1983 2.8L v-6

[berniescout]

I know this is a blazer site ( and I do have a *97 blazer) but I have a 83 camaro with a 2.8l v-6 computer carb 2 bbl same as used in the blazer. so here goes the engine question. the car sat fro several years then was givinen to me by my brother. it always ran great but after the non use the following has happened intermittantely it will drop to idle or die when running at about 1500-2000 rpm punch the gas and it usally responds. as it is getting older it happens more often. over the years it has shown several codes. have fixed all. to date the following has been done rebuilt trans, new coil, cap, rotor, plugs, wires, rebuilt dist, egr, rebuilt carb, fuel filter in carb, temp sensor, computer, erg solenoid, mech fuel pump( old one was leaking oil) , o2 sensor, map sensor, new ign module in old dist before replacing dist with rebuilt. to date no change in engine. no vac leaks that i can find, my best guess is fuel delivery problem I do need to check fuel pressure and volume at idle and any engine speed in park or neutral it purrs. only when driving is there a problem any thoughts out there!!! help again i belive this is the same blazer engine used in mid 80's before the 4.3 thanks berniescout (still wish I had my scout 800 or scout II now they were 4x4's if you liked rust )

[Rick Norwood]

Originally Posted by berniescout

I know this is a blazer site ( and I do have a *97 blazer) but I have a 83 camaro with a 2.8l v-6 computer carb 2 bbl same as used in the blazer. so here goes the engine question. the car sat fro several years then was givinen to me by my brother. it always ran great but after the non use the following has happened intermittantely it will drop to idle or die when running at about 1500-2000 rpm punch the gas and it usally responds. as it is getting older it happens more often. over the years it has shown several codes. have fixed all. to date the following has been done rebuilt trans, new coil, cap, rotor, plugs, wires, rebuilt dist, egr, rebuilt carb, fuel filter in carb, temp sensor, computer, erg solenoid, mech fuel pump( old one was leaking oil) , o2 sensor, map sensor, new ign module in old dist before replacing dist with rebuilt. to date no change in engine. no vac leaks that i can find, my best guess is fuel delivery problem I do need to check fuel pressure and volume at idle and any engine speed in park or neutral it purrs. only when driving is there a problem any thoughts out there!!! help again i belive this is the same blazer engine used in mid 80's before the 4.3 thanks berniescout (still wish I had my scout 800 or scout II now they were 4x4's if you liked rust )

You mentioned that you had a Fuel Filter in the Carb. If you are talking about the paper type filter that are approx. 1 inch long and about 3/4 inch in diameter, I can tell you that these filters do not hold much in the way of particles and crap from the fuel system and clog quickly and easily. If my memory serves, there were some of these older models that had a pourous stone type filter inside the carb. In either case, If this filter is anything short of brand new, plan on replacing it every month or so until the tank and system is cleaned out, especially since the car sat for so long. You might also install a larger in-line filter in the fuel line in addition to the In-Carb type. A quick test is to remove the filter for a few minutes and run without a filter, if you notice a difference, you'll have your problem solved once you replace it with a new filter. DO NOT RUN THE ENGINE FOR ANY LENGTH OF TIME WITHOUT A FUEL FILTER. A FEW MINUTES OR A FEW MILES WILL TELL THE STORY. Good luck

[berniescout]

yes, paper filter about 1/2 inch dia 2 inches long clean as a whistle every time i change it thanks for the reply

[Rick Norwood]

Originally Posted by berniescout

yes, paper filter about 1/2 inch dia 2 inches long clean as a whistle every time i change it thanks for the reply

My experience is that they will look clean but they are plugged with fine particles of dirt. Blow through a brand new one, then try it with one that has been in the engine. You should see and feel the difference. As I said, these little filters dont hold much and plug up fast. The dirt is not visible and doesn't shake out when removed from the engine. I have even cut them open looking for the dirt and can't see any, but the filter was plugged. If you haven't replaced it in a month or so, try it. When this happened to an older Chevy truck I had, the filter was the problem.

[berniescout]

thanks, when i test fuel pressure i will run it without a filter and see if it runs any better. any thoughts as to a leak in the intake manifold gasket???? rick do you know which way the filter goes in the carb. should the fuel flow into the center and out throught the paper. ie the open end faces away from the carb. or does the fuel flow from the outside into the center of the filter. ie the open end faces toward the carb. does it matter??? thanks in advance bernie

[Rick Norwood]

Originally Posted by berniescout

thanks, when i test fuel pressure i will run it without a filter and see if it runs any better. any thoughts as to a leak in the intake manifold gasket???? rick do you know which way the filter goes in the carb. should the fuel flow into the center and out throught the paper. ie the open end faces away from the carb. or does the fuel flow from the outside into the center of the filter. ie the open end faces toward the carb. does it matter??? thanks in advance bernie

I'd install it with the open end toward the fuel line so the fuel flows into the center of the filter and out through the paper.

[berniescout]

yea, thats what i think but then I cant see dirt without cutting it open. will try wo filter to see if it helps when i do fuel pump pressure test. i will cut it open first to see if dirty if dirty will try w filter reversed any thoughts on intake manifold vac leak will spray down w carb cleaner to see if any speed changes thanks bernie

[Rick Norwood]

Originally Posted by berniescout

yea, thats what i think but then I cant see dirt without cutting it open. will try wo filter to see if it helps when i do fuel pump pressure test. i will cut it open first to see if dirty if dirty will try w filter reversed any thoughts on intake manifold vac leak will spray down w carb cleaner to see if any speed changes thanks bernie

Once again I'm straining the ol' gray matter but I seem to recall that there was a spring on the carb side of the filter housing that would "push" the filter towards the fuel line and keep the solid end of the filter from blocking the opening in the back of the filter housing and thus allowing the fuel to flow through the filter and into the carb. But I'm old (Dogone near 50) and don't always remember everything exactly, there might not even be a spring on this model.

Again, I would install a larger "Inline" filter between the tank and the fuel pump. I assume that these still had the conventional fuel pump mounted on the side of the block.

As far as an Intake manifold leak, anything is possible. Go to Autozone and borrow the Pressure tester. It looks like a Radiator cap with a small tire pump on it. Attach it to your radiator and pump it up to the pressure rating of the Rad cap and watch to see if the pressure drops. If there are no visible external leaks and the pressure drops, you could have leaking gaskets, either head gaskets or intake manifold gaskets. The test is simple and free.

[berniescout]

straightened out egr and ran seafoam through carb. idle to about 3500 rpm runs strong and not a mis miss starts now at about 3500 to 4000 rpm even in driveway in park ( was at 1500-2000 rpm) now definately thinking fuel delivery will try to test fuel pump today for pressure any thoughts and will post results bernie

[berniescout]

just did fuel pressure test mechanical pump dead headed guage cranking engine 5 1/2 psi "t" in line engine running at idle 2 psi at 4000 rpm 1 psi fuel volume seems ok to me pumping into jar at 4000 rpm no misses pressures seem ok to me have port to thermatic temp sensor on air cleaner plugged. i wonder????

[Rick Norwood]

Originally Posted by berniescout

just did fuel pressure test mechanical pump dead headed guage cranking engine 5 1/2 psi "t" in line engine running at idle 2 psi at 4000 rpm 1 psi fuel volume seems ok to me pumping into jar at 4000 rpm no misses pressures seem ok to me have port to thermatic temp sensor on air cleaner plugged. i wonder????

Was this test performed with or without a fuel filter installed? If it was performed with a filter, was it a brand new one, or the old one? Has your problem been resolved or are you still seeing "Issues"?

[berniescout]

filter was new in oct. when i put on new carb. it has about 50 miles on it since then. i did not pull filter, just "spliced" the line using 5/16 fiting and and hose. didnt get a chance to run it yet. will try to run tomorrow

[berniescout]

this afternoon i pulled the filter and cut it open coated w small flakes or rust it is magnetic. may be enough to starve engine at high speed when she gets to 4000 rpm it dies pump gas fast and it recatches i think it is time get it up in the air and blow out or replace the gas lines and maybe getinto the tank and change the fuel sock if the filter is clogged and so maybe the sock

[Rick Norwood]

Originally Posted by berniescout

this afternoon i pulled the filter and cut it open coated w small flakes or rust it is magnetic. may be enough to starve engine at high speed when she gets to 4000 rpm it dies pump gas fast and it recatches i think it is time get it up in the air and blow out or replace the gas lines and maybe getinto the tank and change the fuel sock if the filter is clogged and so maybe the sock

As I stated previously, these little filters don't hold much and plug up quickly. Do yourself a favor and add a second filter to the fuel line before it hits the carb. if you are seeing debris in the filter large enough to see and capture with a magnet, you've got bigger problems. I have had two vehicles that died or sputtered at high speeds, but would idle fine. The filter was the cause in both cases. A second in line filter solved both vehicles problems!