1982 CHEVROLET CAMARO check oil

GM – CAMARO 1982-1992 – Repair Guide (Checked by WxMax) 492
It is always recommended that you remo
ve any cylinder ridges before removing
the piston and connecting rod assemblies . If you know that new pistons are
going to be installed and the engine bl ock will be bored oversize, you may be
able to forego this step. However, some ridges may actually prevent the
assemblies from being remove d, necessitating its removal.
There are several different types of ridge reamers on the market, none of which
are inexpensive. Unless a great deal of engine rebuild ing is anticipated, borrow
or rent a reamer.
1. Turn the crankshaft until the piston is at the bottom of its travel.
2. Cover the head of the piston with a rag.
3. Follow the tool manufacturers in structions and cut away the ridge,
exercising extreme care to avoid cutting too deeply.
4. Remove the ridge reamer, the r ag and as many of the cuttings as
possible. Continue until all of the cylinder ridges have been removed.
DISASSEMBLY
The engine disassembly instructions fo llowing assume that you have the engine
mounted on an engine stand. If not, it is easiest to disassemble the engine on a
bench or the floor with it resting on t he bellhousing or transmission mounting
surface. You must be able to access the connecting rod fasteners and turn the
crankshaft during disassembly. Also, all en gine covers (timing, front, side, oil
pan, whatever) should have already been removed. Engines which are seized
or locked up may not be able to be co mpletely disassembled, and a core
(salvage yard) engine should be purchased.
If not done during the cylinder head removal, remove the pushrods and li\
fters,
keeping them in order for assembly. Remove the timing gears and/or timing
chain assembly, then remove the oil pu mp drive assembly and withdraw the
camshaft from the engine block. Remove the oil pick-up and pump assembly. If
equipped, remove any balanc e or auxiliary shafts. If necessary, remove the
cylinder ridge from the top of the bore. See the cylinder ridge removal
procedure earlier in this section.
Rotate the engine over so that the cr ankshaft is exposed. Use a number punch
or scribe and mark each connecting rod wit h its respective cylinder number. The
cylinder closest to the front of t he engine is always number 1. However,
depending on the engine placemen t, the front of the engine could either be the
flywheel or damper/pulley end. Generally the front of the engine faces the front
of the vehicle. Use a number punch or scribe and also mark the main bearing
caps from front to rear wit h the front most cap being nu mber 1 (if there are five
caps, mark them 1 through 5, front to rear).

GM – CAMARO 1982-1992 – Repair Guide (Checked by WxMax) 499
then you have wrist pin bushings in the rods. There should not be any
excessive play between the wrist pin
and the rod bushing. Normal clearance for
the wrist pin is approx. 0.001-0.002 in. (0.025mm-0.051mm).

Fig. 4: Measure the piston's outer diam eter, perpendicular to the wrist pin, with
a micrometer
Use a micrometer and measure the diamet er of the piston, perpendicular to the
wrist pin, on the skirt. Com pare the reading to its original cylinder measurement
obtained earlier. The diffe rence between the two readings is the piston-to-wall
clearance. If the clearance is within specif ications, the piston may be used as is.
If the piston is out of specification, but the bore is not, you will need a new
piston. If both are out of specificati on, you will need the cylinder rebored and
oversize pistons installed. Generally if two or more pistons/bores are out of
specification, it is best to rebore the entire block and purchase a complete set of
oversize pistons.
CONNECTING ROD
You should have the connecting rod chec ked for straightness at a machine
shop. If the connecting rod is bent, it will unevenly wear the bearing and piston,
as well as place greater stress on these components. Any bent or twisted
connecting rods must be replaced. If the rods are straight and the wrist pin
clearance is within specifications, t hen only the bearing end of the rod need be
checked. Place the connecting rod into a vi ce, with the bearing inserts in place,
install the cap to the rod and torque t he fasteners to specifications. Use a
telescoping gauge and carefully measure t he inside diameter of the bearings.
Compare this reading to the rods or iginal crankshaft journal diameter
measurement. The difference is the oil clearance. If the oil clearance is not

GM – CAMARO 1982-1992 – Repair Guide (Checked by WxMax) 500
within specifications, install new bear
ings in the rod and take another
measurement. If the clearance is still out of specifications, and the crankshaft is
not, the rod will need to be reconditioned by a machine shop.
You can also use Plastigage to check the bearing clearances. The assembling
section has complete instructions on its use.
CAMSHAFT
Inspect the camshaft and lifters/followers as described earlier in this section.
BEARINGS
All of the engine bearings should be visua lly inspected for wear and/or damage.
The bearing should look evenly worn a ll around with no deep scores or pits. If
the bearing is severely worn, scored, pi tted or heat blued, then the bearing, and
the components that use it, should be brought to a machine shop for inspection.
Full-circle bearings (used on most camshafts, auxiliary shafts, balance shafts,
etc.) require specialized tools for re moval and installation, and should be
brought to a machine shop for service.
OIL PUMP
The oil pump is responsible for provid ing constant lubrication to the whole
engine and so it is re commended that a new oil pump be installed when
rebuilding the engine.
Completely disassemble the oil pump and thoroughly clean all of the
components. Inspect the oil pump gears and housing for wear and/or damage.
Insure that the pressure relief valve oper ates properly and there is no binding or
sticking due to varnish or debris. If all of the parts are in proper working
condition, lubricate the gears and relie f valve, and assemble the pump.
REFINISHING
Almost all engine block refinishing must be performed by a machine shop. If the
cylinders are not to be rebored, then t he cylinder glaze can be removed with a
ball hone. When removing cylinder glaz e with a ball hone, use a light or
penetrating type oil to lubricate the hone. Do not allow the hone to run dry as
this may cause excessive scoring of t he cylinder bores and wear on the hone. If
new pistons are required, t hey will need to be installed to the connecting rods.
This should be performed by a machine shop as the pistons must be installed in
the correct relationship to the rod or engine damage can occur.

GM – CAMARO 1982-1992 – Repair Guide (Checked by WxMax) 503
Mount the engine block into the engine
stand and wash it one last time using
water and detergent (dishwashing deter gent works well). While washing it,
scrub the cylinder bores with a soft bristl e brush and thoroughly clean all of the
oil passages. Completely dry the engin e and spray the entire assembly down
with an anti-rust solution such as WD-40 or similar product. Take a clean lint-
free rag and wipe up any excess anti-rust solution from the bores, bearing
saddles, etc. Repeat the final cleaning process on the crankshaft. Replace any
freeze or oil galley plugs which we re removed during disassembly.
CRANKSHAFT 1. Remove the main bearing inserts from the block and bearing caps.
2. If the crankshaft main bearing journal s have been refinished to a definite
undersize, install the correct undersize bearing. Be sure that the bearing
inserts and bearing bores are clean. Fo reign material under inserts will
distort bearing and cause failure.
3. Place the upper main bearing inse rts in bores with tang in slot.
The oil holes in the beari ng inserts must be aligned with the oil holes in the
cylinder block.
4. Install the lower main bearing inserts in bearing caps.
5. Clean the mating surfaces of block and rear main bearing cap.
6. Carefully lower the crankshaft into place. Be careful not to damage
bearing surfaces.
7. Check the clearance of each main bearing by using the following
procedure: a. Place a piece of Plastigage® or its equivalent, on bearing surface
across full width of bearing cap and about
1/4 in. off center.

GM – CAMARO 1982-1992 – Repair Guide (Checked by WxMax) 505
b. Install cap and tighten bolts to spec
ifications. Do not turn crankshaft
while Plastigage® is in place.
c. Remove the cap. Using the supplie d Plastigage® scale, check width of
Plastigage® at widest point to get maximum clearance. Difference
between readings is ta per of journal.

Fig. 8: After the cap is removed again, use the sca le supplied with the gauging
material to check the clearance
d. If clearance exceeds specified lim its, try a 0.001 in. or 0.002 in.
undersize bearing in combination with the standard bearing. Bearing
clearance must be within specified limits. If standard and 0.002 in.
undersize bearing does not bring clearance within desired limits, refinish
crankshaft journal, then inst all undersize bearings.
5. If equipped with a rope or two-piece r ear main seal, Install it now.
6. After the bearings have been fitted, apply a light coat of engine oil to the
journals and bearings. Install the rear main bearing cap. Install all
bearing caps except the thrust bearing cap. Be sure that main bearing
caps are installed in original locati ons. Tighten the bearing cap bolts to
specifications.
7. Install the thrust bearing cap with bolts finger-tight.
8. Pry the crankshaft forward against the thrust surface of upper half of
bearing.
9. Hold the crankshaft forward and pry the thrust bearing cap to the rear.
This aligns the thrust surfaces of both halves of the bearing.
10. Retain the forward pressure on t he crankshaft. Tighten the cap bolts to
specifications.

GM – CAMARO 1982-1992 – Repair Guide (Checked by WxMax) 508

Fig. 11: Install the pistons with the notch facing forward and the oil bearing tang
slots facing the opposite side of the camshaft

Fig. 12: Piston-to-rod relationship; V6 & V8 engines

GM – CAMARO 1982-1992 – Repair Guide (Checked by WxMax) 509
1. Before installing the
piston/connecting rod assembly, oil the pistons,
piston rings and the cylinder walls with light engine oil. Install connecting
rod bolt protectors or rubber hose onto the connecting rod bolts/studs.
Also perform the following: a. Select the proper ring set for the size cylinder bore.
b. Position the ring in the bore in which it is going to be used.
c. Push the ring down into the bor e area where normal ring wear is
not encountered.
d. Use the head of the piston to posi tion the ring in the bore so that
the ring is square with the cyli nder wall. Use caution to avoid
damage to the ring or cylinder bore.
e. Measure the gap betw een the ends of the ring with a feeler gauge.
Ring gap in a worn cylinder is normally greater than specification.
If the ring gap is greater than the specified limits, try an oversize
ring set.

Fig. 13: Checking the piston ring-to-ri ng groove side clearance using the ring
and a feeler gauge

GM – CAMARO 1982-1992 – Repair Guide (Checked by WxMax) 511

Fig. 15: Most rings are marked to show which side of the ring should face up
when installed to the piston
4. Install the rings to the pistons. Inst all the oil control ring first, then the
second compression ring and finally the top compression ring. Use a
piston ring expander tool to aid in installation and to help reduce the
chance of breakage.

Fig. 16: Install the piston and rod assembly into the block using a ring\

compressor and the handle of a hammer