Has my LT1 gotten the better of me?

2 weeks ago, I bought a '97 Z, and though I was amazed by the power, I got struck down with a bucket load of problems (1st owner never changed anything and it has 69K so I guess stuff is starting to go bad). While I am a driveway mechanic, I have been able to do most repairs myself on other cars. But HOLY GEEZUS...this LT1 is a BEEATCH to get to components!
Not to mention all the horror stories I have read about the dreaded Opti.
SO I am now thinking if I should move to an LS1 instead. I am wondering how much easier the LS1 is to work on than that damn LT1.
Here are the components that I have noticed are VERY difficult to get to/work on on the LT1 and am wondering if the LS1 is just as difficult:
-- starter (have to remove the exhaust pipe to get it out
-- O2 sensors (though I got to them, they are still a difficult job
-- spark plugs
-- EGR valve
-- Fuel pressure regulator
-- Opti cap and rotors (LS1 has individual coils over the plugs right?)
-- Other maintenance

I can relate to your lt1 woes, I bought a 94 Z28 a couple years back and spent 5500.00 the 1st year in repairs, front end brakes, fuel injectors, plugs and wires, fuel pump. igniton wires etc. It was a struggle for a while, but when she ran good it was yeehaw all the time! I sold her, and still miss the fully open borla sound. I never had to replace the opti, which I always dreaded thinking of. delteq a group sponsor makes an opti eliminator kit so you can go to a coil per cylinder ignition and get better spark. These corvette jr's are high maintenance fussy cars. I have an 02 ss, and have replaced 265.00 worth of 02 sensors, 500 dollars on plugs, wires(shop rapes you with list price), in the 1st year, and it sucks a quart of oil every 1000 miles. The lt1 has better low end, and sounds better, but when you hit 3rd gear in an ls1 car you will see the difference! :) You are fortunate to do your own labor i envy you because though expensive to keep i still miss my lt1 car dearly :(! Enjoy the car despite the setbacks, high performance breaks down quicker.

LS1's are nice, but a conversion would be more work than just fixing those probs.

Plugs aren't really bad. Have never had to change my O2s although they were easy to get to when the Y had to be pulled for header install.

EGR, get an 01-02 ans you don't have it. Get an earlier year and just get rid of it.

Mine uses little to no oil.

I keep hearing that the LT1 has more torque and yes they do feel more torquey, but I have yet to have one pull me on the bottom end where torque counts.

My LS1 was much easier to work on than my LT1

My 3rd gens were much, much easier to work on :)

LS1s arent that bad, people see that part of the engine is stuck up under the dash and it freaks them out so they go around saying they are impossible to work and shops probabily jack up labor quotes on them. I actually learned everything i know on my LS1, when i first got it all i knew how to do was an oil change. Now i can swap motors, transmissions, rear ends, or anything else on this car becaus ive done it on mine. I did have the help of friends which would be impossible w/o them. But LS1s arent that bad at all to work on. I hear LT1s on the other hand will give you a fight when you have to change the spark plugs. Id like to give it a shot one day to see how hard it is. A guy i know took his LT1 car to some backyard mechanic who got a few plugs in, mabey 2 or 3 and i guess it gave him to much headache so he gave up on it threw in the towel, lol.

My LS1 was much easier to work on than my LT1

My 3rd gens were much, much easier to work on :)

An LT1 thirdgen is the easiest to work on

I love my LT1.. LS1s are sweet too.. I think they are about the same to work on, it just depends on which motor you know more thats all.. give it time.

LS1's are definately easier to work on then LT1's...LT1 makes good power but it cant hang w/ the LS1 up top

LS1's are nice, but a conversion would be more work than just fixing those probs.

Plugs aren't really bad. Have never had to change my O2s although they were easy to get to when the Y had to be pulled for header install.

EGR, get an 01-02 ans you don't have it. Get an earlier year and just get rid of it.

Mine uses little to no oil.

I keep hearing that the LT1 has more torque and yes they do feel more torquey, but I have yet to have one pull me on the bottom end where torque counts.
i think he meant getting an LS1 camaro, not an engine swap.

i dont know if it different on a 97Z then my 93Z for the starter, but all i had to do is take off the dust shield from the flywheel(4 bolts i think) and the starter slid right out. dont give up on the LT1 just becuase u cant change everything as quick as u would like.

Ok, there are solutions to your LT1 troubles if you want to keep it.

Starter - Longtubes - You can remove the starter with no problems of you have longtubes.

O2 sensors - Longtubes - SUPER easy to remove cause they are now on the bottom of the car. You could probably do them without jacking the car up.

Spark plugs - Longtubes - It cuts the time down a LOT with headers. Drivers side can be done in less than 10 minutes, takes about 25 for the passenger. Did them yesterday, :D

EGR valve - Longtubes - No emmissions on the LT headers, solves that!

Fuel pressure regulator - Longtubes, LOL..no kidding. First thing, what are you doing to it? Unless you need an aftermarket one for some reason, there really isn't a need to mess with it that I can think of. Heck, to hook up the gas it was only removing 1 vacumm hose and that was a piece of cake.

Opti - Ok, so there is one major drawback, but it looks like everything else could be easily remedied. I think if you are asking the question, you have made up your mind, but want confirmation. Sell it an buy the LS1 if you don't have a ton of mods on the LT1. You can do headers and a cam and make more power than most LT1s do with heads and cam.

weeks ago, I bought a '97 Z, and though I was amazed by the power, I got struck down with a bucket load of problems (1st owner never changed anything and it has 69K so I guess stuff is starting to go bad). While I am a driveway mechanic, I have been able to do most repairs myself on other cars. But HOLY GEEZUS...this LT1 is a BEEATCH to get to components!
Not to mention all the horror stories I have read about the dreaded Opti.
SO I am now thinking if I should move to an LS1 instead. I am wondering how much easier the LS1 is to work on than that damn LT1.
Here are the components that I have noticed are VERY difficult to get to/work on on the LT1 and am wondering if the LS1 is just as difficult:
-- starter (have to remove the exhaust pipe to get it out
-- O2 sensors (though I got to them, they are still a difficult job
-- spark plugs
-- EGR valve
-- Fuel pressure regulator
-- Opti cap and rotors (LS1 has individual coils over the plugs right?)
-- Other maintenance


Welcome to my world. I bought my Formula with 69k miles. Previous owner changed nothing. I had to catch up on 11 years of maintenence work. The car runs like a champ now. Except for my transmission. :cry:

Opti - Ok, so there is one major drawback, but it looks like everything else could be easily remedied. I think if you are asking the question, you have made up your mind, but want confirmation. Sell it an buy the LS1 if you don't have a ton of mods on the LT1. You can do headers and a cam and make more power than most LT1s do with heads and cam.


Opti - Solution-----DELTEQ!, problem solved, helps with changing wires also

LS1's are cake to work on. Even the plugs arent to bad. The starter can be taken off the LS1 in no time flat" Minutes"
The LT1..well, I never had to work on it because it never broke down.
I did do a Spark plug swap on the First LT1 I had and it was a Beotch....Other then that I put headers on it.Also a Beotch.

I keep hearing that the LT1 has more torque and yes they do feel more torquey, but I have yet to have one pull me on the bottom end where torque counts.

The LT1 feels more torquey because the engine's torque peaks at 2400 RPM, while the LS1 peaks at 4400. The torque comes on dramatically and early in the LT1 then levels off, while the LS1 keeps building torque all the way to 4400. Plus, another reason it might feel like a very torquey motor is that driving around town, you're most likely to be spending most of your time around the peak torque output of the LT1. But the LT1 doesn't make more torque than the LS1.

The LT1 feels more torquey because the engine's torque peaks at 2400 RPM, while the LS1 peaks at 4400. The torque comes on dramatically and early in the LT1 then levels off, while the LS1 keeps building torque all the way to 4400. Plus, another reason it might feel like a very torquey motor is that driving around town, you're most likely to be spending most of your time around the peak torque output of the LT1. But the LT1 doesn't make more torque than the LS1.

agreed. i have both a lt1 and a ls1 and the LT1 is more fun to daily drive for that reason. both are a4's with 323 gears and have equivalent mods(lt1 cutout/CAI and LS1 flowmaster and lid). put them next to each other and they are even til about the 330 mark at the track.....then the ls1 starts pulling away. but for daily driving I jsut don't have to 'wring out' the lt1 like i do the ls1 to get the same effect...not to mention the torque managment takes part of the fun out of it.. as far as working on them....I dont' want to work on either!!!! but i'm lazy and don't want to work on anything lately!! I take it to the shop!! that is probalby why I don't ahve more mods....I pay someone els eto do all the work and it leaves no mod money!!

agreed. i have both a lt1 and a ls1 and the LT1 is more fun to daily drive for that reason. both are a4's with 323 gears and have equivalent mods(lt1 cutout/CAI and LS1 flowmaster and lid). put them next to each other and they are even til about the 330 mark at the track.....then the ls1 starts pulling away. but for daily driving I jsut don't have to 'wring out' the lt1 like i do the ls1 to get the same effect...not to mention the torque managment takes part of the fun out of it.. as far as working on them....I dont' want to work on either!!!! but i'm lazy and don't want to work on anything lately!! I take it to the shop!! that is probalby why I don't ahve more mods....I pay someone els eto do all the work and it leaves no mod money!!
90% of the LT1's torque is available at 1900 RPM's..thats why it feels so amazing. I love my LT .With the gears at 1900RPM's I can stomp it an produce a cloud of white smoke and burn the tires all day long until I let up on the gas... :cool: