hey everyone first off im new to this stuff so try not to drill me too bad. So I just bought a 95 z28 and it is havin all kinds of problems. here is a list of problems:
0 oil pressure

overheats in about 3-5 min and i took the thermostat out and it is still doin it.

running really rough and sounds like its misfiring and yesterday i tried starting it and it wouldnt stay running i have to keep in the gas to get it to keep running.

i bought all new oil, filter, plugs, and wires for it and im gonna do that today and see how it runs. any help or advise would be very helpful. thank you.

 

0 oil pressure could be from anything in the gauge circut: gauge, wiring, sensor. The sensor is behind the intake manifold. It would not hurt to check the oil pressure with a mechanical gauge. An alternate place to attach one is here.

If it really has no oil pressure, running the engine will just cause more damage to bearings.

 

its only at 0 at operating temp. when its cold outside and the engine is cold the oil pressure is right in the middle on the gauge.

 

if thats the case then it sounds like you just bought a car that needs at least a new oil pump. If it has been run much with 0 oil pressure then it probably needs to be rebuilt.

 

do you have any ideas on how much that would set me back? i plan on swappin in either a 383 stroker or ls1. do u think i should just do the swap now or fix the lt1? any ideas with the overheating? im thinkin somethin is blocking the hoses or there is rust inside the radiator.

 

With regard to the "overheating":

-what coolant temperature does the dash gauge indicate?
-are the fans running, when the coolant temperature exceeds 226*F (that's the stock programming for the low speed fan operation)?
-have you checked the coolant for rust or sludge?
-have you checked the coolant level?
-did you bleed the air out of the system, using the correct procedure?
-are you sure the dash coolant temp gauge is correct?
-have you scanned the PCM for codes?
-have you checked to radiator cap, to be sure its holding the correct pressure?
-hve you checked the coolant for oil, possibly indicating a blown head gasket?

 

If theres coolant in your oil that could have wiped out the bearings and that would cause your oil pressure to go away.

 

the temp gauge climbs and i have seen it get over 260 about 280.
yes the fans are running.
i can see rust on the inside of the radiator
i think the radiator is leaking or its going somewhere cause i filled it about 2-3 days ago and yesterday it was low.
no i didnt bleed the air out. how do u do that correctly?
no i havent scanned it. if i can get it running decent today midas is doing free scans.
no i havent checked the cap. dont u need a special tool for that?
no but cant u check the oil to see if its got coolant in it?

 

this is not sounding good.

 

If you pull the dipstick out and it looks milky, it has oil in it.

Since the cooling system wasn't bled, fill the radiator to the top and see if goes down again, after the engine runs a bit.

 

Find the leak and fix it before you start worrying about how to bleed the air out. You're just going to get more air in it.

Any auto shop or parts store should be able to test your radiator cap with a pressure tester.

When a head gasket blows, it might be between the combustion chamber and a coolant passage. Your going to get hydrocarbons in the coolant.

 

well i changed the oil and it wasnt milky but it was very thin. i put 10w30 in it and checked the spark plugs and wires and everything was good. i started it up and it seemed to be running fine but then overheated again so i shut it off and smelled the exhaust pipe and i could smell the coolant burning. it had a really sweet smell to it.

 

Your oil pressure is vanishing into what used to be a head gasket. Pull the heads, have a machine shop check them for cracks, install new gaskets. Problem should be solved. Sorry to hear about this

 

yah i called the guy i bought it from and he said he didnt know about any of the problems and he will help with them.

 

Replacing the head gasket will have not fix the oil pressure problem.