should I buy this ls1?
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should I buy this ls1?
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?
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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?
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?
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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?
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Originally Posted by 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?
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).
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Originally Posted by 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?
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.
Last edited by Joel_SS; 01-16-2006 at 12:33 AM.
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Originally Posted by Joel_SS
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..
Some of these cars do seem to show a consistant 40psi at idle no matter what, but many do not.
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Originally Posted by Joel_SS
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..
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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).
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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.
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.
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Originally Posted by Joel_SS
I stand by me statement if you see low oil pressure I would atleast be concerned.
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.