I am seriously looking at a 98 Trans Am. Are there any real reasons that I shouldn't consider purchasing a 98? I know it was the first year they placed the ls1 in camaros and t/a's and the 2nd year of its existance. Any major problems I should look for in a 98 that were fixed for later years? Thanks

 

pre 2001 had piston slap, no LS6 intake, and more restrictive manifolds. Still a quick car for the money. They are a blast even stock! Best examples are 2001-2002 no slap, and slightly more refined. All should have 350 crank HP and put down 290-310 to the wheels which is very good. Not too hard to get 400rwhp on these.....

 

Piston slap seems to be a hit or miss subject. Mine doesn't do it.

 

I'll 2nd Hit or Miss. Mine dosen't Do it!

 

Fellas I here the term often, what is piston slap?

 

from my understanding.

due to variations in thermal properties of aluminum verse iron, they had to design slightly more clearance into the pistons and cylinder walls. when cold the tolerance is higher and the pistons have enough room to "slap" side to side in the cylinder. once warmed up the pistons expand and reduce the tolerance to normal and it no longer slaps.

doesn't seem like it's really a problem, but i have heard of guys getting new motors on recall due to "excessive" slap. not sure what "acceptable slap" is compared to "excessive slap" though

 

Another problem with the LS1 is excessive oil consumption. GM defines that as one quart or more per 1,000 miles if I remember correctly. There's a TSB on it, and I know one of my friends who has owned his '01 Z28 since it was new has had his piston rings replaced due to this. I bought mine used, and was out of warranty. I have excessive oil consumption, as in more than a quart per 1,000 miles. It can be remedied by driving more conservatively (keep your RPM down) and I think some people use different weight oils to minimize it. I am kind of stuck just adding oil to it on a regular basis. It drives me nuts, but you might not mind it. Labor time is like 20 something hours to replace rings. I figure at some point down the road she'll get forged internals and the rings will be replaced at that time.

Abe

 

there is another post on here that was a couple of days ago that has most of the differences in the different model years. Maybe that will help answer your question.

As for me I have a 99 with no piston slap and when it was stock I would always beat my buddies 01 Z with no problems both A4's

 

I have a 98 too and i dont have problem with it! Its a Beauty!!
And I dont have problems to take down any 2001-Up

 

B4 I bought my 98, I researched the oil use issue. Found an article about GM looking into this issue on Vettes. Biggest thing they found was M6 owners driving style, specifically higher rpms at light load. So I've always made sure to get into the highest gear possible to load the engine when driving under light throttle, i.e. 5th @ 30, 6th @ 40. I couldn't do this b4 I changed the factory plugs, but it's no problem since I installed Bosch platinums gapped @ .055". My oil usage is ~ 1/2 quart between changes. It came with 5-30 dino when I bought it, I did 1st change to 5-30 Valvoline synth, and am currently running M1 T&SUV 5-40.

My 98 is running like a champ, no piston slap, no oil use.

 

hey the people that DONT have piston slap will u plz tell how many miles is on ur camaro...

 

98 Camaro Z28, A4, 64,000 miles, Drive it like it's my last day on earth, everytime I drive it. But I only put about 1,000 miles a year for the last three years.

NO PISTON SLAP on my car.

 

a friend of mine bought a 02 z w/ 4800 miles on the car and motor from a chevy dealer and it had piston slap since he got it but goes away when the motor warms up

 

not saying your buddy doesnt have piston slap, but alot of people he a ticking sound and assume it is piston slap. I have never heard piston slap but my car does tick when it is cold, the same way my buddies does.

One other thing to note is that later f-bodies had a different cam.

 

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