305 TBI, First Time Firing - NJFBOA - Home of New Jersey's Camaros and Firebirds

Untamed · 08-13-2006, 04:25 PM

Hey guys, got the 305 TBI fired up on my 88TA today. Everything seemed ok, however I noticed a few things that may or may not be taken care of after the timing is set and I put it through the heat cycle.

1. I buried the needle up over 60 PSI on the oil guage when I revved it to 2500 RPMs. Is this normal? When it idled at 700 RPMs the guage dropped down to 30 PSI. Does that seem right? The engine then chugga-chugged between 500 - 750 RPMs, but I think that will be fixed with timing.

2. How important is the engine temp sending unit? I know it sends the readings to the guage cluster, but is it really that important for the engine to run? I noticed I did -not- have my SES light on, despite the temp sending unit not being hooked up. Should the SES light be on? Just wondering if I need to replace the bulb in the dash or not.

3. I put fresh gasoline in the engine, but couldnt pull the old gas out. I tried syphoning but couldnt seem to get the hose all the way down to the gas. There was less than a half a tank of old gas in there. If I dropped some dry gas in there before the heat cycle, would that be ok for it? Is old gas really that bad? It's been through two winters without running, so I'm sure theres some amount of moisture in there. Won't be too bad right?

Thats all I could think of for now. Thanks for the help.

WayFast84 · 08-13-2006, 04:42 PM

My car had ten year old gas and oil in it and it ran fine for a few days, then spark plugs and a oil change and it was runing PERFECT I even peeled out with a lg4!!

Tru2Chevy · 08-13-2006, 05:07 PM

Be happy that you have that oil pressure - that's a good thing

As far as the gas goes, I would add a bit of dry gas to the tank, and also grab 5 gallons of fresh gas to add to it. That won't be perfect, but it will help.

- Justin

HardcoreZ28 · 08-13-2006, 05:27 PM

That oil pressure is a good thing. I believe the CTS missing on your car is just for the guage and won't show an idiot light or thrown the SES light. Did the electric fan turn on when the car got to a certain temp? As long as it did then you're ok for now.
Not certain but I may be able to take a ride down and time it for you tomorrow or tuesay night if you want.

Untamed · 08-13-2006, 06:26 PM

That would rock! Monday is probably better as they are calling for scattered thunderstorms on Tuesday. YOu can also check the fan for me, because I didn't thnk to check it myself, doh! I did get the wire back into the temp sending unit for the fan, so it -should- be hooked up.

EDIT: I can get there a little before 6pm Paul. What time is best on Monday?

chrisfrom nj · 08-14-2006, 08:21 PM

dave congradulations you finally got the ta running

calhoon · 08-15-2006, 12:02 AM

Dave,
I got that same engine and it does the same thing with the oil pressure. Except it only drops down to 30 once it comes up to temp.

As for the fan, good luck. It's a pain in the ass. I'd be glad to help any way I can if you need it.

Untamed · 08-15-2006, 02:02 PM

Thanks guys. I'll know more about what else needs to be done after Wednesday. Hopefully all systems are a go. If not, I'll post the next set of questions on Wednesday night.

Pampered-Z · 08-15-2006, 03:49 PM

Been a few years, but I think the temp 'switch' in the drivers side head is for the dash gauge. The sensor in the intake is for the ECM to monitor temp and turn on the fans. You can also jump the relay in the engine compartment to verify that the fans actually work ( swtiching on the AC should also turn the fan on ).

I have Diacom software on my laptop and I'll be at the Nats Sunday or next week if you want to scan the car and make sure all the sensors are working just let me know.

John

NJSPEEDER · 08-15-2006, 05:18 PM

there are two CTS sending units in TBI cars. one on the intake, that is for the gauge, and one on the drivers side head for the computer.
as long as the CTS for the computer is hooked up you are all good. if it is bad or not connected, it will put the computer off a little on your timing/fuel tables.
the stock fan switch is on the passenger side head and a real PITA to get to when the wire falls off.

Pampered-Z · 08-16-2006, 02:04 PM

See that's why Tim is the TBI master, and I'm just a rookie!

Untamed · 08-16-2006, 02:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NJSPEEDER

the stock fan switch is on the passenger side head and a real PITA to get to when the wire falls off.

Not too bad as long as the car is jacked up, the passenger exhaust pipe is out of the way, the starter wires are disconnected and the knock sensor is out of the way.

That's all. Easy.

I bought the replacement plastic boot for the fan wire, off the harness, from a Pontiac dealership. Raped me for $18 just for this litle plastic piece of crap. For $18 I popped the new boot on there and plugged it into the sending unit. Seems way too much money for that.

Now I gotta see if the fan actually comes on.

Untamed · 08-16-2006, 08:15 PM

Ok, timing was set. Engine sounds great. Fan comes on and there doesn't appear to be any liquid leaks. Oil pressure at idle was almost 40psi. I tested the transmission, putting the car in drive and reverse, and it responded well. Power brakes worked well. I was too chicken to drive it home though. Thats the good news.

Only two problems remain: my attempt at reconnecting the exhaust pipes to the manifolds failed on the passenger side apparently. I kinda like the sound of the leaky exhaust, however the cops probably won't. So gotta reseat the exhaust pipe.

Secondly, the pulley in front of the power steering fluid box isn't completely seated correctly. As a result the serp belt is starting to slip off the pulley. I'm not sure if the internal threads are stripped or not, so might have to just bang away at the thing with a hammer (after disassembling everything else in front of it). Any suggestions so I dont have to whack the thing with a hammer?

Thanks.