looking to upgrade to an ls1 camaro or t/a and wondering if there were any changes motor wise that would make one year better than another or something that i should look out for when buying a used ls1 camaro or t/a.pretty much just looking for advice or heads up on any common problems they might have.thanks

 

There are several small difference. There is a book called Ls1 performance that outlines them pretty well. Is one better than the other as far as modding? No. Once you start modding they're all good. Just depends on how much modding you want to do.

Some basic things are:
01-02 has the LS6 intake and large injectors but a smaller cam and I've read better tuning, but that isn't for sure. By the time you mod much you'll need a different tune anyway.
98-00 has the ls1 intake w/egr, larger cam and 00 has the smallest injectors. You can get an LS6 intake for $300 and getting a car of these years will save you more than $300.
00-02 has the better flowing exhaust manifolds, but if you're going with headers who cares.

Just get the best condition w/the lowest milage at the lowest cost you can.

 

someone mentioned to me that piston slap was worse in the 98 models,is there any truth to that??im trying to spend around $9000 so i think ill probably have to stick with a 98 or 99 anyways..are there any common problems like the optispark on the lt1?least i wont have to worry about that anymore. thanks for the help. nick

 

Piston slap wasn't even a problem until later years, 01-02. There will always be small problems from year to year. 98 supposedly has some kind of oil-pump issue, though neither myself nor any of my buddies with 98's ever had a problem with this.

01-02 have piston slapping issues, which CAN be trouble, but usually aren't. check out http://www.pistonslap.com

Other years include failing power steering pumps, pcv valve issues, etc. Nothing that makes one year worse or better than the others. And all pretty easy issues to correct, except for piston slapping, that's a bit more of a tear down & rebuild kind of thing.

 

i would have figured the piston slap issue would have been in the earliest model.i guess i should look for a 99 then since thats probably more in my price range.thanks for the info

 

No

 

That's just plain not true. My bud and I both have 2000s with piston slap when cold.

 

Same here. But mine doesn't burn any oil though which I find peculariar as most of the slappers tend to be the oil burners too.

Jason

 

2000 is a later year, or "Mid year" i guess I should say. Either way, any car has the potential to piston slap, but it wasn't common until later years.

 

My "99 SS ( knock on wood!) has been fine, the passenger window is kinda slow to roll up or down, but other than that nothing. Mobil1 oil and filter and new Fram air filter every 3K. Babied the entire 52K.

PS. The drivers side headlight is starting to haze a bit, probably will replace soon.

 

My 98 has no piston slap at all. Just did the first oil change since I bought it and it used maybe 1/2 quart in 3k miles. So condition of whatever you happen to be looking at is what matters most. BTW, saw a 98 Z28 for sale on LS1.com a couple of days ago w/89k miles for under 7,000.

 

My 99 might have a mild case of piston slap. there is a very slight tapping noise at idle(you really have to listen to it) You can hear it in the car, and under the hood, but it is more audible in the car, weird. Anyways, it uses maybe 1/4 quart of oil every 3,000.

I wouldn't worry about the changes year to year on the LS1, just listen for piston slap. Some people have said it sounds like a diesal(sp) What you should also look for are rear end noises, since the rear end is the weak link in the drivetrain. When I was looking for a car, it seemed like the Auto cars were in better condition and felt tighter than the M6 cars. I guess guys who get a M6 ring the snot out of them.

 

If you're going to be doing a lot of mods, I'd avoid the 98. Not because it is necessarly not as good as a 99+, but a lot of things on the 98 are just -slightly- different than the rest of the model years. A few examples I can think of - different valve covers, coil brackets, gas tank...

 

My SS and my 2 friends 2001 and 2002 SS's don't have "Piston Slap".
As these 3 cars are stock, execpt the 2002's have the SLP 345 HP
option. They don't burn oil, at least on mine I would never know.

I think the '01 + cars pull a little better than the earlier years. I
like to race bikes and I can pul up to 140 MPH like the old days.

Jim

 

i have a 99 ls1 in my 98 firebird and have had no problems at all. i have heard of oil blow by on some of the gaskets for all ls1's but have not gone through that at all.