So, I found someone selling a 1998 Z28 for cheap. Really Cheap.

It needs some work and the guy has not been shady in telling me everything he feels it needs. But here is the situation.
It has a stock LS1 180K. He claims there is a dead lifter on the Exhaust valve for Cylinder #4. The engine light is on and it is triggering two codes. Secondary Air injection system and Catalyst out of range (Don't recall which.)

I asked what he has done to investigate this issue and he stated that he removed the valve covers and let the car idle. He noticed that the rocker for that valve was not fully going up and down. and only a small amount of oil was coming out of the push rod. He removed the push rod to make sure it was not bent. It was not. He checked to make sure it wasn't clogged. It wasn't. Lastly, He changed the oil and checked for metal shavings and did not find any.

Lastly he mentioned that the oil pressure tends to be erratic. I don't know if that's a cause of the lifter or what. He seems to think it is a bad pressure sensor.

So here's my thoughts... and keep in mind I haven't seen the car yet. This is all speculation leading up to actually seeing the car today. Also, this will be a project, so ultimately its not a big deal. My original plan was to remove the heads, replace the lifters and slap it back together and enjoy it a little bit before the winter. Then I'll build an LQ4 and drop it in. But if it sits, it sits. I'll drive the second car.

So what does everyone think? Bad Lifter? Wiped out cam lobe? I assume the engine codes are due to the exhaust irregularities on that bank from the exhaust valve not opening fully. That's not really a big issue.

I appreciate any help and insight anyone can give me.

 

Here is my .02 (a very cheap, .02 mind you)...

1. I don't see how a lifter would affect oil pressure.
2. I agree on the engine codes.
3. He took off the valve covers? Where did he put the coil packs?
4. I doubt it's the cam being worn... that would be some serious mechanical wear lol

 

usually, with a bad lifter you will have valve train noise ,if its not pumping up, then change the lifter, but if the roller tip is bad then change the lifter & cam. worm the engine up then pull the valve cover and bring the #4 piston to TDC and pull the rocker arms off the int & exh. and see if the pushrods are same height, then push down on each pushrod and see if the plunger is collapsing. On the oil pressure check and see if the oil sending unit is cracked, that will cause erratic oil pressure reading.

 

Went last night and saw it in person. Its all pointless as I'm not going to buy it anyway. I was really buying it to swap a motor into. But the body itself was beat. Looked like it was parked at the bottom of the ocean. Not worth it.

Thanks for the responses guys. Oh and it sounded awful. The guy was all about me driving it too. I told him its prob not a good idea and he told me he still does burn outs with it... I lost interest quickly at that point.