questions before i buy a 93 camaro rs

[Kipp]

i found a guy that has a 1993 camaro rs, 5 speed 3.4 v6 that i checked out earlier today. clutch felt good and grabbed, the engine had power and felt okay. suspension checked out fine. brand new tires. no exhaust leaks. body has zero rust and only has clear coat peel and a small dent that can be popped out.

my concerns are....

i noticed thick oil in the coolant. and i mean thick. i know gm engines are notorious for lower intake gasket leaks, but wow can it cause the coolant to get that bad if neglected? i checked the oil, and the oil definitely needs changed, but had no evidence of coolant in it.

second i noticed the car has a vacuum leak somewhere, and i noticed an engine light show up as well. i didnt pull the code, but when i drove it, the code would only come on when it was sitting at idle. but when i went to take off and drive, it goes away.

also when the car heated up, i would step on the gas to rev it somewhat at an idle, and it was like the engine did nothing and wanted to stall, unless i eased the gas in. then it would rev. and the car would stumble and feel like it would die

i went to shut the car off and pulled the dipstick, and there was blow by coming from the dipstick.

from my understanding, blow by in the crank case is caused either by bad piston rings, or a fault in the pcv system right? so im hoping the blow by is being caused by the vacuum leak POSSIBLY in the pcv system. because at an idle vacuum is high and flow is low, and when going vacuum is low and flow is high. so with the vacuum leaking at an idle, the gases are not venting. and when driving the gases are venting like normal.

could this be the case? i dont want to drop 1000 dollars into a car that has bad piston rings.

[Kipp]

so....no body has any idea? 30 views and no replies...

[Kipp]

well, already bought it. thanks for everyone who replied, i can definitely say i learned alot. you guys are a huge help....

that was sarcasm apparently. and apparently i need to sign up for a different forum site that has more active members that reply to threads instead of viewing and ignoring.

[robertisaar]

in my case, i viewed, but had nothing to offer since i'm also casually looking around for a 93-95 3.4/manual F-body and was also hoping for some insight.

[Kipp]

I understand. And I meant no offence to anyone. Its just a tad bit frustrating seeing how many people has viewed it but not a single person had offered anything for advice.

[robertisaar]

my advice: figure out what that code is before messing with anything else. it will possibly solve at least two of your issues(crappy throttle response and potential vacuum leak).

if i had to guess...... i'd look at the TPS or maybe MAP sensor acting badly. but without data, it's hard to tell.

[pocket-rocket]

My advice, wait longer than 16 hours before getting pissed off at everyone.

[Kipp]

my advice: figure out what that code is before messing with anything else. it will possibly solve at least two of your issues(crappy throttle response and potential vacuum leak).

if i had to guess...... i'd look at the TPS or maybe MAP sensor acting badly. but without data, it's hard to tell.

Thanks for the imput

I tried to pull codes earlier today, and when I grounded the connection the engine light stayed lit, and didn't flash like I figured it would. I grounded it for a good 15 seconds at least. So I started the car up, wated for the check engine light to come on (because it only comes on at an idle, and goes away when I step on the gas to start moving) then shut the car off, and tried to pull codes again. Still no flashing.

Curious why it would be doing that? Id really like to get that code.

[Kipp]

My advice, wait longer than 16 hours before getting pissed off at everyone.

That's some pretty good input, ill remember that.

I'm subscribed to several online forums, and I'm usually able to get replies within several hours. Let alone 16.

[pocket-rocket]

That's some pretty good input, ill remember that.

I'm subscribed to several online forums, and I'm usually able to get replies within several hours. Let alone 16.

Well, to get upset on a forum that members don't usually check in every 24 hrs even is just plain dumb. If you are a member on several forums, you might want to polish your forum etiquette. As a forum member you would know that 30 view count includes unregistered guests unable to post.

As for the car, you made a great buy, if you were looking for a project. If you were going for a daily you just bought a headache. Since the oil is merging with the coolant but not vice versa (since elementary grade science tells us substances at a higher pressure will migrate to areas of lower pressure, like the oil system at 40psi vs the coolant system at 16psi) I would go as far to say it's either a head gasket or cracked head, cracked heads being common on the iron head engines, I believe.

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[robertisaar]

while the pin may be present in the ALDL connector, you can't read out codes that way, it's not in the program to do so, you need a compatible code reader/scanner or ALDL cable.

[Kipp]

As for the car, you made a great buy, if you were looking for a project. If you were going for a daily you just bought a headache. Since the oil is merging with the coolant but not vice versa (since elementary grade science tells us substances at a higher pressure will migrate to areas of lower pressure, like the oil system at 40psi vs the coolant system at 16psi) I would go as far to say it's either a head gasket or cracked head, cracked heads being common on the iron head engines, I believe.

i cant see it being a cracked head or blown head gasket. especially for the heads being made of cast iron. because i always thought iron was stronger than aluminum, and less prone to cracks/warpage. but are more prone to detonation. the car isnt overheating even in the slightest. the temp is well below the half way mark when driving. a cracked head or blown head gasket would make the engine overheat, normally. i believe oil getting into the coolant and not vice versa is being caused by the lower intake gasket being bad. since thats way more common on these engines. i had the same issue with my 93 lumina (oil in coolant) before i tore the upper end down and saw the original rubber LIM gasket thats been there for 230k miles. i figured while i was down there i would replace the head gaskets and have the aluminum heads milled.

[Kipp]

while the pin may be present in the ALDL connector, you can't read out codes that way, it's not in the program to do so, you need a compatible code reader/scanner or ALDL cable.

okay, i was able to pull engine codes like that from my old lumina with the two pins. is the connector different with the camaro or something? because i always thought you could pull engine codes by grounding those two slots out with pins for OBD1 cars. but i guess if i cant i guess ill have to swing by a shop later

[robertisaar]

with earlier stuff, yes, it's doable, but the 93-95 3100/3.4 flash PCM doesn't support it.

[Kipp]

Damn, well I know what im doing today lol.