ESP CHEVROLET CAMARO 1982 Repair Guide

GM – CAMARO 1982-1992 – Repair Guide (Checked by WxMax) 408

Fig. 5: Scraping off the old gasket material
1. Disconnect the negative battery cable.
2. Drain the cooling system.
3. Remove the air intake duct and air cleaner, if necessary.
4. Remove the drive belt(s) and the water pump pulley.
5. Disconnect the heater and radiator hoses from the water pump.
6. Remove the water pump attaching bolts, then remove the pump. Mark
the bolts to their corresponding loca tions for proper installation.
To install: 7. Clean the gasket mating surfaces.
8. Install the water pump with a new gasket.
9. Install the coolant pump and bolts to the front cover using the dowel pins
as a guide.
10. Tighten the bolts to 30 ft lbs. (41 Nm).
11. Connect the heater and radiator hoses to the water pump.
12. Install the water pump pu lley and the drive belt(s).
13. Fill the cooling syst em. Start the engine and check for leaks.
CYLINDER HEAD
REMOVAL & INSTALLATION
CAUTION - Properly relieve the fuel system pressure before disconnecting any
lines.

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Fig. 12: Muffler hanger attachment
ENGINE RECONDITIONING DETE RMINING ENGINE CONDITION
Anything that generates heat and/or friction will eventually burn or wear out (i.e.
a light bulb generates heat, therefore its life span is limited). With this in mind, a
running engine generates trem endous amounts of both; friction is encountered
by the moving and rotating parts inside the engine and heat is created b\
y
friction and combustion of the fuel. Ho wever, the engine has systems designed
to help reduce the effects of heat and fr iction and provide added longevity. The
oiling system reduces the amount of fr iction encountered by the moving parts
inside the engine, while the cooling system reduces heat created by friction and
combustion. If either system is not main tained, a break-down will be inevitable.
Therefore, you can see how regular main tenance can affect the service life of
your vehicle. If you do not drain, flush and refill your cooling system at the
proper intervals, deposits will begin to accumulate in the radiator, thereby
reducing the amount of heat it can extrac t from the coolant. The same applies to
your oil and filter; if it is not changed often enoug h it becomes laden with
contaminates and is unable to properly lubricate the engine. This increases
friction and wear.
There are a number of methods for evaluat ing the condition of your engine. A
compression test can reveal the condition of your pistons, piston rings, cylinder
bores, head gasket(s), valves and valve seat s. An oil pressure test can warn
you of possible engine bearing, or oil pump failures. Excessive oil consumption,
evidence of oil in the engine air intake area and/or bluish smoke from the tail
pipe may indicate worn piston rings, worn valve guides and/or valve seals. As a
general rule, an engine that uses no more than one quart of oil every 1000
miles is in good condi tion. Engines that use one quart of oil or more in less than
1000 miles should first be checked for oil leaks. If any oil leaks are present,
have them fixed before dete rmining how much oil is consumed by the engine,
especially if blue smoke is not visible at the tail pipe.
COMPRESSION TEST
A noticeable lack of engine power, excessive oil consumption and/or poor fuel
mileage measured over an extended period are all indicators of internal engine

GM – CAMARO 1982-1992 – Repair Guide (Checked by WxMax) 467
8. According to the tool manufacture
r's instructions, connect a remote
starting switch to the starting circuit.
9. With the ignition switch in the OFF position, use the remote starting
switch to crank the engine through at least five compression strokes
(approximately 5 seconds of cranking) and record the highest reading on
the gauge.
10. Repeat the test on each cylinder, cranking the engine approximately the
same number of compression stroke s and/or time as the first.
11. Compare the highest readi ngs from each cylinder to that of the others.
The indicated compression pre ssures are considered within
specifications if the lo west reading cylinder is within 75 percent of the
pressure recorded for the highest readi ng cylinder. For example, if your
highest reading cylinder pressure was 150 psi (1034 kPa), then 75
percent of that would be 113 psi (779 kPa). So the lowest reading
cylinder should be no less than 113 psi (779 kPa).
12. If a cylinder exhibits an unusually low compression reading, pour a
tablespoon of clean engine oil into the cylinder through the spark plug
hole and repeat the compression tes t. If the compression rises after
adding oil, it means that the cylinder's piston rings and/or cylinder bore
are damaged or worn. If the pressure re mains low, the valves may not be
seating properly (a valve job is needed), or the head gasket may be
blown near that cylinder. If compressi on in any two adjacent cylinders is
low, and if the addition of oil doesn' t help raise compression, there is
leakage past the head gasket. Oil and coolant in the combustion
chamber, combined with blue or const ant white smoke from the tail pipe,
are symptoms of this pr oblem. However, don't be alarmed by the normal
white smoke emitted from the tail pipe during engine warm-up or from
cold weather driving. There may be evidence of water droplets on the
engine dipstick and/or oil droplets in the cooling system if a head gasket
is blown.
OIL PRESSURE TEST
Check for proper oil pressu re at the sending unit passage with an externally
mounted mechanical oil pressure gauge (a s opposed to relying on a factory
installed dash-mounted gauge). A tachom eter may also be needed, as some
specifications may require running the engine at a specific rpm.
1. With the engine cold, locate and remo ve the oil pressure sending unit.
2. Following the manufacturer's inst ructions, connect a mechanical oil
pressure gauge and, if necessary, a tachometer to the engine.
3. Start the engine and allow it to idle.
4. Check the oil pressure reading when cold and record the number. You
may need to run the engine at a specified rpm, so check the
specifications chart located earlier in this section.
5. Run the engine until normal operati ng temperature is reached (upper
radiator hose will feel warm).
6. Check the oil pressure reading agai n with the engine hot and record the
number. Turn the engine OFF.

GM – CAMARO 1982-1992 – Repair Guide (Checked by WxMax) 470
•

Never hot tank aluminum parts (the c austic hot tank solution will eat the
aluminum.
• Remove all aluminum parts (identif ication tag, etc.) from engine parts
prior to the tanking.
• Always coat threads lightly with engine oil or anti-seize compounds
before installation, to prevent seizure.
• Never overtighten bolts or spark plugs especially in aluminum threads.
When assembling the engine, any parts that will be exposed to frictional contact
must be prelubed to provide lubricatio n at initial start-up. Any product
specifically formulated for this purpos e can be used, but engine oil is not
recommended as a prelube in most cases.
When semi-permanent (locked, but removabl e) installation of bolts or nuts is
desired, threads should be cleaned and coat ed with Loctite® or another similar,
commercial non-hardening sealant.
CLEANING
Before the engine and its components ar e inspected, they must be thoroughly
cleaned. You will need to remove any eng ine varnish, oil sludge and/or carbon
deposits from all of the com ponents to insure an accurate inspection. A crack in
the engine block or cylinder head can eas ily become overlooked if hidden by a
layer of sludge or carbon.

Fig. 1: Use a gasket scraper to remove t he old gasket material from the mating
surfaces

GM – CAMARO 1982-1992 – Repair Guide (Checked by WxMax) 475

Fig. 9: Screw the insert onto the inst aller tool until the tang engages the slot.
Thread the insert into the hole until it is 1/4-1/2 turn below the top surface, then
remove the tool and break off the tang using a punch
Several methods of repairi ng damaged threads are availa ble. Heli-Coil® (shown
here), Keenserts® and Microdot® are among the most widely used. All involve
basically the same principl e - drilling out stripped thread s, tapping the hole and
installing a prewound insert - making we lding, plugging and oversize fasteners
unnecessary.
Two types of thread repair inserts are us ually supplied: a standard type for most
inch coarse, inch fine, metric course and metric fine thread sizes and a spark
lug type to fit most spark plug port si zes. Consult the individual tool
manufacturer's catalog to determine exac t applications. Typical thread repair
kits will contain a selection of prewoun d threaded inserts, a tap (corresponding
to the outside diameter thr eads of the insert) and an installation tool. Spark plug
inserts usually differ because they requi re a tap equipped with pilot threads and
a combined reamer/tap section. Most ma nufacturers also supply blister-packed
thread repair inserts separately in addition to a master kit containing a variety of
taps and inserts plus installation tools.

GM – CAMARO 1982-1992 – Repair Guide (Checked by WxMax) 477
Most cylinder heads these days are made of
an aluminum alloy due to its light
weight, durability and heat transfer qualit ies. However, cast iron was the
material of choice in the past, and is st ill used on many vehicles today. Whether
made from aluminum or iron, all cylinder heads hav e valves and seats. Some
use two valves per cylinder, while the more hi-tech engines will utilize a multi-
valve configuration using 3, 4 and
even 5 valves per cylinder. When the va lve contacts the seat, it does so on
precision machined surfaces, which seal s the combustion chamber. All cylinder
heads have a valve guide for each valve. The guide centers the valve to the
seat and allows it to move up and down within it. The clearance between the
valve and guide can be critical. Too much clearance and the engine may
consume oil, lose vacuum and/or damage the seat. Too little, and the valve can
stick in the guide causing t he engine to run poorly if at all, and possibly causing
severe damage. The last component all cylinder heads have are valve springs.
The spring holds the valve against its s eat. It also returns the valve to this
position when the valve has been opened by the valve train or camshaft. The
spring is fastened to the valve by a retainer and valve locks (sometime\
s called
keepers). Aluminum heads will also have a valve spring shim to keep the spring
from wearing away the aluminum.
An ideal method of rebuilding the cylin der head would involve replacing all of
the valves, guides, seats, springs, et c. with new ones. However, depending on
how the engine was maintained, often this is not necessary. A major cause of
valve, guide and seat wear is an improperly tuned engine. An engine that is
running too rich, will often wash the lubric ating oil out of the guide with gasoline,
causing it to wear rapidly. Conversely, an engine which is running too lean will
place higher combustion temperatures on the valves and seats allowing them to
wear or even burn. Springs fall victim to the driving habits of the individual. A
driver who often runs the engine rpm to the redline will wear out or break the
springs faster then one that stays well below it. Unfortunately, mileage takes it
toll on all of the parts. G enerally, the valves, guides, springs and seats in a
cylinder head can be machined and re-used, saving you money. However, if a
valve is burnt, it may be wise to replace all of the valves, since they were all
operating in the same environment. The same goes for any other component\
on
the cylinder head. Think of it as an insurance policy against future problems
related to that component.
Unfortunately, the only way to find out wh ich components need replacing, is to
disassemble and carefully check each piece. After the cylinder head(s) are
disassembled, thoroughly clean all of the components.
DISASSEMBLY
Before disassembling the cylinder head, you may want to fabricate some
containers to hold the various parts, as some of them can be quite small (such
as keepers) and easily lost. Also keeping yourself and the components
organized will aid in assembly and reduce confusion. Where possible, try to
maintain a components original location; th is is especially important if there is
not going to be any machine work performed on the components.

GM – CAMARO 1982-1992 – Repair Guide (Checked by WxMax) 482
If you do not have access to the proper
tools, you may want to bring the
components to a shop that does.
VALVES
The first thing to inspect are the valve heads. Look closely at the head, margin
and face for any cracks, excessive wear or burning. The margin is the best
place to look for burning. It should have a squared edge with an even width all
around the diameter. When a valve burns, the margin will look melted and the
edges rounded. Also inspect the valve head for any signs of tulipping. This will
show as a lifting of the edges or dishi ng in the center of the head and will
usually not occur to all of the valves. All of the heads should look the same, any
that seem dished more t han others are probably bad. Next, inspect the valve
lock grooves and valve tips. Check fo r any burrs around the lock grooves,
especially if you had to file them to remove the valve. Valve tips should appear
flat, although slight rounding with high mile age engines is normal. Slightly worn
valve tips will need to be machined flat. Last, measure the valve stem diameter
with the micrometer. Measure the area that rides within the guide, especially
towards the tip where most of the wear occurs. Take several measurements
along its length and compare them to each other. Wear should be even along
the length with little to no taper. If no minimum diameter is given in the
specifications, then the stem should not read more than 0.001 in. (0.025mm)
below the specification. Any valves that fail these inspections should be
replaced.

Fig. 7: Valve stems may be rolled on a flat surface to check for bends

GM – CAMARO 1982-1992 – Repair Guide (Checked by WxMax) 483

Fig. 8: Use a micrometer to check the valve stem diameter
SPRINGS, RETAINERS AND VALVE LOCKS
The first thing to check is the most obv ious, broken springs. Next check the free
length and squareness of each spring. If applicable, insure to distinguish
between intake and exhaust springs. Use a ruler and/or carpenters square to
measure the length. A car penters square should be used to check the springs
for squareness. If a spring pressure test gauge is available, check each springs
rating and compare to the specifications chart. Check the readings against the
specifications given. Any springs that fa il these inspections should be replaced.
The spring retainers rarely need replacing, however they should still be checked
as a precaution. Inspect the spring mating surface and the valve lock re\
tention
area for any signs of excessive wear. Also check for any signs of cracking.
Replace any retainers t hat are questionable.
Valve locks should be inspected for exce ssive wear on the outside contact area
as well as on the inner notched surface. Any locks which appear worn or broken
and its respective valve should be replaced.

GM – CAMARO 1982-1992 – Repair Guide (Checked by WxMax) 487

Fig. 13: Checks should also be made al ong both diagonals of the head surface
Place a straightedge across the gasket surf ace. Using feeler gauges, determine
the clearance at the cent er of the straightedge and across the cylinder head at
several points. Check along the centerli ne and diagonally on the head surface.
If the warpage exceeds 0.003 in. (0.076mm) within a 6.0 in. (15.2cm) span, or
0.006 in. (0.152mm) over the total length of the head, the cylinder head must be
resurfaced. After resurfacing the heads of a V-type engine, the intake manifold
flange surface should be checked, and if necessary, milled proportionally to
allow for the change in its mounting position.
CRACKS AND PHYSICAL DAMAGE
Generally, cracks are limited to the comb ustion chamber, however, it is not
uncommon for the head to crack in a s park plug hole, port, outside of the head
or in the valve spring/rocker arm area. The first area to inspect is always the
hottest: the exhaust seat/port area.
A visual inspection should be perform ed, but just because you don’t see a
crack does not mean it is not there. Some more reliable methods for inspecting
for cracks include Magnaflux, a magnetic process or Zyglo, a dye penetrant.
Magnaflux is used onl y on ferrous metal (cast iron) heads. Zyglo uses a spray
on fluorescent mixture along with a black light to reveal the cracks. It is strongly
recommended to have your cylinder head c hecked professionally for cracks,
especially if the engine was known to have overheated and/or leaked or
consumed coolant. Contact a local shop fo r availability and pricing of these
services.

GM – CAMARO 1982-1992 – Repair Guide (Checked by WxMax) 491
The first step for any assembly job is
to have a clean area in which to work.
Next, thoroughly clean all of the parts and components that are to be
assembled. Finally, place all of the co mponents onto a suitable work space and,
if necessary, arrange the parts to their respective positions.
1. Lightly lubricate the valve stems and insert all of the valves into the
cylinder head. If possible, maintain their original locations.
2. If equipped, install any valve spring shims which were removed.
3. If equipped, install the new valve seal s, keeping the following in mind:
• If the valve seal presses over the guide, lightly lubricate the outer
guide surfaces.
• If the seal is an O-ring type, it is installed just after compressing
the spring but before the valve locks.
4. Place the valve spring and retainer over the stem.
5. Position the spring compressor tool and compress the spring.
6. Assemble the valv e locks to the stem.
7. Relieve the spring pressure slowly and insure that neither valve lock
becomes dislodged by the retainer.
8. Remove the spring compressor tool.
9. Repeat Steps 2 through 8 until all of the springs have been installed.
ENGINE BLOCK
GENERAL INFORMATION
A thorough overhaul or rebuild of an engine block would include replacing the
pistons, rings, bearings, timing belt/chai n assembly and oil pump. For OHV
engines also include a new camshaft and lifters. The block would then have the
cylinders bored and honed oversize (or if using removable cylinder sleeves,
new sleeves installed) and the cranksha ft would be cut undersize to provide
new wearing surfaces and per fect clearances. However, your particular engine
may not have everything worn out. What if only the piston rings have worn out
and the clearances on everything else are still within factory specifications?
Well, you could just replace the rings and put it back together, but this would be
a very rare example. Chances are, if one component in your engine is worn,
other components are sure to follow, and soon. At the very least, you should
always replace the rings, bearings and oil pump. This is what is commonly
called a "freshen up".
CYLINDER RIDGE REMOVAL
Because the top piston ring does not travel to the very top of the cylinder, a
ridge is built up between the end of the trav el and the top of the cylinder bore.
Pushing the piston and connecting rod assembly past the ridge can be difficult,
and damage to the piston ring lands could occur. If the ridge is not removed
before installing a new piston or not re moved at all, piston ring breakage and
piston damage may occur.