luda0840

ok its a 98 formula. its an a4 with 3.23 gears. the thing that worries me is that it has 120xxx miles. the car is 7 grand. should I go for it or pass?

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

Is it at a dealer or private seller?

How good of a deal it is really all depends on the overall condition of the car. Many guys here with 100K+ miles will attest to how strong their stock motors still are, but again that all depends on what sort of condition the mechanics are in. If it's a private seller, you can probably get a better idea of the maintenance it has received.

As for cosmetic condition, well at least that one is easy enough to figure out. Have you looked at the car in person yet, and driven it?

luda0840

yea i have looked at the car and driven it. the interior is a bit rough. the engine is in great condition has lot of power. the car is completely stock. the paint is great. its through a private dealership or something. i also heard that 98's have a weak oil pump?

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

Don't worry about the oil pump. There were some issues with pump failures from '98-'00 on these cars, not just '98. But those failures almost always happen early in the life of the motor (~30-40K miles or less), not wait till 120K.

If the motor is strong and the exterior is in great shape, with the interior condition being the only thing wrong, I'd say it sounds pretty good. Maybe try to get 'em down a little more (maybe ~$500 or so) by mentioning how much $$$ you'll have to spend to fix the interior (even if you don't plan to).

black01_WS6

iTrader: (13)

sounds about average for a high mileage ls1. I say get it.

Joel_SS

iTrader: (8)

yes there are issues with the oil pumps on those years.. When driving take note of the oil pressure it should be about 40 PSI at idle +/- a few PSI.. And under good throttle about 60-80 PSI.. If you are seeing around 20PSI at idle and only around 40 on hard accelleration I would worry.. Also look for blue smoke coming out of the tail pipes during idle and under heavey throttle. If you see alot of smoke steer clear. If the interior is bad shape, it is a pretty good assumption the engine may be in a similar state....

Also pull the tranny dipstick and look at the color of the trans oil, if it does not have a nice red tint to it or looks burned the tranny may be on the way out, or has not been serviced in a long time.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

Keep in mind that in warmer weather, and when using a rather thin oil (such as Mobil 1 5W30) you will likely see as low as 25-30psi at idle in an A4 car after extended engine run time or WOT action. That really isn't a cause for alarm, nor is it a sure sign towards pump failure. A4 idle speed is 550rpm in gear and 650rpm in park/neutral vs. the higher 800rpm idle of the M6 cars, thus the M6 will usually see a slightly higher oil pressure at idle.

Some of these cars do seem to show a consistant 40psi at idle no matter what, but many do not.

jswelburn

I don't agree with this. A good amount of the posts i read on here of cars with the older oil pumps didn't hold as high of pressure as the revised versions. Especially on a car running factory recommended 5w-30, I'd expect oil pressures to run about 20 - 30 at idle, 40 cruising around 2000-3000 rpm, and 50-60 above that. For sure, that's the ballpark for mine before I changed the oil out to Amsoil Euro 5w-40.

Now it sees about 38psi at Idle, 45-50 cruising and 60 wot. And probably a hell of a lot better lubrication than it ever did with the other stuff.

Also, when i searched around the posts about the supposed bad oil pumps on the earlier cars, there was a thread where they tried to find at least one person who could say their motor died because the oil pump crapped. No one did. Consensus from that thread was its more of a rumor than fact that they're bad.

They just hold lower pressures, but still good enough for lubrication.

So don't think all of them, or even a big amount, are bad. Just check to make sure the pressure is good (at least 10psi for each 1000 rpm).

Luna

iTrader: (6)

You can talk them down for sure, I got my car with 75k miles and a not actual mileage title for 6250. I'd say the bargaining power is pretty similar in my situation and yours so I think you should at least TRY to talk them down a bit lower

Joel_SS

iTrader: (8)

My response to the oil pump was based on my personal experiances. I had a 98 Z28 M6 that would idle right around 40 and aroung 60 under heavy throttle. at about 45k I noticed that it started to dip to about 20 PSI at idle and sit between 40 and 50 PSI under heavy throttle. I traded the car in before I replaced the pump.

I traded my 1998 Z28 in for a 2002 TA (A4, stock idle) its oil pressure at idle was right around 40 +/- a few PSI and 60 or so under heavy throttle.


My wifes car is a 1999 TA (A4 stock idle), and it started exhibiting similar symptoms as my 1998 Z28 around 55k miles. We replaced the oil pump and it went back to normal pressures. 40 at idle and 60 or more under heavey throttle.

My 1999 SS had a new pump when I bought it, but it is the same, idle oil pressure is at 40 and goes upto 60 or soi under hard accelleration..

I stand by me statement if you see low oil pressure I would atleast be concerned.

I have always used 10w30 oil in my LS1s and live in TX so that may have some influeneces on my experianaces.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

The occasional 25-30psi at idle after full warm-up isn't actually low though, depending on conditions (outside temp, idle/run time, engine load just prior to idle period, oil brand & weight, etc.).

FYI. Of the LS1 pump failures that did occur (and I've known at least one person this has happened to), many have been said to occur without warning. No low psi, no oil usage, nothing out of the normal other than a sudden and total loss of oil pressure. It usually occured at very low mileage.

Only common warning sign I've heard of is drastic and sudden fluctuations in pressure shortly before a failure.

Again, I would not be alarmed if the psi at idle was lower than 40. If it's lower than 20 there might be cause for concern, but otherwise I don't see it as much of an issue. Just my experiance.