be done with it. If I'm gonna go that route, I'd rather just pull the one I have and rebuild it. OR I could pull it and put in a smallblock. It would kill my mileage, but then again, I dont roadtrip like that anymore. I also have an S10 that has a smallblock with crappy mileage, so I dont really want another.

TL;DR- I dont know what to do with my busted engine Camaro. Drag it home and pull the motor? Swap in a used one? Swap in a smallblock? Sell it and put the money toward a beige camry?

Heres a pic from when she used to run. Please excuse the potatoephone pic and cropping. I was using it as an avatar and I cant find the original.

DISCUSSION (9)

Decay buys too many beaters > Boneyard Rendezvous
08/05/2013 at 22:10

I say if you have the ability, swap in a small block. Better than letting it rot.

Bandit > Boneyard Rendezvous
08/05/2013 at 22:11

Wow, thats extremely clean! You could also go out and pull the V6 out of a junk yard car, I'm sure theres not a huge call for those V6 engines and you should be able to get one pretty inexpensively.

dsigned001 - O.R.C. hunter > Bandit
08/05/2013 at 22:29

I don't remember what all bolts up to what, but the GM has so much parts swapping going on with their engines that the 4.3s can actually make pretty good power with the right tweaks/parts swaps. I'm not saying that's what I'd do, just that it could be done.

slomaro > Boneyard Rendezvous
08/05/2013 at 22:47

Sounds like surgery one way or the other. Just a question of how much money you want to throw at a car worth $2k. I have a 94 and think about this not infrequently.

matthewklein220 > Boneyard Rendezvous
08/05/2013 at 23:44

Just go to a junkyard and pull an LS motor out of a '99 and call it good!

BeaterGT > Boneyard Rendezvous
08/05/2013 at 23:50

Why would you throw that much money at a V6 -__-? You could have gotten a junkyard motor with less miles. I would get rid of it unless you're a masochist and enjoy money pits.

dsigned001 - O.R.C. hunter > Boneyard Rendezvous
08/06/2013 at 14:33

There is a big gap between demon Camaro and beige Camry. See how you figure as far as selling running vs. not. If it's worth having them put a used motor in it, do that. If not, start over. There are too many good cars out there to bother with one that's not.

Let it go, look at your budget and decide what to get.

I hoon, therefore I am > Boneyard Rendezvous
08/06/2013 at 19:18

Wow, for all that time and effort, you could've done an LS swap. And you'd have probably not lost much in terms of mpg- I know guys making 500 at the crank pulling down low-20s on the highway through a T56.

A Gearhead > Boneyard Rendezvous
08/06/2013 at 20:11

There's only so much that can go wrong there, you just have the wrong people looking at it. I work at a dealer, and I promise, there are many old guys at dealerships that couldn't diag their way out of a wet paper bag.