Thread: 78 camaro z28 stalling

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hey! i have been trying to get my sons 350 chevy small block to run and stay running. it will idle great and has good responce but as soon as i put it into gear it will stall out. i turned up the idle but it still stalls out when i put it into drive or reverse. the top end is all edlebrock and the carb was cleaned. i believe the engine # is 3970010. it appears that the previous owner changed the oringinal steering column and moved the auto shifter to the floor. there is a rod hanging down near the brake master cyl. that appears to be for the oringinal column shift. also the transmission passing or kickdown cable isnt connected to the throttle. not sure if this could be the problem. his car is a true 78 z28. 350cc automatic w/posi 10 bolt rear end. also it has run this way since we bought it. thanks!

first remove the rod hanging down , it seems to me that your converter is locked up from what you have said, when you put it in any gear it is like dumping the clutch at an idle, the kick down cable is not really needed , you can down shift manually , the shifter may not be putting the transmission shifting lever in the right place too. check the torque converter, it also may not have enough stall for the cam you are running , again ... like dumping the clutch, hope this helps you , be safe

how do i check the converter ? do i need to drop the tranny? thanks!

I would try jacking the rear end and placing it on secure stands, then try placing it in gear at idle. If the converter is locked, it should spin the tires freely and not stall. If it starts to spin and then stalls, maybe remove the rear wheels and try again.

Another thing you might want to check, (and this is way out there), but just maybe your distributor is wired in such a way so as to supply power only when in park.

thanks,
so what your saying is that i want to see the tires moving while its at idle? or is it supposed to be still while at idle?
also i failed to mention that i can start the car in park, and in gear. i'm not sure what the previous owner did to it. or if that has anything to do with my problem.
one more thing i have been looking for another torque converter but i have no idea what to get. what stall speed is best? do i have to know the specs on my cam? thanks again!

the neutral safety switch not working wont cause this problem, but i would fix it if possible so as to not be accidently starting the car in gear...... the wheels should turn when its jacked up regardless of locked up or not, but if it doesn't stall then it is possible that the converter is locked..... also check your fluid level and make sure its right.......should check it while engine is running car in neutral... if you dont know your cam specs then its hard to tell what speed converter you need, but if its a stock to mild cam you can get away with a stock converter, if its a little more lopey of a cam, you might want to step up a little more on the stall speed

first of all i noticed that my thread appears to have been moved? anyway here is the update.
i jacked up the rear end and started it , put it into gear and the rear tires turned, engine did not stall. stepped down on the brakes and the engine got kinda bogged down but still did not stall. let it warm up some and took it off the jack. tried to back up and the engine acted like it was under stress and stalled out.
i did a compression test and this is what i found out #1cyl=180lbs #3=90lbs #5=150lbs #7=170lbs. #2=180lbs #4=130lbs #6=60lbs (yes 60) & #8=85lbs a few months ago i had messed around with the rockers and thought i knew what i was doing i dont know if that would mess up the compression? also there was some oil around the threads on the spark plugs that showed low compression. what do you guys think? do i need to rebuild? or read up some more on adjusting the valves. thanks!

first i would check the valves, you might have valves too tight on a coupla cylinders which would leave them hanging open when the motor should be making compression....if you've got some old valve covers you can cut the tops off of, you could do a hot adjust on the valves and try and get them to where it'll be just right.... have her running, just do one side at a time to reduce mess.... have her running and loosen each valve til it starts clattering then tighten it up a little bit, just to where the clattering stops and give it another half turn.... if she runs better after the valve adjustments, then i think you'll be happier than spending money on a rebuild

Yes, like what thesals said, adjust your valves. You can do it by another method. Take your pick.

Ok, when looking at the engine bay from the front of the car, the cylinders on the right (driver’s side) are numbered as follows. The most forward is 1, then 3 then 5 and then 7. On the left ( passenger side) the most forward piston is 2, then 4, then 6 and then 8.

Turn the engine with the plugs removed (if you can rotate it without removing them, then that is fine) but do not rotate with the starter, just in case you already have a few valves adjusted too tight.
Firing order is 18436572

Valve adjustment should be done in such a manner so as the rocker just barely snugs up with the push rod, then add half a turn. The push rod should still turn freely after the adjustment is done, so DO NOT tighten the rockers! You should feel a slight difference in resistence when rotating the push rod before from after the adjustment is made.
Rotate the engine and watch for the #1 exhaust valve to open half way, then adjust the intake valve on #1 and the exhaust valve on #6.

Next, rotate engine so that the #8 exhaust valves opens half way, then adjust the intake valve on #8 and the exhaust valve on #5.

Next, rotate engine so that the #4 exhaust valves opens half way, then adjust the intake valve on #4 and the exhaust valve on #7.

Next, rotate engine so that the #3 exhaust valves opens half way, then adjust the intake valve on #3 and the exhaust valve on #2.

Next, rotate engine so that the #6 exhaust valves opens half way, then adjust the intake valve on #6 and the exhaust valve on #1.

Next, rotate engine so that the #5 exhaust valves opens half way, then adjust the intake valve on #5 and the exhaust valve on #8.

Next, rotate engine so that the #7 exhaust valves opens half way, then adjust the intake valve on #7 and the exhaust valve on #4.

Next, rotate engine so that the #2 exhaust valves opens half way, then adjust the intake valve on #2 and the exhaust valve on #3.

Hi

Sounds a bit like what was happening to my car. It was stalling when I put it into gear and increasing the idle didn't make a bit of difference and couldn't find any vacuum leaks to the carb. My dad suggested I adjust the timing. Advanced it a bit, and now the car will stay running when I put it in gear. I hardly know anything about engines, so don't know if that could be the problem with yours, but just incase I can help....

thanks for all the help!

when i adjust the lifters (with the engine running) on the 2,4,6,8 cyl i can hear the rocker tapping real good on cyl 2,4 but when i adjust the 6,8 you can barely if at all hear the tapping sound. and i loosened it up practally all the way off. i rechecked the compression on that side and there was very little difference. i pulled the push rods to see if they were bent and they looked good. also i noticed that the 2,4 cyl you can really see a difference in the valve spring compressing compared to the 4,8 cyl where they werent really compressing forcefully. also how do i tell which is the exhaust valve and intake valve ? i will try to adjust them the manual way. thanks again!!

All sbc's from front to rear E I I E E I I E.

worn cam lobes or collapsed lifters could cause the valves not to open up all the way..... but wouldn't cause bad compression, bent valves, could cause the valve not to open all the way but at the same time not seal well either.... try a cylinder leakdown test, get an air fitting that screws into your spark plug holes.... bring the cylinder you want to check to TDC, screw in fitting, hook up to compressor, if you hear air coming out the exhaust or intake and you are for sure at TDC, you probably have bent valves, if you hear air at your filler cap, its rings, if you get bubbles at the radiator cap, its a blown headgasket, or less likey, an eaten thru cylinder wall

hi i'm back i got talked into changing wheel hubs and ball joints on a f150 thanks to 42" mudders on it .anyway i did a cyl. leakdown test on # 6 cyl. i brought the piston to tdc (both valves were even) and hooked my compression tester up (took out the valve stem) then i unplugged the guage and hooked up my air hose and i could hear air but couldnt figure out where it was comming fron. i took off the fill cap and i could actually feel air comming out the fill hole. does that sound like rings? i didnt check the other cyl. yet . i will check one of the cyl with 180psi and see what happens.
i will probably rebuild the motor. does it matter with hp if i go .30 over or 60 over? i mean if i go 60 over will it make much difference in horsepower. i have the 202 heads. can somebody point me in the right direction as to what parts to get. thanks. 350sb 4 bolt main with edelbrock 4 barrel carb, and intake.thanks.

yup that would most likely be ring failure.... i'd reccomend .030 over not .060 over..... the thinner the walls get the bigger chance of blowin your motor....luckily a 350 is the most inexpensive motor to do a rebuild on..... how much power are you looking to get? stock, a little extra, a ton, or just flat out too much?