
GM – CAMARO 1982-1992 – Repair Guide (Checked by WxMax) 443
Ensure that oil holes are properly al
igned. Replace camshaft rear plug, and
stake it into position to aid retention.
INSPECTION
CAMSHAFT LOBE LIFT
Check the lift of each lobe in consecutiv e order and make a note of the reading.
1. Remove the fresh air inlet tube a nd the air cleaner. Remove the heater
hose and crankcase ventilation hoses. Remove valve rocker arm
cover(s).
2. Remove the rocker arm stud nut or fulcrum bolts, fulcrum seat and rocker
arm.
3. Make sure the pushrod is in the valve tappet socket. Install a dial indicator so that the actuating poin t of the indicator is in the pushrod
socket (or the indicator ball socket adapter tool is on the end of the
pushrod) and in the same plane as the pushrod movement.
4. Disable the ignition and fuel systems.
5. Install a remote starter switch. Crank the engine with the ignition and fuel
system disabled. Turn the crankshaft ov er until the tappet is on the base
circle of the camshaft lobe. At this position, the pushrod will be in its
lowest position.
6. Zero the dial indicator. Continue to rotate the crankshaft slowly until the
pushrod is in the fully raised position.
7. Compare the total lift recorded on the dial indicator with the specification
shown on the Camshaft Specification chart.
To check the accuracy of the original in dicator reading, continue to rotate the
crankshaft until the indicator reads zero. If the lift on any lobe is below specified
wear limits listed, the ca mshaft and the valve tappet operating on the worn
lobe(s) must be replaced.
8. Install the rocker arm, fulcrum seat and stud nut or fulcrum bolts. Adjust
the valves, if required (r efer to the valves procedure in this section).
9. Install the valve rocker arm cover(s) and the air cleaner.
CAMSHAFT END PLAY
On all gasoline V8 engi nes, prying against the aluminum-nylon camshaft
sprocket, with the valve train load on t he camshaft, can break or damage the
sprocket. Therefore, the rocker arm adj usting nuts must be backed off, or the
rocker arm and shaft assembly must be loosened sufficiently to free the
camshaft. After checking the camshaft e nd play, check the valve clearance.
Adjust if required (refer to procedure in this section).
1. Push the camshaft toward the rear of the engine. Install a dial indicator or
equivalent so that the indicator point is on the camshaft sprocket
attaching screw.

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) 468
7. Compare your hot oil pressure reading
to that given in the chart. If the
reading is low, check the cold pressu re reading against the chart. If the
cold pressure is well above the spec ification, and the hot reading was
lower than the specificat ion, you may have the wr ong viscosity oil in the
engine. Change the oil, making sure to use the proper grade and
quantity, then repeat the test.
Low oil pressure readings could be attributed to internal component wear, pump
related problems, a low oil leve l, or oil viscosity that is too low. High oil pressure
readings could be caused by an overfilled crankcase, too high of an oil viscosity
or a faulty pressure relief valve.
BUY OR REBUILD?
Now that you have determined that your engine is worn out, you must make
some decisions. The question of whether or not an engine is worth rebuilding is
largely a subjective matter and one of per sonal worth. Is the engine a popular
one, or is it an obsolete model? Are parts available? Will it get acceptable gas
mileage once it is rebuilt? Is the car it's being put into worth keeping? Would it
be less expensive to buy a new engine, have your engine rebuilt by a pro,
rebuild it yourself or buy a used engine from a salvage yard? Or would it be
simpler and less expensive to buy another car? If you have considered all these
matters and more, and have still decided to r ebuild the engine, then it is time to
decide how you will rebuild it.
The editors of this information feel that most engine machining should be
performed by a professional machine shop. Don't think of it as wasting money,
rather, as an assurance that the job has been done right the first time. There
are many expensive and spec ialized tools required to perform such tasks as
boring and honing an engine block or having a valve job done on a cylinder
head. Even inspecting the parts requires expensive micrometers and gauges to
properly measure wear and clearances. Al so, a machine shop can deliver to
you clean, and ready to assemble parts, saving you time and aggravation. Your
maximum savings will come from perf orming the removal, disassembly,
assembly and installation of the engine and purchasing or renting only the tools
required to perform the above tasks. Depending on the particular
circumstances, you may save 40 to 60 perc ent of the cost doing these yourself.
A complete rebuild or overhaul of an engine involves replacing all of the moving
parts (pistons, rods, crankshaft, camsha ft, etc.) with new ones and machining
the non-moving wearing surfaces of t he block and heads. Unfortunately, this
may not be cost effective. For instanc e, your crankshaft may have been
damaged or worn, but it can be machined undersize for a minimal fee.
So, as you can see, you can replace ev erything inside the engine, but, it is
wiser to replace only those parts whic h are really needed, and, if possible,
repair the more expensive ones. Later in this section, we will break the engine
down into its two main components: t he cylinder head and the engine block. We
will discuss each component, and the re commended parts to replace during a
rebuild on each.

GM – CAMARO 1982-1992 – Repair Guide (Checked by WxMax) 493
Fig. 1: Place rubber hose over the connecting rod studs to protect the
crankshaft and cylinde r bores from damage
WARNING - Take special care when pushi ng the connecting rod up from the
crankshaft because the sharp threads of the rod bolts/studs will score the
crankshaft journal. Insure that special pl astic caps are installed over them, or
cut two pieces of rubber hose to do the same.

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) 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) 512
5. Make sure the ring gaps are pr
operly spaced around the circumference
of the piston. Fit a piston ring co mpressor around the piston and slide the
piston and connecting rod assembly do wn into the cylinder bore, pushing
it in with the wooden hammer handle. Pu sh the piston down until it is only
slightly below the top of the cylinder bore. Guide the connecting rod onto
the crankshaft bearing journal carefully, to avoid damaging the
crankshaft.
6. Check the bearing clearance of all the rod bearings, fitting them to the
crankshaft bearing journals. Follow the procedure in the crankshaft
installation above.
7. After the bearings have been fitted, apply a light coating of assembly oil
to the journals and bearings.
8. Turn the crankshaft until the appropria te bearing journal is at the bottom
of its stroke, then push the piston a ssembly all the way down until the
connecting rod bearing seat s on the crankshaft journal. Be careful not to
allow the bearing cap screws to stri ke the crankshaft bearing journals
and damage them.
9. After the piston and connecting rod assemblies have been installed, check the connecting rod side clearance on each crankshaft journal.
10. Prime and install t he oil pump and the oil pump intake tube.
CAMSHAFT, LIFTERS AND TIMING ASSEMBLY 1. Install the camshaft.
2. Install the lifters/followers into their bores.
3. Install the timing gears/chain assembly.
CYLINDER HEAD(S) 1. Install the cylinder head(s) using new gaskets.
2. Assemble the rest of the valve tr ain (pushrods and rocker arms and/or
shafts).
ENGINE COVERS AND COMPONENTS
Install the timing cover(s) and oil pan. Re fer to your notes and drawings made
prior to disassembly and install all of the components that were removed. Install
the engine into the vehicle.
ENGINE START-UP AND BREAK-IN
STARTING THE ENGINE
Now that the engine is inst alled and every wire and hose is properly connected,
go back and double check that all cool ant and vacuum hoses are connected.
Check that you oil drain plug is instal led and properly tightened. If not already
done, install a new oil filt er onto the engine. Fill the crankcase with the proper
amount and grade of engine oil. Fill the cooling system with a 50/50 mixture of
coolant/water.

GM – CAMARO 1982-1992 – Repair Guide (Checked by WxMax) 513
1. Connect the vehicle battery.
2. Start the engine. Keep y
our eye on your oil pressure indicator; if it does
not indicate oil pressure within 10 se conds of starting, turn the vehicle
off.
WARNING - Damage to the engine can result if it is allowed to run with no oil
pressure. Check the engine oil level to make sure that it is full. Check for any
leaks and if found, repair the leaks be fore continuing. If there is still no
indication of oil pressure, y ou may need to prime the system.
3. Confirm that there are no fluid leaks (oil or other).
4. Allow the engine to reach nor mal operating temperature (the upper
radiator hose will be hot to the touch).
5. If necessary, set the ignition timing.
6. Install any remaining components such as the air cleaner (if removed for
ignition timing) or body panels which were removed.
BREAKING IT IN
Make the first miles on the new engine , easy ones. Vary the speed but do not
accelerate hard. Most importantly, do not lug the engine, and avoid sustained
high speeds until at least 100 miles. Ch eck the engine oil and coolant levels
frequently. Expect the engine to use a littl e oil until the rings seat. Change the
oil and filter at 500 miles, 1500 mile s, then every 3000 miles past that.
KEEP IT MAINTAINED
Now that you have just gone through all of that hard work, keep yourself from
doing it all over again by thoroughly maintaining it. Not that you may not have
maintained it before, heck you c ould have had one to two hundred thousand
miles on it before doing this. However, you may have bought the vehicle used,
and the previous owner did not keep up on maintenance. Which is why you just
went through all of that hard work. See?