I have heard that the 98 LS1 engines have had problems with pushrods. I have a 97 LT1 but am interested in purchasing a trans am and had a good deal offered on a 98 but i wasnt sure about the engine becuase of some rumors i heard. Does anyone else know anything about the 98 LS1 engines that could helpful to me?

 

I haven't heard any specific issues with '98s per se. Common LS1 problems can be oil pump (pre-01), oil consumption, noisy accessory belts/pulleys, and premature rotor warping. Off the top of my head, that's it. Sometimes mild piston slap.

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i have a 98 z and it has 40k on it and the only prob it has every had was warping the brake rotors. had the calipers rebuilt at local brake shop got some performance pads and rotors and it is ok now. stops alot better also

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98 Z28, Onyx Black, A4, t-tops, other than the free mods, a random tech cat back, and a whisper lid, it is stock

 

Mine has been extremely reliable despite close to 3 years of use as a weekend racer (autox and road course).

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98 Z28 1LE M6 | Autox/RR toy
01 Trans Am M6 | Daily driver, some mods
1LE.net

 

The 98s had the oil pump failures, but those seemed to happen early on if it was going to happen. After a certain mileage the concensus is that your pump is fine. 98s also have an oil consumption problem, it stems mostly from the PCV design. A new design is already out and if you go to the dealer and ask for a PCV, you get the new part. This has cut my consumption in half... not perfect, but better than it was. Then there is the warped rotors thing. I have yet to warp a rotor. I still have all 4 original rotors with 42k miles. Then the 98s have either a weak master or slave, forgot which, for the hydraulic clutch set-up. I haven't run into this yet either. The 2k or 01 clutch parts are better and alot of folks have swapped them into their 98-99s.
The piston slap problem has only been in the last year or so. No worries there for a 98. There was a recall in early 98 for some cracked cylinder heads, you would think the original owner would have been contacted way back when on that.
I believe that generally if your car has made it reliably for say 20k+ miles, you shouldn't have a problem with these things... just plain old everday automotive wear and tear from then on.

It looks bad, but it's not... the cars are very reliable and with loving upkeep/care will really be a pleasure to own.
Dave
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[This message has been edited by ratio411 (edited July 30, 2002).]

 

A '98 Z here with 0 problems and 45k miles.The pushrods that you're hearing about come from over-revving the engine most commonly on a M6.When some guys have missed a shift,IE accidentally shifting down at higher RPM's the pushrods will bend.This was a safety feature built in by GM so that you only bend a $15 part instead of blowing your 5k engine.I think '98s are the BEST LS1's.We got bigger injectors stock
Kevin

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1998 Black Z28 A4
-------1/8-------
8.584 @ 83.64 MPH
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I have never EVER had oil consumption problems..and now since the heads and cam still no oil consumption. I believe oil consumption problems is an 01-02 problem. The 98's-00 had the oil pump failure thing, but most of these either went out after a few miles or after a new motor build up where the builder let trash get into the pump. I still have stock oil pump in mine even after heads and cam...no problems!
Only problems I have experienced was bent pushrods from banging the rev limiter after I bought her and had MAF go out and cause a bunch of funky *** problems...other than that she has been VERY dependable and still runs strong!
Rick