I have one of the last LT1s built and need to upgrade to an LS1 car. It will be used for street and track purposes but road race not drag strip. The engine will be stock except for the lid and possibly headers. I already know the chassis issues.

I need to know what to look for as far as warranty work and what are common defects. For example my LT1 had the common intake manifold leak. There must be some similar things to look out for in a used LS1.

I gather that the power steering pump is a big issue with these cars as the reservoir is not remote as on my LT1. BTW pulleys helped that problem big time on the LT1. Are they available for LS1 cars and if so, do they work?

Also if you get a lid, is there really any difference between SS/ WS6 cars and regular coupes? I have noticed some cars coming off lease but there seem to be a lot more SS cars than regular.

BTW my LT1 car has been incredibly reliable despite many miles of road track use. My G tech says it makes as much power now as 5 years ago and radar trap speeds as some of the tracks we run have been steady for years. Can I expect similar reliability from an LS1?

 

I have owned 3 and still currently own 2..

Here is what I look for:

1. Obvious stuff like brakes, clutch, body roll, check all the gears.

2. WOT punch... Make sure she don't sputter

3. Seen O2's and water pumps take a crap from time too time

4. How tight is the interior... Does she rattle, creeek, etc.. Some will say this is normal but if the car is taken car of and not beat on you should have very little of this if any.

5. Do the freaking T-tops leak!?!?! Cause if they do, I'm not buying it! My tops on my WS6 do not leak because the car was taken car of and the previous owner was smart enough to throw on a STB right away. (Subs coming soon too!) Lots of hard launches and gear bangin will twist the car up enough to make them leak.
So I recommend taking it to one of the self car washes and spraying it where the window meets the seal for a 20-30 seconds

6. On the SS and WS6 cars it's normal for the exhaust to make a slight groan from a dead stop when taking off or backing up... Not sure about the reg T/A and Z's.

7. The injectors are fairly loud in these cars but several people that don't know how to drive have missed gears and bent their Push rods in these cars... The push rods are one of the weaker points of the LS1. So listen for an unusually loud knock

8. I have noticed that a lot of them have pre-maturely worn E-brakes... Not sure what that is all about.

9. Your local Lube shop (grease Monkey, Texaco, etc) should all be equipt with scaners now... Just give the kid 5 bucks and ask them to check for codes... Its worth it!

10. A good owner should have copies of all the maint records and if you want to have someone run a car-fax on it, just send me a PM.

11. hmmm... That funny smell coming from your change tray is a light that never turns off.. don't worry... its normal

12. Unless you got some suspension upgrades, a little wheel hop is normal.

13. Sometimes The stereo's in the T/A's have a problem with the Volume ***** having a mind of their own.. IE turning up when you are trying to turn them down.

14. The rear Main seals might have a tiny bit of residue on them... its normal.

15. The SS and WS6 do have better springs then the Z and T/A's so if your going for auto-crossing that is one thing to consider but you will probably want to upgrade it anyway.

16. And most importantly watch out for that GAS pedal!!!! Your foot might get stuck to it!


Hope some of my ramblings help.

Rye

 

WOW. My ttops dont leak under normal conditions, but i dont think i have had a camaro yet (3 of them) that hasnt leak when blasted with hi PSI washers. I have had a hard top and 2 ttops. My current SS only leaks when blasted at the car wash. Under normal pressure....rain/garden hose they SHOULDNT leak, but i would expect it from a car wash. Maybe i just always got unlucky and got em that leaks , but it seems really standard issue from what i have seen.

 

Most do leak when taken to a car wash or put under a high PSI hose...

It's just that I'm picky as all hell and know that the car I'm buying has a lot better chance of a low stress history then one that does leak.


Brand new they shouldn't leak so that is the standard I hold a used one to

 

What the diff. between the SS and the Z28 as far as 2001-2002??

 

Hood, spoiler, wheels and tires. possibly some extra SLP content. Car and drive train are the same.

 

Both of my t-tops have leaked, and the problem is usually the window brace inside of the door is cracked. $10, and 15 minutes later no leak. It's a tiny little fragile piece, which can also tear window tint if it's broken clean off... seen many a case of that.