rattling/growling sound froma stop....

Have you checked your U-joints in the driveshaft? One place to look as a start. Probably old, tired and wiped out on that thing after that mileage. Joe--ASE Certified Parts Specialist & 10th Ann.Club Tech Director '80 Carousel Red Turbo T/A, 27k orig. '79 "Y89" 400/4 speed 10th Ann. T/A, 57k orig '84 Olds 88 Royale Bgm 2 dr, 307 "Rocket" (lol), 143k and still going.... '91 S10 Blazer 4.3Z

"KITT" wrote in news:YqadnaBUsYtPyrrcRVn- snipped-for-privacy@centurytel.net:

Do you have a H-pipe or X-Pipe on your exhaust? If not, one of then will help reduce back pressure, increase horse power (HP) and sound much better.

The X-pipe is the better one of the two, but also is the more diffucult one to install.

I don't know if this is causing the issue your having but this will help your back pressure issue if this is the problem.

-Steve

This will probably sound dumb.. but to have an H or X pipe.. don't you need true dual exhaust? I just have the typical y-pipe to the cat, and a single pipe to the muffler with twin exhaust pipes. I have noticed that I have been going through cats very frequently.. any idea why? I mean I have had the car for more than 6 years now.. and have put on 3 cats. Seems exsessive.

-Geno

1985 Blue Camaro 2.8L w/T-tops (148k and going.. starting to get worried though...) 1988 Blue Firebird Formula 5.0L w/T-tops (For sale for $2,200) Still looking for an '82-'84 T/A w/T-tops for parts from one

I have noticed that I have

---Cooling system, fuel system, mechanical issues. Unless a converter rots out from salt/age from the outside, it will last the life the vehicle in most cases.

If you're replacing converters, you have a problem with the way the car runs. It must be corrected or you'll be changing them forever :).

All of my GM vehicles have the original converters, excepting the '84 Olds, which the dealer replaced under warranty back in '86 or so (and I'll bet one of the reasons I stated above was why...)

Joe--ASE Certified Parts Specialist & 10th Ann.Club Tech Director '80 Carousel Red Turbo T/A, 27k orig. '79 "Y89" 400/4 speed 10th Ann. T/A, 57k orig '84 Olds 88 Royale Bgm 2 dr, 307 "Rocket" (lol), 143k and still going.... '91 S10 Blazer 4.3Z

been going through cats very frequently.. any idea why? I mean I have had the car for more than 6 years now.. and have put on 3 cats. Seems exsessive. ====================================== Stop using cheap gas......... put the good stuff in it.

I know my EGR went out a while ago.. the shop said not to worry about it and just disconnected it... would this have something to do with something? I mean I know it has to do with emissions.. but we dont have testing here... so that wasn't an issue I guess. But to average every 2 years to replace a cat... I thought something had to be wrong. Car is base model.. came with

2.8L, power trunk release, power steering, rear louvers, T-tops, and a casette player. So no A/C for the cooling. Is there a quick way to diagnose this? Or would the shop have to go through an extensive process? A friend of mine said screw it and make it a straight pipe.. what would be wrong with this?

-Geno

1985 Blue Camaro 2.8L w/T-tops (148k and going... getting worried) 1988 Blue Firebird Formula 5.0L w/T-tops (For sale for $2,200) Still looking for an '82-'84 T/A w/T-tops for parts from one

First recommendation:

Get rid of all those guys giving you advice. None of them has a clue. Defeating emission controls is strict ignorance, nothing more. It does nothing for the life of the vehicle. In fact, it generally shortens it. An EGR valve helps things out and makes the engine more efficient in the long haul.

Fix it....that's #1. And do not bypass the converter, it will net you zero and it's a violation of federal law for starters.

First question I would have is when the last time the car saw any maintenance (basic tune up and all filters as a start), and how the mechanical condition is of the engine. If there's a weak cylinder, cooling system issues or fuel issues, this is where to start. The car should pass an emission test with flying colors, this is a very good indication of a good running engine.

A clean running engine is a healthy one for starters.

Joe--ASE Certified Parts Specialist & 10th Ann.Club Tech Director '80 Carousel Red Turbo T/A, 27k orig. '79 "Y89" 400/4 speed 10th Ann. T/A, 57k orig '84 Olds 88 Royale Bgm 2 dr, 307 "Rocket" (lol), 143k and still going.... '91 S10 Blazer 4.3Z

Bull biscuits. A lot of gas comes from the same suppliers in certain areas. New cars costing $30,000 and up can run on regular fuel and hit 200k without a problem. An '85 F body should have no problem with regular fuel.

Fuel quality is more a quotient of keeping your system clean (changing the filter regularly), getting gas from a high volume (moves a lot) station and not running the dang thing low all the time. LOL.

Joe--ASE Certified Parts Specialist & 10th Ann.Club Tech Director '80 Carousel Red Turbo T/A, 27k orig. '79 "Y89" 400/4 speed 10th Ann. T/A, 57k orig '84 Olds 88 Royale Bgm 2 dr, 307 "Rocket" (lol), 143k and still going.... '91 S10 Blazer 4.3Z

Lol.. problem one.. solved.. :) Any idea what the whole EGR assembly would cost? How hard is it to swap out? Can I do it myself? My shop manual is with my 'Bird so I don't have it in front of me.

It was given a full tuneup a little over a year ago.. Denniss's brother works at a shop near me. Didn't seem to think anything was wrong with it then. But no idea if it would pass a test. I have noticed that it started sending out a burst of smoke at start up... and it was starting to burn a little oil. Lots of things all of a sudden went wrong with it.. alternator went out, started doing this rattling, started burning oil, etc. I'm just afraid the car is on its last legs or something... Which bugs me cause it was treated fairly well.. it was BABIED the first 62k form the original owners, and the first 20k or so I had it.. then I started driving it a little rougher.. but have been doing a fairly decent upkeep on it.... In fact am going to replace the rear shocks this week....

Now come to think about it... In November I had some bastard fill my gas tank FULL of red either koolaid or christmas sugar... had it towed and they ended up replacing the tank, filter, pump, and cleaned the injectors.

-Geno

1985 Blue Camaro 2.8L w/T-tops (148k and going... getting worried) 1988 Blue Firebird Formula 5.0L w/T-tops (For sale for $2,200) Still looking for an '82-'84 T/A w/T-tops for parts from one

The puff of smoke on startup is bad valve stem seals, common on any Chevy produced/designed motor. Not worth fixing until the motor really needs rebuilding.

The EGR valve should be under $100 (if the valve is bad) and is two 13mm nuts/bolts on most GMs and very easy to do. Get a Delco OEM valve.

Joe--ASE Certified Parts Specialist & 10th Ann.Club Tech Director '80 Carousel Red Turbo T/A, 27k orig. '79 "Y89" 400/4 speed 10th Ann. T/A, 57k orig '84 Olds 88 Royale Bgm 2 dr, 307 "Rocket" (lol), 143k and still going.... '91 S10 Blazer 4.3Z

And don't forget to get a locking gas cap! :)

lol.. bought the gas cap the day it came back from the shop :) But the shop guy said he thinks the selionoid on the EGR was shot too? All I know is that it trips the check engine light after a few miles and stays on till I shut it off... he said not to worry about it.. probably cause that shop has gotten over 6 grand this year from my families cars.. annd know's from the house fire, we are really taped out and doesn't want to add to the bill if he doesn't have to. Really nice guy though... even if this is the guy that said my starter on the 'Bird was just fine and I ended up spending 3 weeks and another $200 trying to find ot the prob when it WAS the starter.. lol

-Geno

1985 Blue Camaro 2.8L w/T-tops (148k and going... getting worried) 1988 Blue Firebird Formula 5.0L w/T-tops (For sale for $2,200) Still looking for an '82-'84 T/A w/T-tops for parts from one

Maybe it's hungry... Feed it more mustangs.!!!

HAHAHAH... Unffortunately arouund here.. my little 6-banger wouldn't touch them.. seeing as they are the new UGLY ones... But oh well... The Mustang eater will be the 'Bird WHEN I get 'er finalized.... Even though I could be collecting Social Security when that happens.. lol

-Geno

1985 Blue Camaro 2.8L w/T-tops (148k and going... getting worried) 1988 Blue Firebird Formula 5.0L w/T-tops (For sale for $2,200) Still looking for an '82-'84 T/A w/T-tops for parts from one

I used to wonder why the old guys had the coolest rides. Now I know why. Too bad I'm now an old guy myself. ACK!

The last time I had a sound like that, I pulled the drums to find that one of the springs for the brake had broken, and the loose piece would catch between the drum and the backing plate, or stick under a shoe. Either that, or maybe the rear brakes don't release fully after a stop (sticking park brake cable), and the shoes drag for awhile once the car starts rolling.

As for the cat problem, I would look to the O2 sensor or EGR valve. The cat uses a platinum catalyst to burn any excess fuel vapors which aren't burned in the engine. Oxygen sensors degrade with mileage, like spark plugs, causing the motor to run richer than normal. The excess fuel can melt the cat. How many miles on the car? A good rule of thumb is replace every 50k miles. A faulty EGR valve or position sensor can contribute to a similar problem. I replaced both on a pickup I bought last year, and gained 4 mpg average, but I suspect the cat is already melted. The thing has great torque, but no balls. Anyway, good luck.

Ken

GM EGR valves don't have position sensors---that's Ford, and they now use a DPFE sensor (Delta Feedback Pressure) sensor. GM uses, if anything a vacuum solenoid, but they seldom go bad.

Geno: Find the root cause of the problem using the steps I gave you in a prior post. Joe--ASE Certified Parts Specialist & 10th Ann.Club Tech Director '80 Carousel Red Turbo T/A, 27k orig. '79 "Y89" 400/4 speed 10th Ann. T/A, 57k orig '84 Olds 88 Royale Bgm 2 dr, 307 "Rocket" (lol), 143k and still going.... '91 S10 Blazer 4.3Z