20 Most Recent 1986 Chevrolet Nova Questions & Answers

no points on that model it uses a spark advance. if its running smooth while your driving it and only rough at a stop believe it or not they put out a bulletin about the motor mounts being bad for this condition

sounds like the blower fan. what type of chevy is it. a full size has the fan on the passenger side firewall. should be easily accessible. just disconnect the wire and test the car. if it stops making noise , that is the problem, also turn on the fan speeds to different settings, if if changes sound , that is the problem

OK, first, let's clarify one point. Your 1986 Chevrolet Nova does not have a carburator, it is equipped with Throttle-body Fuel Injection.

You should be able to look into the throttle body and see fuel spraying from the fuel ijector while you are cranking the engine over. If not, then there is a whole list of things that could be causing the fuel to not spray. Here are some of the possibilities:

Low fuel pressure (for several possible reasons)
no B+ feed to injector (for several possible reasons)
bad crank sensor
bad PCM
broken injector wires
bad injector

If it runs with fuel poured down the throttle-body, it is definitely a fuel-delivery/fuel injection problem.

You will need to replace the headlight switch most likely.

Lower front, right of center of the engine, very close to the block. It has a pulley with a belt running on it.

ok the fuel pump is inside the fuel tank as we all no
but you cant exactly repair them you can take them out and give a good clean and change sponge on them so they dont clog up and check all the wiring on top make sure there is no breaks tears or rips ,,

the rotor button may be bad..YOU CAN CHECL THE PICK UP COIL WITH A VOLT OHM METER or the dreaded bad timing chain, does the rotor turn with the motor. these are a real cheap durable unit.. EBAY CLICK HERE..HEI

Under hood fuel lines, touching coolant or heater hoses.
Fuel lines under vehicle close to or not shielded from exhaust pipe, converter, muffler. Fuel lines pinched or crushed.
Fuel filter changed recently.
Fuel pump pressure. Fuel pressure regulator & Fuel pressure sensor.

The age of your vehicle also guarantee's a vacuum leak. It may sound silly but the truth is rubber grommets, and hose's shrink and dry out over time and the harsh environment under the hood makes it worse. Check all vacuum lines and fittings attached to the intake manifold, valve covers (pcv valve), and be sure to check for a vacuum fitting on top of the intake just behind the throttle body. Does it fit tight in the hole? You can seal loose fittings with a high-temp RTV (Red) silicone sealant/adhesive. Several small leaks add up and your engine, heat/AC, and transmission will be all to glad to tell you about it.

Aside from that, if you are still having problems, Have a look at the MAP & Oxygen sensors. Finally, you may end up replacing the TBI throttle body assembly.

On most of the vehicles I've replaced them on, When you open up the housing, there is the 2 support arms at the top, with the main plug part entering from underneath.

The seal it sits on may still have an impression of the one removed.
If you install a new one - and rad doesn't warm up - then it's the wrong way. To be honest, it shouldn't make a difference in working, only in fitting.

Unplug the wire to the horn and make sure you have the horn grounded really good. Take a hot wire and run it from the battery to the horn. touch the hot wire to the end of the horn and see if it works. If it does not work then you need to replace the horn. If the horn works then take a test light and hook it up to the horn wire and have someone push the horn down. you should have a hot wire. If you don't them check the horn fuse. Let me know if this works.

fuel pressure after it has been driven for a while. or the next time it dies hit the fuel tank at the pump and see if it starts. if it does you pump is diing

On the Nova I believe the fuel filter is located still inside the Carb right at the front where the fuel line comes in. However im not at work right now so I cant confirm that.

Turn the light switch on and check your tail lights. Back then the tail and dash lights work on the same circuit inside the headlight switch so if one was out so was the other. If this is the case you need a new headlight switch. If not, there should be a fuse in your panel marked "instr". that's for the dash lights. Hope this helps.

If the air vent mode doors are vacuum operated, (though some are cable operated), they could have disconnected a vacuum line from engine. A vacuum diagram sticker should be located under the hood. The a/c hose will be listed as (HVAC hose).

It would be a pain to replace the belt on this engine yourself. It's behind the timing belt cover which is blocked by a few other components that need to be removed. Think about replacing the water pump if you haven't done this already, since you're down in that area.

Try your toyata dealership as they are the ones that built the car.

Mine came down in 1998 due to foam deterioration and spray adhesive did not help. I had an upholstery shop redo it's been great after that. As long as the cardboard in the headliner is intact, it can be re-upholstered. Shoulder belts, dome light, sunvisors, rear view mirror have to be removed to take out headliner.

Try Autozone's website, you'll have to create a free user account, but they have wiring diagrams. The colours are indicated by letters on the schematics.

Very easy on this car. You don't even need to put the car up if you're not a big person. Remove the oil fill cap on the valve cover the warm and off engine. Unbolt the oil pan drain bolt at the bottom (don't lose the gasket) and let the oil drain out. Clean off bolt hole face and put the gasket and bolt back on. Bolt does not need much torque. Unscrew the oil filter on the front of the engine (might need filter wrench). Clean off filter face and make sure old gasket is removed (usually comes off with the filter). Put on new filter. Do not overtighten While underneath, look around for leaks, damage to CV joint boots, cracks in hoses, etc. Fill with about 3.5 qt 10-30W oil. Put oil fill cap back on. Run engine for about 30 sec. Shut off and check for leaks. Check oil level on dipstick after a couple minutes of engine running and add oil if needed. Mark date and odometer in your log book. Recycle used oil.

It wasn't the oil level. Mine started ticking around 14K and it still ticks like crazy at 168K when the engine is warmed up and cruising. Goes away under moderate acceleration.There is a thermostatic flapper valve in the exhaust manifold that is likely the source of the ticking when the engine is warm.