1982 CHEVROLET CAMARO check engine light

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

GM – CAMARO 1982-1992 – Repair Guide (Checked by WxMax) 495
Again, rotate the engine, this time
to position the number one cylinder bore
(head surface) up. Turn the crankshaft until the number one piston is at the
bottom of its travel, this should allow t he maximum access to its connecting rod.
Remove the number one co nnecting rods fasteners and cap and place two
lengths of rubber hose over the rod bolts/studs to protect the crankshaft from
damage. Using a sturdy wooden dowel and a hammer, push the connecting rod
up about 1 in. (25mm) from the cranks haft and remove the upper bearing insert.
Continue pushing or tapping the connecti ng rod up until the piston rings are out
of the cylinder bore. Remove the piston and rod by hand, put the upper half of
the bearing insert back into the rod, in stall the cap with its bearing insert
installed, and hand-tighten the cap fasteners. If the parts are kept in order in this
manner, they will not get lost and you wil l be able to tell which bearings came
form what cylinder if any problems are discovered and diagnosis is necessary.
Remove all the other piston assemblie s in the same manner. On V-style
engines, remove all of the pistons from one bank, then reposition the engine
with the other cylinder bank head surface up, and remo ve that banks piston
assemblies.
The only remaining component in the engine block should now be the
crankshaft. Loosen the main bearing ca ps evenly until the fasteners can be
turned by hand, then remove them and the caps. Remove the crankshaft fro\
m
the engine block. Thoroughly clea n all of the components.
INSPECTION
Now that the engine block and all of its components ar e clean, it's time to
inspect them for wear and/or damage. To accurately inspect them, you will need
some specialized tools:
• Two or three separate micromet ers to measure the pistons and
crankshaft journals
• A dial indicator
• Telescoping gauges for the cylinder bores
• A rod alignment fixture to check for bent connecting rods
If you do not have access to the proper tools, you may want to bring the
components to a shop that does.
Generally, you shouldn't expect cracks in the engine block or its components
unless it was known to leak, consume or mix engine fluids, it was severely
overheated, or there was ev idence of bad bearings and/or crankshaft damage.
A visual inspection should be performed on all of the components, 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. M agnaflux is used only on ferrous metal
(cast iron). Zyglo uses a spray on fluoresce nt mixture along with a black light to
reveal the cracks. It is strongly recommended to have your engine block
checked professionally for cracks, especia lly if the engine was known to have
overheated and/or leaked or consumed coolant. Contact a local shop for
availability and pricing of these services.

GM – CAMARO 1982-1992 – Repair Guide (Checked by WxMax) 496
ENGINE BLOCK
ENGINE BLOCK BEARING ALIGNMENT
Remove the main bearing caps and, if sti
ll installed, the main bearing inserts.
Inspect all of the main bearing saddles and caps for damage, burrs or high
spots. If damage is found, and it is caused from a spun main bearing, the block
will need to be align-bored or, if severe enough, replacement. Any burrs or high
spots should be carefully removed with a metal file.
Place a straightedge on the bearing saddles, in the engine block, along the
centerline of the crankshaft. If any cl earance exists between the straightedge
and the saddles, the block must be align-bored.
Align-boring consists of machining th e main bearing saddles and caps by
means of a flycutter that runs through the bearing saddles.
DECK FLATNESS
The top of the engine blo ck where the cylinder head m ounts is called the deck.
Insure that the deck surface is clean of dirt, carbon deposits and old gasket
material. Place a straightedge across the surface of the deck along its
centerline and, using feeler gauges, check the clearance along several points.
Repeat the checking procedure with th e straightedge placed along both
diagonals of the deck surface. If the reading 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 deck, it must be machined.
CYLINDER BORES
The cylinder bores house the pistons and are slightly larger than the pistons
themselves. A common piston-to-bor e clearance is 0.0015-0.0025 in.
(0.0381mm-0.0635mm). Inspect and measur e the cylinder bores. The bore
should be checked for out-of-roundness, t aper and size. The results of this
inspection will determine w hether the cylinder can be us ed in its existing size
and condition, or a rebore to the next oversize is required (or in the case of
removable sleeves, have replacements installed).

GM – CAMARO 1982-1992 – Repair Guide (Checked by WxMax) 498
3. Measure the gauge with the microm
eter and record the reading.
4. Again, hold the gauge square in t he bore, this time parallel to the
crankshaft centerline, and ge ntly tighten the lock. Again, you will tilt the
gauge back to remove it from the bore.
5. Measure the gaug e with the micrometer and record this reading. The
difference between these two readings is the out-of-round measurement
of the cylinder.
6. Repeat steps 1 through 5, each time going to the next lower position,
until you reach the bottom of the cyli nder. Then go to the next cylinder,
and continue until all of the cylinders have been measured.
The difference between these measurements will tell you all about the wear in
your cylinders. The measurements whic h were taken 90 degrees from the
crankshaft centerline will always reflect t he most wear. That is because at this
position is where the engine power presses the piston against the cylinder bore
the hardest. This is known as thrust wear. Take your top, 90 degree
measurement and compare it to your bottom, 90 degree measurement. The
difference between them is the taper. W hen you measure your pistons, you will
compare these readings to your pist on sizes and determine piston-to-wall
clearance.
CRANKSHAFT
Inspect the crankshaft for visible signs of wear or damage. All of the journals
should be perfectly round and smooth. Slight scores are normal for a used
crankshaft, but you should hardly feel them with your fingernail. When
measuring the crankshaft wit h a micrometer, you will take readings at the front
and rear of each journal, then turn t he micrometer 90 degrees and take two
more readings, front and rear. The differ ence between the front-to-rear readings
is the journal taper and the first-to -90 degree reading is the out-of-round
measurement. Generally, there should be no taper or out-of-roundness found,
however, up to 0.0005 in. (0.0127mm) fo r either can be overlooked. Also, the
readings should fall within the factory s pecifications for journal diameters.
If the crankshaft journals fall within specif ications, it is recommended that it be
polished before being returned to service. Polishing the crankshaft insures that
any minor burrs or high spots are smoot hed, thereby reducing the chance of
scoring the new bearings.
PISTONS AND CONNECTING RODS
PISTONS
The piston should be visually inspect ed for any signs of cracking or burning
(caused by hot spots or detonation), and scuffing or excessive wear on the
skirts. The wristpin attaches the piston to the connecting rod. The piston should
move freely on the wrist pin, both sliding and pivoting. Grasp the connecting rod
securely, or mount it in a vise, and tr y to rock the piston back and forth along
the centerline of t he wristpin. There should not be any excessive play evident
between the piston and the pin. If there are C-clips retaining the pin in the piston