I heard that there were problems with the first 2 years of the LS1 in the fbodies 98 and 99. I heard that something was wrong with the design of the piston skirts, they were either to short or no skirt at all which caused a chatter in the motor. This could be 100% untrue, but I am going to be buying a trans am in the spring and i want some input on what a good year for these cars would be. I love the look and style of the 98+ but would not want to get it if the motor is not as good. What should i look out for? what years to stay away from? Thanks a lot guys!

 

Mine's a '98 and I've had no trouble at all. I think it's more myth than anything else. I have 36K on it and it runs better than it was new.

 

i own a 98 with no piston slap, i'm sure that you are planning on test driving the thing, i used to have an older f-body with piston slap and it was most noticable when the engine was cold and under load.

 

you heard wrong. there are plenty of 98's that are still running strong as ever. the sleeves cant be overbored out as much as the 99+ but its not that big of a deal. 98's dont seem to have as much piston slap or oil consumption issues that the 01+ seem to have. when ya get down to it any year is fine since when you mod them they all come out the same. check the newbie section for more year specific info.

 

I have a 99, needless to say the car has many minor problems, but those aren't to blame on the model year, more the history of the car and the fact GM makes poorly designed cars. Many of my mods have just been to fix the stock worn out parts. I can see how the first year of production of a new car can be a bit iffy, but usually there is nothing wrong with them. Corvette's had LS1's before Camaro's did anyways. The newer Camaros make a little bit more power than the 98's and 99's due to the LS6 manifold and maybe some other things.