fordication

Hey guys. Not my first Camaro so I have a question. My last one was sold in 2001 and I remember the raw power of the car. My 2002 which is pretty much new does not have that power. In fact when I first drove it a few months ago it was fast, now not so much. I cannot even make it spin the tires anymore. The car seems to be running ok and I am using good gas but it just has no get up and go. It is fast on the highway but I have to the put the pedal all of the way to the ground to get that power. What am I missing? 2002 Camaro Z28 with 7K miles on it. Automatic and stock. Any ideas what I need to do would be great. The car was stored for nearly all of those 16 years.

98CayenneT/A

First thing I would do is put a fuel pressure gauge on it and also change the fuel filter.

fordication

That sounds like a plan. Should I have disconnected the battery after I installed an K&N filter. I forgot to mention that. Reset the computer and all?

98CayenneT/A

Negative

jaxcam02

iTrader: (1)

I would just do a complete tune up, fuel system flush, spark plugs, fuel filter change after the fuel system cleanse.

fordication

That sounds like the plan. I wanted to do the plugs anyways but with such low mileage I did not know if it would be a waste of money.

ss.slp.ls1

iTrader: (36)

You mentioned installing a K&N filter, did you just do that recently? If so, you may have over oiled it and it may have contaminated your MAF and/or front 02's. I would clean out the inside of your MAF sensor with MAF cleaner or brake cleaner.

I would also test your fuel pressure as stated above. You'll want to test the fuel pressure under load.

Lastly, I have no idea if plugs can go bad from sitting. 7k miles is nothing, but like you said, the plugs are 16 years old.

fordication

No. I did not oil the filter. It came that way from the factory. I have not tested the fuel pressure but on occasion when I go to start the car it does not start the first time I turn the key which is a classic sign that the fuel pressure is low. I want to get E3 Plugs so changing the factory ones does not bother me. I will be flushing the lines and changing the filter as well as running cleaner thru the tank just to make sure. Now to remember where the hell that filter is. I vaguely remember but not for sure.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

The factory plugs do not go bad from sitting, they should not need to be changed at that mileage on a stock car (evident by the fact the car had proper power when you first drove it - storage doesn't hurt plugs in the least.) If you had a misfire code (P0300 + P030x) in addition to the power issues, then I would suggest looking at the plugs as a first step (is the SES light on?) But this doesn't seem to be the case.

I definitely agree with the fuel pressure test (also make sure to test it under load; idle-only tests don't always show the loss of pressure), especially with the starting problem you're also describing (the pump may be failing in two ways - check valve and low pressure). It wouldn't hurt to change the fuel filter first if you do see a low pressure condition (either way, a fresh one would be a good idea if you replace the pump). Fuel filter is located near the driver's rear wheel, inboard of the frame rail.

The K&N filter can leave oil deposits on the MAF as described above (even as oiled by the supplier right out of the box), leading to various driveability issues. But that usually happens over an extended period of time, and it doesn't sound like you've put many miles on the car since the filter swap. This would only happen quickly if you had severely over-oiled the filter yourself (which isn't the case based on your post above).

What did you do with the old fuel in the tank when the car came out of storage? Was it drained/siphoned, or run through the fuel system? How much fuel was in the tank?

fordication

I bought the car from the dealer the PO traded it too. He put new tires and a battery in the car. I assume the car was driven just enough to keep it maintained because it came with a history showing oil changes every few years. Still I assume that after only 6500 miles on the car that whatever they used has probably broken down by now. No, even before I put the filter in the car I noted a loss of power. In fact I noticed pretty soon after I got it home that the original power exhibited at purchase declined rather rapidly. I have only put 400 miles on the car since purchase. 2 tanks of super unleaded gas. I added some fuel additive on the 1st tank, I got the car with 1/2 tank of gas. I have no warning lights on the car and I have not checked any pressures. I am going to flush the tank and lines and change the filter no matter what anyways. The car had been out of storage for a few weeks when I bought it. Have no idea how old the original gas was but the car was driven in parades and car shows only.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

If the car was used periodically, then perhaps the fuel wasn't so old. I was thinking that those miles were put on when the car was new, then it was parked for ~16 years with old fuel (and if some of that old fuel was left in the tank and then run through the injectors, it might have fouled something - but I think this is less likely based on the new details you've provided).

However, if it was regularly stored for long periods with small amounts of fuel in the tank (vs. a FULL tank), this is more likely to cause issues with the fuel pump, especially if ethanol fuel was used (more air in the tank = more moisture, which reacts poorly with ethanol - a submerged pump survives much better in this situation). I definitely agree with changing the filter, and I would highly recommend a pressure test (again, under heavy operational load as well, because idle/free-rev tests don't always show the issue).

bammax

First off you mentioned kn filter and e3 plugs. You're not off to a good start if you plan on going down that road. Use stock style parts unless you tear into the engine and need to change parts to compliment your build.

The second thing to keep in mind is a car that old with such low mileage is going to need a lot of work. The fluids go bad from sitting. Also seals dry out because the fluids aren't moving across them. All the rubber gaskets and lines also tend to dry rot. You can sometimes run into electrical issues since moisture can get into connectors and rot out the terminals.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

I agree here. But,

....that's not necessarily true. My '98 doesn't have much more mileage on it than the OP's car. If the car is maintained properly for a limited use role (such as fluids and fuel being refreshed/changed/treated), and the storage environment is proper (indoor, reasonably low humidity, cement floor), then most of those concerns are non-issues. Mine has all the original rubber/lines/gaskets/electrical which are all free from any issues at 18k miles/20 years old (only driven 7k miles in the last 14 years).

However, in the case of the OP's car, he really can't know it's entire history for sure, so there could certainly be some neglect related issues to sort out. I suspect that's likely the case regarding the fuel system and this current issue.

bammax

Very true that a well cared for car can stay original for a long time. I based my comments on not knowing the history of the car. I always assume the person that owned a car before me had no clue what they were doing. I think it comes from buying so many project cars lol