1995 Z28 questions

Hey guys, I've just returned from test driving a '95 Z.

It was at a local dealer, but has an automatic so I was saying to myself" I really want an M6, but I'll take a look at this one anyhow." And I must say that I liked the auto a lot. It shifted firm and smooth, with a little surge, bringing up my first question; Is this normal? Or has this car's shifts been firmed up?

My second question; What should I look out for on a 110,000 mile car that has had no work done on it? No complaints to dealer or anything. It was traded in about a month ago, and this dealer's sister dealer near-by was the one that sold it originaly.

One hose started to leak about half way through the test of about 12 miles. It appeared to be the bottom-most hose on the water pump, leaking at the connection. It got all over the belt as you can tell, and the PS drive pulley started slipping, so there was no PS hardly at all when the guy pulled it into the garage. Something to worry about, or just a bad hose/clamp?

And lastly, the ABS INOP dsah light was on.... Reasons, things to look for, etc?

So yeah, those are my questions, I'd love your guys input. Also, the car is listed at $7k. Any pointers, things to look for, things of that sort, all very apreicated.


Thank you very much.

Ok It Might Be Listed At 7k But How Much Are You Going To Pay, With A 110k Miles On It I Dont Know I Would Get It Unless It Was A Great Deal Even If Everything Is Working Great I Couldnt Get Past 110k. Thats Just What I Think.

How much do they want for it? I never buy cars from little used car lots due to a bad experience. They allways try to fix the problems just to the point that when you pull out of the lot it dies. keep in mind it is still an 11 year old car. Get it inspected before you buy it.

Bone stock 95 Z28? One thing I would worry about is that damn optispark. Mine on my first Z went out at around 96K or so, but obviously the lifespan will vary. There's nothing wrong with autos, the 4L60E is a decent tranny, especially with a trans go shift kit. Another thing known to go out on LT1's are the water pumps. Make sure the leak was from a hose. 110K asking $7 grand? I don't know about that. I bought both my 94Z's for $5K with around 92K on them, pretty much stock. Like with any old, used car, be prepared to spend some money on repairs. These cars aren't cheap, but fun as hell when working properly. If you really want the M6, then wait, don't settle.

hell i just got a 96 f1 camaro (lt1) and im telling u8 just like i told everyone when i first started posting on here....lt1's are oil pissers! hell even mines has an oil leak, they are know for it. the closer to 100k the worse it gets and if anyone tells u different they are full of shit. the hose that was leaking water, mines was jacked up to, and i took mines from the dealer to our shop and it was all bulging up and stuff so i replaced it...22 bucks. the thing with our cars is u never know how it was treated for sure so i replace spark plugs, wires, water pump, altinator, lights (all of them), brakes and roters. thats just me and thats what im doing now. i dont trust jack shit from the next guy so i replace all i can from the jump. if u take care of it she will run great for u, its just at 10 years old its time for seals, and gaskets to be replaced so thats why they leak oil. nothing big. oh and that opti spark is something else to look at as well, i've heard that alot.it sounds like the one u drove is bad ass and it shifts nice as hell to, thats good. im getting a shift kit and a stall converter put in next month so i suggest if u can thats something to look into as well. i wanted a 6 speed car as well but my auto is kick ass.

Well, it is very, very clean for an eleven year old car. It looks as good as my moms 2004 GMC. Hardly any rust, engine compartment was so clean you could eat from it. Not just the top that the dealer cleans, I dug underneath and the headers were clean, etc. The carpet is in great condition, as is the headliner and rear seats. Front seats hace some stains, maybe coffie.

How much should a general inspection run me? I think the dealer sales man will bring it down at least 1K to move it off the lot. But, you never know.

As for the reputation of the dealer, it's top notch. They are a GM dealer with plenty of new stock in, and their bulidings were clean and neat, even the service area.

Plus, it's not BONE bone stock. I think it has an aftermarket exhaust (does the '95 Z28 have flatend box tips that are way resessed under the bumper?), and I know it has an after market head unit and is wired for subs.

Its a gm dealer? Well thats ok im just iffy with the little used car shops. I would try to get him down to atlest 5K and i bet you could. Either that or have them throw in tires or something that needs replaced.

Plus, it's not BONE bone stock. I think it has an aftermarket exhaust (does the '95 Z28 have flatend box tips that are way resessed under the bumper?), and I know it has an after market head unit and is wired for subs.

Yes, the stock exhaust has flat tips that don't quite stick out from under the bumper. One way to fix that is to get new exhaust. Help that baby breathe a little better (that is, if you get it and once you repair everything that needs to be fixed).

Seems to be just the ABS light, as upon further reflection and info from elsewhere, I'm 99% sure it was just a hose for the leak. Other than that it seemed real firm.

The 4l60-e is a decent tranny and with its electronic controlled shifting it can deliver nice aggressive shifts when requested. May have a shift kit or may just be the PCM upping the line pressure cause you were getting on it. I know my car gave a nice firm shift before the shift kit and after it was neck snappingly nice. As for the abs inop. You probably have a bad wheel sensor and need to replace the hub to resolve it or could just be a damaged wire but assume the worst. I have no oil leaks nor have I ever heard this about LT1's but Philly might see some conditions I don't but since I use syntheic I would expect to leak just as much as any other LT1 but don't seem to have any problem nor do any of the people I know with LT1's. Leaking fasteners and hoses are very commen on every car especially when the vehicle is older and most likely so is the hose and fastener but most hoses on LT1's can be had for less than 40 bucks.

The 4l60-e is a decent tranny and with its electronic controlled shifting it can deliver nice aggressive shifts when requested. May have a shift kit or may just be the PCM upping the line pressure cause you were getting on it. I know my car gave a nice firm shift before the shift kit and after it was neck snappingly nice. As for the abs inop. You probably have a bad wheel sensor and need to replace the hub to resolve it or could just be a damaged wire but assume the worst. I have no oil leaks nor have I ever heard this about LT1's but Philly might see some conditions I don't but since I use syntheic I would expect to leak just as much as any other LT1 but don't seem to have any problem nor do any of the people I know with LT1's. Leaking fasteners and hoses are very commen on every car especially when the vehicle is older and most likely so is the hose and fastener but most hoses on LT1's can be had for less than 40 bucks.
Um, where is this car at? If it is in the St.louis area it is my old one,lol.

Not all LT1's are known as oil pissers..I have 144,000 miles on mine, dosen't leak a drop of anything, it is all on how it was taken care of. I am also on original opti, but I know I am just buying my time on that.The LT1 is a great engine, with over 50yrs. of gm smallblock experience. so if it has been taken care of it should have no problem going atleast 50,000 more miles.wait until the modding bug hits, it's addictive..but I would atleast talk him down to 6,000 or less...

Alright, thanks a bunch guys. I'm going to take a ride and look at some others at dealers in the area, next closest is a half hour.

is a 55k mile '95 Z fairly priced at $7.5K?? I found one like that a little over and hour from me, but it's a private seller, so I'd need to be ready to wheel and deal to go look at it, which I'm not. I probably have at least a month before I'm set with money to buy.

Thats real low mileage. So I would say most certainly its worth that as long as its got no major issue's.

Thats real low mileage. So I would say most certainly its worth that as long as its got no major issue's.

I agree. 55K on a 95? I think they could definately ask for more than $7.5K for that (assuming nothing is wrong with it). That is an average of 5,500 miles a year! If you like it and everything checks out, jump on it! Or I will find out where it is and get it for myself.

reason that lt1's are in that condition is that your everyday owner does not take care of them the way u should. u 2 and im sure others have had no problems with yours because im sure u do what u need to when its needed. the adverage person beats up on those cars and they end up leaking like pissing babies. at the 100k mark they need certain things done to them and most of the time they arent done so the next guy who ends up with the car is stuck like chuck. who the hell owns a camaro and is easy on it? im sure there is a few simple people that do, but lets be real...in 94 those z28's were the badest thing on the streets and everyone who had one went nuts in them. so thats why i say they have those problems. most of the time when we get lt1's in our shop they are so beat on we really dont want to fuck with them for the fact they are so bad its almost better to just get a new car. when we do see one in good shape its a rare thing.

I'm sorry Philly but your using a broad statement on a specific powertrain. Which IMO makes no sense. I know as well as see plenty of fast well kept LT1's and using your same basis for comparision LS1's and every other Muscle car made would be "pissing oil". You may have run into a few beat on LT1's but I am sure I have seen just as many other powertrains just as beat on and to say its rare to see a well kept healthy LT1 is crazy considering the majority of the quickest modified 4th gens under there original engine/powertrain are LT1's. Look around at who's running the quickest times with the original engine still in there cars. You will notice about 65% of those are LT1's.

oh dont get me wrong, i have an lt1 as well. and i have seen just as many beat on ls1 cars as well, but they dont have the same problems. yes its a traid off, and each engine has its issue, but he asked what should he look for in that car, and the oil thing is the only thing that comes up more than anything else with that set up. if he would have asked me about an ls1 maybe the knock its been known to have would have came up. dont think im saying it sucks or anything, im just pointing out a well known issue they have. i also said im sure some people may have never had this problem as well, but that dont mean a larger group of people has been through it.

Well speaking from the many many many many many many LT1's I have worked on and currently own. I have never had a oil leakage problem. EVER!!. I currently have 3 LT1's. One in my car. One on a stand and one right outside my garage. All holding the correct oil level with no sludge marks under them. So like I said, it may have been a issue you dealt with but I don't think you can say a larger group has had this problem than has not cause being pretty popular in the LT1 world. I am a member of plenty of F-body site's and know plenty of people with there engines as well as own plenty of these engine as well have parted plenty of these engines and while you may come across a problem like this in a few cars it in my honest opinion can not be called a popular problem with LT1's. I would be more concerned with a opti issue or rear end issue before a oil leaker. Besides most camaro owners are not required and therefor don't use synthetic oil (which is known to cause leaks in many situations).

well i guess we will agree to disagree. there will always be 2 sides i guess

not trying to spark anything up again but umm philly, when they bring there car to the shop.... usually its the beater ones then werent taken care of and thats why they are there. i was just thinking about that when i was reading you 2s dscussion

not trying to spark anything up again but umm philly, when they bring there car to the shop.... usually its the beater ones then werent taken care of and thats why they are there. i was just thinking about that when i was reading you 2s dscussion

Why're you trying to spark something up again?

Spark up?. I meant no offense. I just disagree. If we all knew exactly the samething about everything. There would be no need for forums like this to share a wealth of info (well a pocket full anyway :uhoh: ). I have not come across this before and don't think its a major source for concern but he does. Difference of opinion. Nothing more.

yeah its not a fight, we just see different. thats what makes this place good, what fun would it be if we all just shook our heads. but if u read back what i wrote, i did say many of the older camaro's which are lt1's were beat up on. im not saying that there arent one's that are taken care of. but being at a performance shop u have a tendency to see guys who know little about their car, and just want it to be fast and loud and the car is a beater. we do have a good number of folks who keep up with the repairs, but like any other car there are more people out there who just run a car and dump it, then there are folks who know what they are doing and keep the car in great shape. thats just my thought which supports my idea of when u buy a lt1 u may have the problems i state. i see more of them on lots that are a mess than i do that are in great shape. i dont totaly disagree with john, and im sure he and a few of u havent had problems with your lt1's but lets be real, how many of the old owners who dumped them off at these lots have taken great care of them like we would do? we arent a big group when u look at the big picture, im almost willing to beat more people own f bodies who know jack shit about them than people who do.

oh and i spelled bet wrong, dont think im silly im just tired....<<<<<post whoring it up

Well speaking from the many many many many many many LT1's I have worked on and currently own. I have never had a oil leakage problem. EVER!!. I currently have 3 LT1's. One in my car. One on a stand and one right outside my garage. All holding the correct oil level with no sludge marks under them. So like I said, it may have been a issue you dealt with but I don't think you can say a larger group has had this problem than has not cause being pretty popular in the LT1 world. I am a member of plenty of F-body site's and know plenty of people with there engines as well as own plenty of these engine as well have parted plenty of these engines and while you may come across a problem like this in a few cars it in my honest opinion can not be called a popular problem with LT1's. I would be more concerned with a opti issue or rear end issue before a oil leaker. Besides most camaro owners are not required and therefor don't use synthetic oil (which is known to cause leaks in many situations).


synthetic can cause oil leaks? i didn't expect that but i use synthetic in my
lt1... i was almost down an entire quart when i changed the oil this past time...

People who have used conventional then switch to synthetic often find they developed leaks due to many reason. One being that your gaskets were not meant to use synthetic cause it tends to run thinner at high temps, which is good protection wise but bad seal wise, also cause it tends to remove sludge and varnish which can have been developed around seals.

So it cleans everything out, opening possible leaks.... I'll have to remember that, and thanks for all the info guys, I'm really soaking it up here.

My LT1 was pissing up oil and fluids from every place imaginable at 75,000 miles!! lol (Bad owner, right here! J/K :grinno: )

Mind you the leaks were not the result of everyday wear & tear. Gotta be sure to get that LT4 Teflon crank seal when she's put back together.



Always nice to hear someone excited about buying a olde LT1 4th Gen. You know I still can't get over the styling of the '93-'96 cars... even today they look freakin radical - they're like a bullet. All you need is to have the paint on your Z well kept and the car detailed and people will be asking themselves if that's the new Camaro they just saw. That sharp front end is both classic and timeless.

Amen my LT1 brother, amen. Nothing get me like the styling of the LT1 camaros , and like you said, well kept they do not look old at all, EXCEPT perhaps the square headlights. A pair of covers and someone could easily think they were a post 2000 model.

i didnt know synthetic oil made the car leak oil either....i know after i got the car and after the first oil change it started leaking oil...i always use mobil 1 synthetic....well....damn

yeah synthetic oil is so thin, lubracative and penatrive that it causes some leaks.... but I'd rather have a small oil leak than a less lubricated engine

That is a very good point. Is there any way to prevent the leaks?

It won't always leak. It is just more likely to leak and if you have a tiny leak. Synthetic will make it worse.

if you go back to the regular oil will it stop the leak again? it doesnt matter im not going to...just a question

If its a very minor tiny leak. There is a chance. but most likely once it starts leaking it will continue and get worse.

well i put the synthetic in after replacing every seal on the engine... and i still have leaking issues...

Sounds like you didn't use enough RTV on certain stuff or don't have it torqued correctly. Synthetic causing leaks right off the bat on a new seal is not unheard of but pretty rare.

hmmm i was just reading about putting headlights on the older 4th gens so it can look like a newer 4th gen. im sure everyone in here knows how i feel about the newer camaro's by now. making a camaro look just like a sebring isnt cool. those last few years were were not to original at all, they got lazy with the "new look". light covers on our style cars are not cool... i wish i could remember the guy who use to be in here that told us that story about when he put some brand new light covers on his car and raced a mustang that he smoked but in the process his lights flew off and the mustang ran them over....that was some funny stuff.

haha...that'd suck but atleast he beat the mustang if there is an up side to that story

man i was crying for 6 days after he told us that. i just wish i could remember who it was

maybe i missed it philly or you havent done it yet......but i wanna see some pics of your new car

making a camaro look just like a sebring isnt cool. those last few years were were not to original at all, they got lazy with the "new look".

I always called them Monte Carlo lights... also a bit similar to the Malibu also. I guess Chevy wanted its "family" of cars to resemble one another. I think the quad lights are wicked - maybe get an HID conversion someday from TByrne.

Cough*cough*it gave its cool headlights to the Firebird* cough *cough. BRB need some halls :uhoh:

HID conversion, is that the one that converts to those round lights in the headlight spots? I checked TByrne and they don't have anything like that. Getting that, I agree that the headlight covers suck. I just don't like the four rectangles... reminds me of the old Silverado and Suburban lights.

yeah i never liked the light covers much at all either, but i did see one pair that u cant even get anymore when i was at the f body gathering last year, ill find the pic and post it....and yeah i have been slippen with the pics of my new ride, its been at every shop known to man, getting wired for a new sound system (the bose one i just didnt want to deal with it again) it took 2 days to get my old alarm hooked up in the new ride, and i just havent taken the pics yet. ill have my boy bring over his digital so i can snap a few and post....my bad. and john is right the trans am got the bad assed lights, that thing looks mean as hell in the rear view...the ws6 is the main one. that car looks like it will beat u, then rape u...its down right wrong how scary that damn thing looks. but ls1 camaro's just dont do much 4 me. the ss is ok and thats what i was looking for, but the z i just cant do it...those lights do nothing for me.

I agree with pretty much everything you say, except the headlight covers. For example, on your RS in your sig, I don't like those square headlights back in there. I'd need covers for them. But, in this pic you see something a little different.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v502/JadeDragon0589/Camaro/455508_16_full.jpg

And then with these fog lights:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v502/JadeDragon0589/Camaro/340797_216_full.jpg

Hey, thats my hood and my little sister :grinno:

those round lights are a no go for the camaro... I think they look horrible... either headlight covers or stick with the stock ones....

is that red camaro from michigan fbody association? looks exactly like the owners car....

It might be, I'm not sure. It's named Red Alert, I know that much. I'll probably get projectors and covers. That way I get better light and a sleek front end.

yeah thats his car...
http://meissenation.com/forum_images/meissenation.jpg

Wouldn't that be sweat if she shows up saying hey thats my car. You better take it down or I will have my lawyer contact you :rolleyes:

Wouldn't that be sweat if she shows up saying hey thats my car. You better take it down or I will have my lawyer contact you :rolleyes:

lol... i remember that post. I might get that grill from the first pic. Its hot. It prolly makes the fog lights look like crap when they're on tho.

yeah i never liked the light covers much at all either, but i did see one pair that u cant even get anymore when i was at the f body gathering last year, ill find the pic and post it....and yeah i have been slippen with the pics of my new ride, its been at every shop known to man, getting wired for a new sound system (the bose one i just didnt want to deal with it again) it took 2 days to get my old alarm hooked up in the new ride, and i just havent taken the pics yet. ill have my boy bring over his digital so i can snap a few and post....my bad. and john is right the trans am got the bad assed lights, that thing looks mean as hell in the rear view...the ws6 is the main one. that car looks like it will beat u, then rape u...its down right wrong how scary that damn thing looks. but ls1 camaro's just dont do much 4 me. the ss is ok and thats what i was looking for, but the z i just cant do it...those lights do nothing for me.

I've seen this a couple times... IMO i like deez:
http://tinypic.com/m7vwh2.jpg

http://tinypic.com/m7vwo1.jpg

against most everyone i would have to say i like the 4th gen 98+ better than 93-97....the nose is too narrow top to bottom on early 4th gens...the 98-02's look stockier then the 93-97's especially if you have ground effects which is what i liked about the later 3rd gens...they looked stocky and tough

I like those round headlights on the 93-97.. they look different and pretty nice.

I like those round headlights on the 93-97.. they look different and pretty nice.


I agree. Makes it look like it has spider eyes, if you think of it that way.

And in reply to the "stockie and tougher", I agree, the 93-97 Maro's don't have that tough look unless you really work at it. What they do have, however, is the appearance of a balistic wedge/bullet.

true....they dont look bad with a big block hood or a 4" cowl hood...but stock for stock i really dont like the 93-97 compared to 98+

I could have swown it was TByrne I spoke to. There was a place that sold a true ($1000+) HID conversion kit for the '93-'97 cars using quad rectangular units - I know because I asked them if they'd sell me just the semi-sealed headlight assembly. It had to be TByrne... :screwy:

I ended up getting semi-sealed units from auto-optics which I think is gone under now.

The newer 4th gen syling is love/hate with me... I almost bought a new '02 Anniversary Camaro and anytime I see a black SS in my rear view I must say they do look absolutely menacing. But then there's other times when I walk around the car and am like... meh, this is a big Monte Carlo? Having been obsessed with late 80's IROC's naturally the quad light 4th gen Camaro's won me over. Personally I think the round replacement lights look wrong.


As far as the Firechickens go I think GM did good with the LS1 styling. The TA's overall look solid; I think the newer Formulas were drop dead gorgeous (liked them more than the TA's) and waaaaay better than the '93-'97 Formula syling (sorry John :p - but its just my ulseless :2cents: )