Okay, hang in there:this will more than likely be a little lengthy, but I feel I should be as informative as possible.

Almost a year ago, to this date, I purchased a 1992 Vette with a horrid paint job and missing a hatch glass. The tires needed to be replaced and it didn't run properly.

Got it to the barn(a place as to which my dad and I waste a lot of time and money on our expensive habit)and start pulling stuff off of the car to get to the opti spark. After some research(with the lovely help of Corvette Forum) I decided the running rough issue was the opti, so I replaced it, the water pump and the gaskets.

During the opti/water pump replacement process, I realized one of the previous owners, instead of replacing the oil pan gasket or replacing it wrong(if I remember properly the water pump and or opti has to be out of the way for this to happen correctly)they had put some cheap *** gasket sealer around the front. It was disgusting looking, what I thought was a poorly preformed job and was just flat out lazy, plus it was still leaking.

So I pulled the pan off for the gasket replacement, I then realized there was a little plastic shoulder that held a shaft into the oil pump, which was broken. Replaced it. Oil level sensor was busted, replaced it. Cleaned the pan, installed the gasket and bolted the pan up.

Added a couple new pulleys, a new belt, some new radiator hoses, the plugs and wires were new so I didn't waste my time. I bought a pair of headers, installed them; I also bought a new starter. Which pretty much sums up the mechanical list I believe.

The battery that was in it was ****, but everything seemed to work(electrical wise)fine, it just couldn't hold juice long enough to be effective. So I replaced it with an Optima Red Top, great battery, does the job just right. But now, the radio will turn on, but no sound comes through the speakers. The lights will dim whenever I attempt to do something as simple as roll the windows down. And even better, the dash display will randomly dim on its own free will without any help from me.

I am a busy young man, I have to work 45-60 hours in order to pay mortgage and supply things like attention to my daughter; so I dont have much time to work on the Vette.

That being said, this entire 'rebuild' has taken about a year to 'complete', among other things that dont pertain to my current mechanical issues.

Sorry for the long build up, ill get to my issues.

This morning was the the day I was to happily drive the Vette a block down the road in order to get an inspection done. I fired it up to do a little trouble shooting and let it idle for about 20 minutes to warm up.
At about 205 degrees, there is an awful smell and some thin white smoke both coming from under the hood. I pop the hood and the source seems to be the back of the motor, by the firewall. I drop to the floor and there isn't any but maybe one drop of oil on the ground. My first thought is its leaking from intake? Possibly. I cant see behind the motor all that well because there isn't very much room.

I feel i've wasted a years worth of work and over 5k on this car and im about ready to give up. After messing with almost everything around that motor(in some of the most inconvenient, unorthodox steps due to financial constraints) I really don't, and probably won't pull the motor. I am almost to the point to where I want to give up and just pay somebody to fix it, but i'm nowhere near close enough to having 500+ dollars to pay someone to do it.

So hopefully this is where all yall helpful getntlemen come in and save the day.

Summary:The vehicle runs a tad bit rough at idle, is leaking oil, has some electrical issues. It has no problem(in park)revving up to red line, and sounds really strong doing it, but I have not been able to get it out of the barn and drive it. If its any kind of help, the drivers side catalytic converter was extremely warmer than the passenger side.

This car has unfortunately gotten on my last nerve and has broken my bank numerous times. Im not entirely sure I want to pour anymore money into it, and theres no way I would be able to sell it for what I have in it. Please Help!

New: oil pan gasket
oil level sensor
coolant temp. sensor on pass. side of the block
radiator hoses
optispark
water pump and gaskets
headers
starter
battery
spark plugs and wires

Possible Culprits:
bad gas(dont want to buy new gas with the oil leak, current gas has been in it for AT LEAST a year)
an intake gasket
main bearing seal?(ive read of this issue a time or two)
something I have no idea, which is why I need yalls help

 

Electrical sounds like a bad alternator. New battery could be defective, but not likely. For the oil leak look at the rear of the intake for a possible leak. Both oil senders are also back there. You can check from the top with a flashlight. If you put on long tubes what kind of cats did you go with? Possibly a stuck injector?

 

Yeah I had NAPA check the battery, its plenty fine. I will have to look deeper into the leak, I didn't have access to a flashlight at the time. I put shorties on it, bought them from a mechanic buddy for real cheap so its got the stock cats on.

What would be the easiest way for me to check the injectors to make sure one isn't stuck? Unfortunately I haven't been able to drive it, but it seems as if it runs pretty well. Then again i've never driven and or owned a 'performance' vehicle, so i'm not entirely sure what 'running good' would feel like.

Thanks a lot for the suggestions sir