The back story:
, I bought a basket case 93 camaro a few weeks ago. The kid selling it told me that he had put a crate engine in 4 years earlier, went off to college, then came back and drove it 3k miles. The car wouldn't start and he said it wasn't getting spark. He also thought it was a 3.1 and not a 3.4l.
I did confirm that it was a 3.4. The block looked pretty clean and even if it wasn't a crate, the car only had 110k on the odometer. I figured for $750 it was a safe bet.
current:
I finally got to tear into her over the weekend. Turns out the problem was the flexplate which was completely broken. It wasn't turning the crank when trying to start. Replaced the flexplate with a junkyard donor and she started right up!!! I also got close and personal with the block and everything looks almost brand new which leads me to believe it really is a crate 3.4l.
Now the worrying part:
While pulling the trans, I noticed that all of the trans bolts were loose. The main didn't look scratched up which is a relief. The engine sounded strong, actually a lot stronger than I thought it should.
However, there's other little things that are half assed. This is leading me to believe that the kid did the original swap and not a mechanic. Once I pull the engine, I plan to go over everything to be safe.
And the question:
I kind of doubt the kid would have taken the time to replace the cam to one that works with FI. Would a crate engine even run correctly if the crate cam is in it? If so, would it just run poorly, and or could it cause engine damage? I found the emissions test from last July in the glove box and it did pass with all the #'s in the middle of the range.
, I bought a basket case 93 camaro a few weeks ago. The kid selling it told me that he had put a crate engine in 4 years earlier, went off to college, then came back and drove it 3k miles. The car wouldn't start and he said it wasn't getting spark. He also thought it was a 3.1 and not a 3.4l.
I did confirm that it was a 3.4. The block looked pretty clean and even if it wasn't a crate, the car only had 110k on the odometer. I figured for $750 it was a safe bet.
current:
I finally got to tear into her over the weekend. Turns out the problem was the flexplate which was completely broken. It wasn't turning the crank when trying to start. Replaced the flexplate with a junkyard donor and she started right up!!! I also got close and personal with the block and everything looks almost brand new which leads me to believe it really is a crate 3.4l.
Now the worrying part:
While pulling the trans, I noticed that all of the trans bolts were loose. The main didn't look scratched up which is a relief. The engine sounded strong, actually a lot stronger than I thought it should.
However, there's other little things that are half assed. This is leading me to believe that the kid did the original swap and not a mechanic. Once I pull the engine, I plan to go over everything to be safe.
And the question:
I kind of doubt the kid would have taken the time to replace the cam to one that works with FI. Would a crate engine even run correctly if the crate cam is in it? If so, would it just run poorly, and or could it cause engine damage? I found the emissions test from last July in the glove box and it did pass with all the #'s in the middle of the range.
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