Purchasing an STS Camaro, would like some help
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Teching In
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Purchasing an STS Camaro, would like some help Hey guys, I will be traveling a good ways Friday to purchase a 2002 Camaro Z-28 with an STS turbo system on it. Mods are as followed.
STS Turbo T60 w/ FMIC and meth/H20
42# injectors
Walbro 255 fuel pump
Comp 918 Valve springs
Comp chromoly pushrods
I have been around turbo'd cars for a while but not V8's. My buddy going with me has been around LS1's forever, but not turbo's. I was wondering what some of you guys recommend that I look over before purchasing the car. I plan on taking a jack to get under the car and everything. I really want to make sure all is well before purchasing and figured you guys could give me some good sugestions on what to do.
STS Turbo T60 w/ FMIC and meth/H20
42# injectors
Walbro 255 fuel pump
Comp 918 Valve springs
Comp chromoly pushrods
I have been around turbo'd cars for a while but not V8's. My buddy going with me has been around LS1's forever, but not turbo's. I was wondering what some of you guys recommend that I look over before purchasing the car. I plan on taking a jack to get under the car and everything. I really want to make sure all is well before purchasing and figured you guys could give me some good sugestions on what to do.
Yes a compression test and hopefully he's an honest guy. Any leaking from the unit itself . If he has been running over 8pds consistently and doesn't have anything done besides pushrods and valve springs, there could be problems. Check the tranny for slippage etc...
Thread Starter
Teching In
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He seems honest, but obviously I am not 100% sure. He said low boost is 4.5psi which the car has always ran on. He said it was tunned for 9psi and ran it 4 times at the track at 9psi on street tires and after those 4 runs he has not done it since. So besides those 4 passes it has always ran 4.5psi. The motor has 59K miles on it. I will not be able to do a compression test because I will be meeting him on his lunch break and dont have alot of hours to do things, thats the only thing that sucks.
Hey Trans Am coupe, the guy is in Sarasota, FL, you woudnt be able to check the car personally tomarrow and give me some feadback before Friday could you?
Hey Trans Am coupe, the guy is in Sarasota, FL, you woudnt be able to check the car personally tomarrow and give me some feadback before Friday could you?
LOL. I would but I'm actually in Saudi Arabia rite now...sorry lol. What you could do though is tell him you wanna take it to a garage before anything is final, maybe he would let you keep it overnite??? Worth a try
he shouldnt have a prob. with it unless hes hiding something
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Thread Starter
Teching In
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Yeah, thing is, he lives in West Palm, FL and works in Sarasota occasionally. I am going friday because Sarasota its alot closer then West Palm. I have the money in hand, but not sure if I will have the time to let a shop do a compression test and all. Anyway I can tell anything without actually doing a compresion test or no?
Besides the compression of the motor, anything els you guys would reccomend checking? Seems like the compression is the only thing.........
Besides the compression of the motor, anything els you guys would reccomend checking? Seems like the compression is the only thing.........
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Thread Starter
Teching In
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Joined: Jun 2004
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From: Ft. Irwin, California (But Virginia is home)
Bring an 8mm wrench or socket. That is the standard size for the hose clamps. Pull the intake clamp to the throttle body and check for oil mist in it. Also check the rear pipe from the turbo for the same. If there is oil in the intake it clues you in that there could be probs w/ the turbo oil system. Also, oil on the MAF (if it's not SD tuned) will rob the car of considerable power and increase the chance of knocking.
Check the intake pipes under the car for dents. Small is ok, but a large dent will restrict flow. That's not a deal breaker, but I'd argue the proce down for the cost of a replacement pipe. They usually run around $100 each, give or take.
See if the car has a wideband O2 installed. If yes, this is an excellent way to check the tune when test-driving. It also means the guy took interest to ensure that the engine was running safe.
All the other checks mentioned above (such as compression checks) are a good idea too
Check the intake pipes under the car for dents. Small is ok, but a large dent will restrict flow. That's not a deal breaker, but I'd argue the proce down for the cost of a replacement pipe. They usually run around $100 each, give or take.
See if the car has a wideband O2 installed. If yes, this is an excellent way to check the tune when test-driving. It also means the guy took interest to ensure that the engine was running safe.
All the other checks mentioned above (such as compression checks) are a good idea too
Thread Starter
Teching In
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The car has 59K miles on it and has had the turbo kiton the car for a while, I think a couple years. The guy says he is selling it b/c in West Palm and Sarasota he doesnt get to enjoy the car due to traffic and work. He says he rarely gets into boost which is 4.5psi. As I said above he got a dyno tune on 9psi and ran 4 passes at the track and that was all he ever did on 9psi. I am paying 13K for the car..................
Thread Starter
Teching In
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Bring an 8mm wrench or socket. That is the standard size for the hose clamps. Pull the intake clamp to the throttle body and check for oil mist in it. Also check the rear pipe from the turbo for the same. If there is oil in the intake it clues you in that there could be probs w/ the turbo oil system. Also, oil on the MAF (if it's not SD tuned) will rob the car of considerable power and increase the chance of knocking.
Check the intake pipes under the car for dents. Small is ok, but a large dent will restrict flow. That's not a deal breaker, but I'd argue the proce down for the cost of a replacement pipe. They usually run around $100 each, give or take.
See if the car has a wideband O2 installed. If yes, this is an excellent way to check the tune when test-driving. It also means the guy took interest to ensure that the engine was running safe.
All the other checks mentioned above (such as compression checks) are a good idea too
Check the intake pipes under the car for dents. Small is ok, but a large dent will restrict flow. That's not a deal breaker, but I'd argue the proce down for the cost of a replacement pipe. They usually run around $100 each, give or take.
See if the car has a wideband O2 installed. If yes, this is an excellent way to check the tune when test-driving. It also means the guy took interest to ensure that the engine was running safe.
All the other checks mentioned above (such as compression checks) are a good idea too
Thanks alot man, I appreciate the information. It does have a wideband and he said due to the weather changing it runs kinda rich right now. Right at 11.0 afr's...............
I will print out what you typed and take it with me to check things out
Bring an 8mm wrench or socket. That is the standard size for the hose clamps. Pull the intake clamp to the throttle body and check for oil mist in it. Also check the rear pipe from the turbo for the same. If there is oil in the intake it clues you in that there could be probs w/ the turbo oil system. Also, oil on the MAF (if it's not SD tuned) will rob the car of considerable power and increase the chance of knocking.
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From: Nashville, TN
The car has 59K miles on it and has had the turbo kiton the car for a while, I think a couple years. The guy says he is selling it b/c in West Palm and Sarasota he doesnt get to enjoy the car due to traffic and work. He says he rarely gets into boost which is 4.5psi. As I said above he got a dyno tune on 9psi and ran 4 passes at the track and that was all he ever did on 9psi. I am paying 13K for the car..................
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 1,501
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From: Ft. Irwin, California (But Virginia is home)
As I stated before, a little oil in the intake pipes is not a deal killer, but it's hard on the engine, will decrease power, and can produce knock (mainly if oil is on the MAF, cause it screws up the readings). If run for a long time like such, it can cause damage.
Jeramey,
The car you're talking about is Buck's Camaro, right? I was considering buying that from him almost a year ago (he mentions me in his original For Sale post) and he does seem like an honest guy. Of coarse, I don't know him personally, but he gave my wife and I a test drive and the car runs very well. I didn't have time to check the compression or MAF, but as far as I could tell, the motor and turbo were sound. He did have receipts for everything and the tuning shop he used is pretty well known down here.
Keep in mind, I saw this a while back and things might have changed if the proper maintenance wasn't performed. But at the time, the car ran like a champ.
If you do end up getting it, keep us posted. I'd like to see if anything's gone wrong with it during this time.
Hope this helps,
Vince
The car you're talking about is Buck's Camaro, right? I was considering buying that from him almost a year ago (he mentions me in his original For Sale post) and he does seem like an honest guy. Of coarse, I don't know him personally, but he gave my wife and I a test drive and the car runs very well. I didn't have time to check the compression or MAF, but as far as I could tell, the motor and turbo were sound. He did have receipts for everything and the tuning shop he used is pretty well known down here.
Keep in mind, I saw this a while back and things might have changed if the proper maintenance wasn't performed. But at the time, the car ran like a champ.
If you do end up getting it, keep us posted. I'd like to see if anything's gone wrong with it during this time.
Hope this helps,
Vince