I just finished my basically stock rebuild. This is in a 94 camaro z28 with a 6 speed. The block and rotating assembly, including cam, are from a 95 roadmaster. The heads are stock camaro parts.

The problems I am having is that the car seems to have no power. It will free rev ok, but it won't easily go above 3500 rpms while driving and has no pull what so ever. The odd part is it sounds like a v6 when revved??? This may be the different cam. I can deal with the sound, but I need it to have some power!

Any suggestions?

Thanks for you time,
Ryan

 

i'm going to ask a stupid question. are all 8 cylinders firing?

 

Is there an easy way to test that? It idles smooth and drives smooth, just no power and the sound issue. I guess there is a possibility that all 8 aren't firing. What would be a good way to test that?

Thanks,
Ryan

 

you can usually hear it. if not pull the plugs out and see if they are soaked with gas.
Have you checked you cat? sounds like it could be clogged. does the car overheat?

 

The car doesn't have a cat. It have edelbrock shortys to the stock catback with a flowmaster 1 in, 2 out muffler in the stock location.

I really don't think any of the cyl aren't firing simply because it drives relatively smooth. Just no power. I might try pulling a few plugs and seeing if they are wet at all.

Anything else that might cause this type of an issue?

Edit: The car doesn't really get hot. That said, I haven't driven it a long distance to really heat it up.

 

Let it idle for a few mins

shut off

drip water on each exhaust pipe.

If some are noticably cooler..........walla. No combustion

 

I will try this, but I think all are firing, as I painted the headers before install and all have dulled an equal amount. But as I said, I will try this.

For now, ignore the sound issue. Lets discuss the power issue.

What could cause a car to have absolutely no power and not rev about 3500 rpms?

Ryan

 

Ok, I did the water trick and here are the results:

Cyl 2, 3, 5, and 8 are apparently not firing. (at least by the water method).

My next thought is to pull the plug wire and connect a spare plug to see if it is getting fire from the opti. I think this could be a spark or fuel issue, correct?

Let me know your thoughts,
Ryan

 

it could also be a pressure issue. I would pull the wire and test for spark. You can buy a tool from AutoZone or you can just simply lay the plug on metal so it is grounded and have someone turn the car over. If it sparks, you are probably good. After you check that, get a noid light and check the injectors. If that turns out good, I would verify the rockers aren't too tight.

 

Are you sure you have the wires routed correctly?

 

I agree with 30th!
check the wire routing first, then


rocker arm adjustment

injectors,

 

Alright, the wires are right for sure. They were installed on the engine stand and checked and rechecked then, just to be sure. I will do a simple compression test after I check to see if they are getting spark. Couldn't I also just hook up a timing light to the plug wire to see if they are sparking?

What is a noid light and how do I use it to check the injectors? I'm not going to run out a buy one yet, just curious what it is and how it works.

Thanks again,
Ryan

 

yes you could use a timing light but that really just checks the wires and not the plugs.

a noid light: http://images.google.com/imgres?imgu...3Doff%26sa%3DN

if you are sure the wires are hooked up properly, and you are getting fuel, I bet your rockers are too tight. Pop the valve covers and check to see if the all the rockers look similar. Shoebox has a write up on how to adjust valve lash.
http://shbox.com/1/4th_gen_tech2.html#adjust_valves

 

The cylinders that are not firing all have the injector power supplied by the same fuse in the under hood box.

EDIT - thought this sounded familiar - Why did you start a new thread on the same problem?

https://www.camaroz28.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=620897

 

Honestly, I started a new thread to get you or shbox's attention with a different title. I hope this wasn't the wrong thing to do. I had a feeling that one of you two would know what my problem was right off hand. And you were right. I checked the fuse last night and one was burnt. I will get a new one today and see if the car runs better.

I will try to delete the other thread and I am sorry if I violated any rules.

Thanks for your help and I will update the thread when I get a new fuse.