02mustang02

I am not sure if this is the right place to post this or not, but here goes anyway...

I am going to be purchasing an LS1 vehicle very soon, and not having owned one prior (or even a V8), how would I be able to tell if it has a "loss" of power or low compression in a particular cylinder(s)? Is there even a way to know besides bringing a mechanic with me or by doing some sort of dyno? Those things would be out of the question because I will more than likely be buying an out of town car.

Would the car feel different or clunky or laggy, or anything? Sorry for being such a noob, but I want to make sure that I am getting all the power that I am paying for. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

twitchtwice

iTrader: (12)

how many miles are on the car and was it well taken care of?

02mustang02

It isn't a particular car, I am just asking in general...

redz_02

iTrader: (4)

It's just something your going to have to judge yourself. Only way to truly tell is by a dyno or a compression test. Just remember that you are buying a car, in some cases, that is 10 years old. My 98 felt a little slower than my 02 but I imagine it was just in my head. But the 01-02's have more power maybe 10 horses (better flowing manifolds, ls6 intake and 241 cast heads). However the 98-00 have a more aggresive cam profile. If you can tell that a cyclinder is loosing compression by driving it, it would be burning oil badly and you would have more issues. The ls1 (strong point of these cars) is extremely reliable so I think you should worry more about the tranny and other drive train components. Also, remember these engines are noisy.

chvycmaroz28

iTrader: (1)

if u r some what car sabby..u coudl pull a plug on it and check it out..make sure to dont smoke. no SES light on..if its auto put it in gear and pre load the tranny and see if its slipping at all.while its running pop the hood and rev it from under the hook and lisen for noises like ticking or anything....theres a few... good luck!!!!!

kill_machine85

iTrader: (4)

make sure you look under it if possible to make sure nothing is hanging check for rust and bubbling up in the paint to make sure the body is good.

chvycmaroz28

iTrader: (1)

oya...and be driving down the road lets say 40mph and hit the breaks fairly hard while barely holding onto the steering wheel and see it the car pulls to one side or the other

twitchtwice

iTrader: (12)

if its running and there is white smoke coming out. thats a terrible sign. maybe take it to a local tech and have a 10 point inspection. oil, tranny, rear end, compression, all that stuff, before you decide to purchase it.

Z_clone

tune up is in order

KENS_SS_4

You can not tell over the phone or the internet.

xxrillixx

iTrader: (118)

if your not car savvy, its just going to be the luck of the draw. Most likely everything will be fine, if you have any problems they are usually pretty minor / cheap.

I dont think an unexperienced person could 'listen under the hood' and hear anything but noise.

My best advise would be to read the owner. If it looks like they take decent care of it, the owner knows what hes talking about and doesnt just shitbox stuff together... you'll probably be fine.

I think your looking at a good time, prices are getting lower due to the economy & gas prices. People are coming down like the house market... they are realising 3k over kbb for a stock car / lightly modded w/ 100k miles is INSANE, and are just now starting to be realistic. IMHO

chvycmaroz28

iTrader: (1)

x2 man

z28_YOU_HO

iTrader: (7)

drive more than one??