I am searching for a 1998 or 1999 or 2000 Camaro Z-28 with an LS-1. I am going to look at a 1998 with 58,000 miles on it. What problems occur with these cars? What should I look out for? I want an LS-1 with 6 speed, did the LS-1 start in 1998?

Sorry but this is my first post here and do not know much about newer Camaros.

 

Whats the difference between an SS and Z-28?

 

ss is basically just and appearance package. the ss hood and exhaust may add alittle power but mostly for looks. i ve only heard of one problem with the ls1 and thats excessive oil use, and thats only on the 98,99's i believe. most likely would have been fixed under warranty already though. and yes 98 was the first year the camaro had the ls1. the ls1 is a sweet motor.

 

just look it over real good, make sure everything is smooth, a lot of people buy these cars and beat the crap out of them, just look at all the people on this board. get history on a car with more than 40,000 miles.

In my opinion, the SS package is worth the extra $2,000. the SS has a composite hood with scoop, 17" x 9.5" wheels vs 16x8, has a higher spoiler with the led light strip that everyone agrees looks better, the SS is supposed to have better suspension too i think. So if you consider a hood, wheels, and spoiler to be like mods you would want to do anyway, it's worth the extra money,

most people will there you different but then they will go and buy after market hood, spoiler, rims, an money to better the z-28 suspension and end up spening $3000 rather than 1k or 2k if they would have bought a real SS Camaro to begin with, and they still don't have a real SS.

Over all these cars are a great value, your getting a car with around 300 hp at the wheels for thousands less than other cars with less power and looks.

 

Do a search! heheh...

assuming your going from a Mustang to the Camaro... you're making the smart move

 

What kind of 6-speed tranny do these LS-1s have?

 

Borg Warner

 

LS1.. LS-1 is an older engine

 

Borg Warner, same as the viper, at least that's what i've heard. it's pretty damn smooth.

 

from what i've learned on this board:

-have the seller start the car when it's cold
then listen for any unusual sounds especially a loud ticking.
could be piston slap...when the piston hits the cylinder walls
(but lot of owners have it and live w/it)

-check the rear axle to see if it's leaking fluid. mine does but it's very little. i just change it yearly.

-run VIN through any GM dealer to make sure the car is a z28, SS etc.

-if you get a six-speed, consider switching out the shifter to a different brand to prevent mis-shifts which can bend pushrods

-are the brake rotors warped?
(steering shakes when you brake i think)

 

If you were to go out and buy just the exterior mods that the SS has you would be spending a GRIP! "Functional" Ram air hood $1800 (I know first hand ,my insurance company had the pleasure of buying me a new one) You will be lucky to find SS rims for less then a $1000 (maybe on ebay or used). and last the spoiler is over $300. all considering you dont get a deal somewhere.

As far as the suspension upgrade I feel like it turns it into a whole new car, feels sportier.( I have driven both) but that doesn't matter TOO much if you just want to go in a straight line.

as far as the oil consumption I have a 2000 SS and it LOVES to eat oil. part of it is how the car is driven the more it eats the more power it is sh!ttin out

you can somewhat see if the car was driven hard by standing at the back of the car and look to the front of the car following the trunk line (best i can explain) and see if it bends or looks tweaked. if it does then it means the car has gotten side ways a few times (Not a horrible thing) sub frame connectors will keep it from tweaking any more

the 6 speed transmitions in these cars are I believe "T56" they are supposed to be able to hold up to 1000 HP.

hope this helps at all

 

Where to begin?
The T-56 tranny is not the same as in the Viper. We get aluminum shift forks and cheaper synchros. They are rated at 450 rwhp, but will take considerably more if driven correctly.
Oil consumption is an issue because of the crappy PCV system in the LS1 (which was rectified in the LS6) as well as the amount of blow bye on the short skirted/closely ringed piston design. The piston design will also inherently cause "piston slap" on a cold engine, but the noise should dissapear as the engine warms.
Brake rotors tend to warp if you do a lot of serious braking, but can be fixed with AutoZone rotors (cheap), or Eradispeeds (expensive).
The power window motors seem to suck in these cars, but I have roll-ups.
The 10-bolt rear will not take too much abuse, especially with slicks. Check for whining and groaning from the diff.
These negatives are insignificant to the amount of potential that the LS1 F-bodies have, especially for performance to dollar. They also LOVE nitrous and can make 450 rwhp on a heads/cam/bolt-on engine. Good luck! Ben