LT1 Reliability
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LT1 Reliability Hey guys im a newbie here and i have a coupla questions. IM lookin at a 94 Z28 Convertable with 104k on her. I need to know how reliable these engines are. What gas mileage they get, do they need 91 oct or can you run 87? What are the best basic mods, ie; cai, maf, tb, tunning..ect. What do i need to look for as far as abuse? ANd whats up with all these Opti spark problems??
Thanks guys
Thanks guys
Teching In
Joined: Oct 2006
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From: Missouri
Hey guys im a newbie here and i have a coupla questions. IM lookin at a 94 Z28 Convertable with 104k on her. I need to know how reliable these engines are. What gas mileage they get, do they need 91 oct or can you run 87? What are the best basic mods, ie; cai, maf, tb, tunning..ect. What do i need to look for as far as abuse? ANd whats up with all these Opti spark problems??
Thanks guys
Thanks guys
Octane - The owners manual calls for premium, however you can run 87 but the computer will pull timing and there will be some power loss.
Mods - All the typical bolt ons apply. Headers, cat back, cold air, gears, free mods, etc
Abuse - I'm not going to lie, most of these cars get beat on through their lives, but that is the nature of them. Many LT1s are surpassing 150k miles with basic maintenance. There was a thread a while back of one that had 250k on it I believe and when it was torn down the cylinder walls still had crosshatch. The motor failed due to a headgasket leak that hydrolocked the motor.
Optispark - Gets a bad rap. It isn't really a common problem and the only times you hear about it are whenever there is a problem. Its main shortcoming is that it is located on the lower front of the engine and can be exposed to water. Not many distrubutors that I know of like water.
Hope that helps you some. My 93 LT1 has 107k on it and it runs like a champ.
Here is a link to a thread about high mileage and N20: https://ls1tech.com/forums/lt1-lt4-modifications/817552-188000-miles.html
A4 or M6? The engine is very reliable but has is quirks like anything else. It is best to run the highest octane at the pumps because of the comp ratio of the motor. If you run 87 you will hurt performance, gas mileage, and possibly cause engine damage. basic mods that will give a good sotp feel are cai, cat back, rear end gears, and a pcm tune.
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Mileage - My car got 22 highway as an A4, it gets slightly over 30 as an M6. (I converted it, both these numbers are with 3.42 gears)
Octane - The owners manual calls for premium, however you can run 87 but the computer will pull timing and there will be some power loss.
Mods - All the typical bolt ons apply. Headers, cat back, cold air, gears, free mods, etc
Abuse - I'm not going to lie, most of these cars get beat on through their lives, but that is the nature of them. Many LT1s are surpassing 150k miles with basic maintenance. There was a thread a while back of one that had 250k on it I believe and when it was torn down the cylinder walls still had crosshatch. The motor failed due to a headgasket leak that hydrolocked the motor.
Optispark - Gets a bad rap. It isn't really a common problem and the only times you hear about it are whenever there is a problem. Its main shortcoming is that it is located on the lower front of the engine and can be exposed to water. Not many distrubutors that I know of like water.
Hope that helps you some. My 93 LT1 has 107k on it and it runs like a champ.
Here is a link to a thread about high mileage and N20: https://ls1tech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=817552
Octane - The owners manual calls for premium, however you can run 87 but the computer will pull timing and there will be some power loss.
Mods - All the typical bolt ons apply. Headers, cat back, cold air, gears, free mods, etc
Abuse - I'm not going to lie, most of these cars get beat on through their lives, but that is the nature of them. Many LT1s are surpassing 150k miles with basic maintenance. There was a thread a while back of one that had 250k on it I believe and when it was torn down the cylinder walls still had crosshatch. The motor failed due to a headgasket leak that hydrolocked the motor.
Optispark - Gets a bad rap. It isn't really a common problem and the only times you hear about it are whenever there is a problem. Its main shortcoming is that it is located on the lower front of the engine and can be exposed to water. Not many distrubutors that I know of like water.
Hope that helps you some. My 93 LT1 has 107k on it and it runs like a champ.
Here is a link to a thread about high mileage and N20: https://ls1tech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=817552
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A4 or M6? The engine is very reliable but has is quirks like anything else. It is best to run the highest octane at the pumps because of the comp ratio of the motor. If you run 87 you will hurt performance, gas mileage, and possibly cause engine damage. basic mods that will give a good sotp feel are cai, cat back, rear end gears, and a pcm tune.
The quirks are...you can almost be sure that the intake is leaking along the back rail, the opti which you have already heard about, The spark plugs are near impossible to change, the window motors seem to go out all the time because of the heavy windows, the cooling fans do not start up until redline temperature without being tuned down, and automatic transmissions do not seem to like having the line pressure turned up unless the tranny fluid has been changed religiously. I have 2 buddies with A4 fbody's and within a 2 months of getting a performance tune they both killed the 3-4 clutch pack.
Teching In
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From: Missouri
Thanks man, i dunno if i want to get it yet, i have yet to check it out and drive it. Know anywhere i should look to check for abuse? I have a 02 GTP now but im having problems with her. Wish i had more mula to find a newer lower mileage camaro. BTW way which is more reliable and or better; LS1 or LT1? Anyone else have any advice?
The LS1 is with out a doubt a better motor. More power, more reliablity, and more expensive.
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u can run 87? thank god i know this now. im not constantly racing lol.
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The quirks are...you can almost be sure that the intake is leaking along the back rail, the opti which you have already heard about, The spark plugs are near impossible to change, the window motors seem to go out all the time because of the heavy windows, the cooling fans do not start up until redline temperature without being tuned down, and automatic transmissions do not seem to like having the line pressure turned up unless the tranny fluid has been changed religiously. I have 2 buddies with A4 fbody's and within a 2 months of getting a performance tune they both killed the 3-4 clutch pack.
Last edited by 94Bandit; Nov 26, 2007 at 02:09 PM.
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Better or worse that the 94 Z28?? I need your opinions guys i really dont know much about these cars. http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...uperSpotlight=
TECH Fanatic
Joined: Jun 2006
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From: Elgin, Il
Before I was really into wrenchin, my 93 Z had a Quad Diagnostic Failure (only problem it ever had), so I went to Autozone and they printed out all that it could be. It was like staring into the human brain this thing they printed. All it was, after process of elimination, was that the air pump took a gulp of water somewhere down the road and killed itself. So I pulled out the pump, the engine light went OUT and I passed the sniffer with flying colors.
All in all, I think the LT1 is a great engine. Of course nowhere near as refined as the LS1, still great nonetheless. and they are torque monsters to boot.
All in all, I think the LT1 is a great engine. Of course nowhere near as refined as the LS1, still great nonetheless. and they are torque monsters to boot.
Thread Starter
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Before I was really into wrenchin, my 93 Z had a Quad Diagnostic Failure (only problem it ever had), so I went to Autozone and they printed out all that it could be. It was like staring into the human brain this thing they printed. All it was, after process of elimination, was that the air pump took a gulp of water somewhere down the road and killed itself. So I pulled out the pump, the engine light went OUT and I passed the sniffer with flying colors.
All in all, I think the LT1 is a great engine. Of course nowhere near as refined as the LS1, still great nonetheless. and they are torque monsters to boot.
All in all, I think the LT1 is a great engine. Of course nowhere near as refined as the LS1, still great nonetheless. and they are torque monsters to boot.
when i bought mine the gys said oh she runs fine on 87 old man when i bought it i noticed every time i started it hot with 87 i did like a pre ignition knock i ditched that 87 and now run 91 shell for 12k miles now its like a 4$ a tank diff most people dont realize that and on the free way i get 28 mpg with 3.42's six speed in town 14-18 depending on how my foot feels and also i bought it with 100k 9mos ago and now has 116k no peobles just i need to replace opti sometime it has a miss right at 5,300 and its been like that since i bought it
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From: Missouri
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How do you know how they treat the cop camaros? IM not saying your wrong, just want some sort of proof. What does B4C mean? SO if this is true then i would be better off buying a normal camaro then this one correct?
.