Hello group, I have a few questions and hope I can get some help from here.
first I'm still looking for a late C3 and seriously considering 1982 crossfire, ive inquired before of reliabilty of the crossfire and parts availability... spoke with Tom at CFX here in Arizona (Buccaneer) and he says the knock sensor is about the only thing very difficult to find... but I cannot find a single sole who will work on one, familiar with one or frankly even engage in a conversation about one.


I am in the automotive collision industry 38 years and in the Phoenix valley almost 30 years, I have a wide network, a nephew who is parts/service director for GM and yet I still cannot find someone who would touch one in diagnosis or repair. I want to purchase a car and have it narrowed down, one has a fluctuation in idle after warm up (runs and drives fine) just idle goes up and down a bit almost to a stall on the drop almost like a bad ICU... and one has a slight "miss" feel when driving and not sure if that's in throttle body sync/adjustment, both very low mile cars.
I guess if there is a question here is anyone aware of a single mechanic in the Phoenix valley or even Arizona familiar with these who works on them?

Im sure i can navigate most of this kind of stuff on a car with this group but would sure be nice knowing someone is out there that works on the crossfire system.

Also one car has absolutely zero carfax info prior to being sold at an auction in 2020... not even title or registration info, havent seen vin on the car yet, only genorated copy of window sticker vin, ive run carfaxes many times and never seen absolutely no info prior to two years ago and nothing for the prior 38 years... actually not really interested in this car just a bit curious now.

 

There is a reason that GM only used the Crossfire Injection (CI) for two years - 1982 MY and in the first 'official' year C4 (84), which in '85, GM replaced with the vastly superior Tuned Port Injection. CI was a novel concept, but in practice/the real world, not a great design. Not many mechanics want to touch it because they are unfamiliar with it, its relative complexity, and parts which are not readily available. The '80 and '81 model years are essentially the same car, sans the Crossfire Injection, so why not shoot for one of those, as they are infinitely more reliable, less fussy, and far easier to tune with their OEM carb setups? And who wants to deal with that ancient fuel management brain.

Additionally, '82 was offered with an auto transmission as the only option, so if you have any interest in scoring an '82 with a manual transmission, there is no chance of that (unless someone has done a 4, 5, or 6 speed conversion). Is there a particular reason you are looking specifically for an '82 MY over the '80 and '81 years?

 

Thank you and good question... will be purchasing an 80-82, been looking for a low mile original car for a third Sunday cruiser (have other cars) I've had these years back in the 90s.
I want the overdrive (AOD) in this car, I used to install a 200R4 in them back then, was an easy install and my plan going into this but harder to find now.
I am comfortable under the hood in every way on an 80/81 just not the crossfire on the 82 but clearly already has the AOD, i just thought i either have to install a 200R4 or 700R4 in an 80/81 or if i ever get to a place where the crossfire cant be fixed I could more easily change out the fuel feed system on an 82.

I don't want to sound as though I am oblivious to the crossfire, I have built my own cars my whole life in body/paint, fabrication and welding, suspension and interiors but always stay aware from electronics, I am "old school" mechanically, I have a 2010 Grand Sport... if there is an issue I can drop it off to someone, I can plug in and diagnose myself but not with the crossfire pre OBD

I have talked with many with 82s and no issues, plenty of issue free miles... I built a factory 5 Coyote cobra some years ago and couldn't get anyone to do a tune on it, spent months looking and everyone was so busy they didn't want to touch something they weren't familiar with or wasnt factory, went through similar issues years ago with Vipers and parts... just don't want to go through that again.

I would be happy just to find someone local who works in them

 

The idle problem on the '82 crossfire could be caused by a misadjusted or failing Idle Speed Motor. The TB's themselves are pretty much set at the factory and locked. Like you I would like to find somebody willing to work on mine, but there is a wealth of knowledge here on the forum. I am thinking of putting mine on the market again now that people are out moving around again but '82's don't seem to be the most popular years.
Note: Crossfire does have OBD1

 

The hunting idle could very well could be a vacuum leak. That was my issue anyway.

I learned to work on the crossfire myself and it really wasn't that hard to figure out thanks to this forum.

 

Ugh, the dreaded and seemingly never ending vacuum leaks that plague the C3 gen. Vacuum leak could certainly cause hunting idle in both carb and fuel injected applications, but I imagine fuel injection would be even more sensitive to it. Check the TBI cover plate gasket, for starters...

 

thanks and didn't know that, thought the ALDL was pre-OBD1, clearly gonna learn more about them as it appears I will be doing my own work if I get one. Thanks again

 

Thanks guys, clearly I will need to learn about the functionality of the crossfire, how to diagnose and work on one... thanks again.

 

I have an 82 Collector Edition. Just turned 10,000 miles. After sorting some minor issues, it runs as new. Get a Factory Service Manual. They aren't rocket science and IMO got an undeserved bad rap. It's a great touring car. Loafs along great on the highway. It's not like driving a big block, but it's no slug.
Check with your local NCRS Chapter. Plenty of guys familiar with them.

 

If you can't find anyone to work on the Crossfire, and don't want to do it yourself, the best reason to buy an 82 is to save it from being left to rot.

Find a rust-free example with good paint in the color you want, then swap in whatever engine and transmission you want!

If you don't want to do it yourself, it's probably a lot easier to find someone who will LS (and manual) swap the car for you than someone who will work a Crossfire. And then you'll have an engine that any mechanic can diagnose and fix.

 

Too much mystique around the crossfire. When you sit back and take a good look at all it's parts, it's just a run of the mill gm tbi setup like the type used on their pickups for almost a decade. Two single barrel throttle bodies instead of one two barrel. That's why you can use an ecu from one of those trucks with only a program update and a couple of connectors. Vacuum leaks are a c3 thing, not a crossfire only thing.

The main reason I chose an 82 was the transmission. The only C3 to get a four speed automatic. With an hour drive down the highway to work, a carb and a three speed would kill me on gas. The added bonus is adding a remote start to cool it down before the drive home.

 

This is 100% correct......and they are a decent system until you have issues....and a big issue all either have or will have is the intake cover gasket getting petrified and breaking away....causing a huge vacuum leak.......
Some get out of sync....but beyond that they are very straight forward to troubleshoot......as stated, you troubleshoot it like a late 80's GM pickup......

Jebby

 

This…it’s one thing if you already have a crossfire. If no one you know has the knowledge to work on it, perhaps it’s a pass, or prepare to swap it out altogether.

How long do you intend to own it? If you’re just doing it to scratch an itch and sell it within a year, versus long-term ownership, maybe it’s not a huge issue.

 

One of the best Crossfire resources out there = HERE on CF !!!!

 

I do believe I remember talking with you about an 82 not long ago, but not 100% sure. Anyway, like mentioned a huge MUST have is the GM Service Manual, hands down the best thing you can own for ANY CFI vehicle. Second, Vintage Iron in Scottsdale over at the airport industrial park is the ONLY place I would take an 82 or 84 in the valley. I know the owner Mark and he IS a great guy, they are reasonable on price and they do good work. Give them a call and see what they have to say, but I bet they are booked way out right now.

The CFI is NOT rocket science, but it takes a little bit of research to understand how it works. MOST people make the mistake of thinking that the TBs are carbs and start messing around with them without understanding what they are doing and the next thing you know, the engine usually runs worse and they get even more frustrated. DO NOT mess with the TBs until you fully understand how they work and how to balance them correctly. Actually, if you go to my site and look at the FAQ section and towards the bottom of the page #22, you will see two vids on HOW TO BALANCE CFI TBs. Watch them both several times or as many times as needed to understand what you are doing. The vid is not on a corvette, but the technique is the exact same on ALL CFI motors. If your TBs are out of balance, when done correctly, the motor will smooth right out and purr like a kitten.

The CFI motors are balance and fuel pressure sensitive for sure and only qwerky from the intake up. Everything else is just a simple GM 350 motor.

 

Not gonna lie, I fell asleep reading your post...twice. However, I'm another 82 owner that has had one in the garage for 20+ problem free years. I maintain myself.

I graduated high school in 1982 so that's the year I wanted. My crossfire is a time capsule and takes me back to those good old days. She's been in both of my daughters weddings and I'm teaching the grandson's about her now (but first, we work on lawn mowers!). Find you a car like that.

I'll add, I put new BFGs on her last month and she rides better than my wife's Q7 now. Also, while the 1982 Corvette may have been the quickest US production car built in 1982, I add a C5Z to the garage for some real speed. You simply cannot compare the two cars, each has their own "thing" that often makes me stop and stare. Again, find you a car like that! I hope you haven't fallen asleep reading my post, LOL. Happy hunting!

 

thanks... that was a few months ago, purchased one.

 

Sorry, that was meant for another thread! Glad yoy found one!

 

no worries and thank you.