drabina

I am interested in a 3rd gen Camaro that's for sale locally. It has less than 100K miles, appears to be all original, t-tops, 5 speed. Unfortunately, it is a V6 but I am looking for a weekend cruiser not a fast car. The problem is that the car has been sitting 4-5 years so I can't start it to test. Even if I connect a new battery, I don't want to start it so I don't push bad gas thru the system. The price sort of reflects the condition but I also understand that I can be buying a car where engine and/or transmission could be bad.

With that said, I have a few questions:

1. How bad is 5 years old gas? Would I need to drop the tank to clean or siphoning or running thru the fuel pump out to a bucket will suffice?
2. What else can I check on a car that I cannot start (besides obvious rust issues)?
3. Would I have a problem with brakes rusted out and wheels locked? I guess I can try to push the car a couple of feet.
4. I know that this will not test the clutch, but would running thru all the gears with the engine off tell me anything or no point if there is no power from the engine applied?

And before you recommend getting something in better condition and/or V8, I don't mind the V6 and don't really have a budget for a nice Z28. The RS models had a 140hp V6 and 160hp V8 so I won't be flying with neither one. Also most of the Z28/IROCs are usually beat or modified after all these years.

tom3

Has the car been garaged for the storage? Might sniff the gas fill neck and see if it smells like gas or some foul stuff. Was the engine running ok when parked? Those V6 motors are noted for rod bearing failure if run hard, or it not run so hard, at high mileage.

drabina

Thanks for replying. The car was sitting outside. Apparently, even it is a t-top, according to the owner, it is not leaking and everything is dry inside. He also says that the car was running when parked 4 or 5 years ago but at the same time, I am wondering if it was parked for a reason. It has 90K so not really a high mileage. 2nd owner. Based on the Carfax, report, it looks like the first owner used the car as a daily and the second owner just as a weekend car.

KITT87

I second the rod bearing failure. I haven’t had to deal with that but I’ve heard it many times. If it’s been sitting for a while, it’ll probably need most of the moving parts replaced. I got my car with 67k miles, and it had a lot of factory original stuff on there. In the last 3 years I’ve replaced the water pump, distributor (twice), trunk motor, U-joints, speedometer cable, the valve cover gaskets (pita), a handful of vacuum hoses, and a lot of more traditional tune up parts.

Shouldn’t be that bad, as long as you know what you’re getting into. I did notworth it though

Pinballer

If you're really worried about possible rod bearing failure or other engine damage, unscrew the oil filter, shake it gently, and dump it out in a pan and look for sparkly things.

The gasoline situation--you can unscrew the feed fuel line up at the motor, attach a hose over it and direct it into something like a gas can, and turn the key on. The pump, if it's any good at all and has power to it, should blow gas right out that line in a big hurry. Doesn't mean it's technically a -good- fuel pump, as it would need to be to be driveable, but even a weak pump will probably get a V6 car to attempt to fire if primed up a couple times. Of course, there are other things that will keep gas from getting into the motor. Lots of them.
Wish you luck!

knightfire

With a T-top car sitting outside for 4-5 years check the entire car for hidden rust with the finest tooth comb you can find.... So you know what you're getting into.
Check the floors, inner / outer rockers, lower firewall, A-pilliars on the side of the windshield, and around the T-Tops for sure.

You can replace a driveline over a weekend, bodywork can take months and months or be terminal.
These cars are famous for leaking water inside, even straight from the factory.
They'll leak on rainy days... They'll leak for many days... and if their not in the mood- they'll even find a way to leak on the hottest sunny days..... In a desert.... on a planet with no water....

Other than that, nothing wrong with a V6, especially when it's a manual.

drabina

Thanks for all the replies. I went to see the car and I did buy it. From what I gathered, the car has been sitting close to a 10 years. Rust-wise, it is not bad at all. Small area on the rear wheel well and patch of rusted metal on the deck lid. Other than that, all appears to be solid. It rained a day or two before I went to see the car and even with the dry rotted weather-stripping, the car was dry inside. No musty smell at all. All carpets and seats were dry including the headliner which just started barely to separate in few places. Haven't tried to start it yet but the car has oil, coolant and brake fluid in it. Gas has no foul smell which I couldn't believe. I had a hard time breaking free the emergency brake which was engaged all those years. Finally it broke free and I was able to move the car few feet out. Brakes will have to be replaced anyway. Surprisingly tires are not dry rotted (they were purchased new just before the car was parked) but have flat spots so they will have to go. Interior, again besides being dirty from sitting and tons of garbage from the previous owner, it is actually in very good condition. Seats have no rips and there are no cracks in plastic parts except the dashboard. Car is located at an apartment complex and I spoke with some neighbors who expressed interest yesterday when I was trying to move the car. They did confirm that the car was sitting for years but also said that it was running before (used by the previous owner). Well, we will see.

I need to get the car towed to my place and try to get it running. So far my approach is:

1. Change the engine oil and filter.
2. Unscrew spark plugs and apply fog oil to the cylinders.
3. Siphon the old gas and put a few gallons of new gas in.
4. Replace the battery.
5. Replace spark plugs and wires.
6. Remove the accessory belt and smooth out some of the pulleys from the surface rust (just for now as I will most likely replace them down the road).
7. Check all the other fluids.
8. Replace air filter and PCV valve.

Anything else you guys would recommend?

KITT87

Not super important but is the car equipped with cruise control? If so, I would look over the entire system for leaks. There’s a vacuum reservoir (“orb of doom”) in the bottom driver’s side of the front bumper that was leaking for months before I found it. The old rubber hose had deteriorated straight off of the orb. I think the reservoir would be in the same place on a Camaro. Again not super important but it does save you a headache in the future if you have a vacuum leak you can’t find.

drabina

Thanks for the heads up. I don't think mine has the cruise control. It is pretty basic with crank windows, manual seats, etc. The only option I saw was the A/C and I believe radio may be a step up from the basic one.

drabina

Well, the car has been sitting about 10 years. Gas doesn't smell bad but I am not sure I want to start it as is.

OrangeBird

iTrader: (1)

Yeah, make goddamned sure the tow truck driver knows about the fragile "air dam" under the radiator, BEFORE he goes puttin the hook to it!

drabina

Is there an easy way to remove it before I get the car towed? I do not have access to a floor jack where the car is currently stored but I may drag mine there if needed. I was actually thinking about all the ground effects and if they are going to be affected by towing.

knightfire

Congrats on your purchase!!
Looking forward to pictures

KITT87

My car is a base so no GFX but I catch my deflector on stuff all the time. I have a craftsman low profile floor jack that won’t clear the deflector, I have to get it up on ramps a bit first. Not sure how that will effect towing, my car has only been loaded on to u-haul car carriers by me and my dad and we’ve never had a problem getting it on.

StratosFear1986

Nice score, I found my 3.1 Firebird after sitting for 20 years and working on getting it running as well a little bit at a time. Buy a factory service manual for the specific year for your car once you get it home.

Looking forward to pics too!

drabina

An update: I did buy the Camaro and last week and had it towed to my place. So far, I did the basics (fogged the cylinders), changed oil and filter and hand cranked the engine. It does spin. Gas gauge shows half a tank but when I put the rubber hose in, all I get is some rust and white residue on the hose but no actual gas. Not sure if the hose gets blocked somehow or there is no gas at all. Will have to drop the tank to clean. Unfortunately, the two days of spring we had in the middle of the winter are gone so this will have to wait for a warmer weather.