'96 Camaro SS oil leaks
WRENTZLOG
I had to replace the intake gasket because oil was leaking all over the
place. I've heard other SS cars have had the same problem. Is this true?
Does everybody have it or just a lucky few like myself? It's the only
problem so far.
Walter Rentz
WREN...@aol.com
Chris
OK,
I have a question for you. Was the oil visible in the engine bay as a leak
or was it mysteriously disappearing into the engine? I just finished some
work on my car and now it seems to be sucking down some oil although there
is no drip and there was never any oil burning before, now it's
disappearing, and I was wondering if this is that was happening with you
guys who had leaky intake manifold gaskets.
Thanks in advance...
--
Chris Chenevich
Pyramid Engineering
"How fast do you want to go today?"
WRENTZLOG <wren...@aol.com> wrote in article
<19961223050...@ladder01.news.aol.com>...
DeaneB2139
My 97 TA WS6 had the oil leak problem. It was dripping oil from the rear
of the engine on the passenger side. The oil drips would end up on the
ground just inside and behind the front right tire(after they dripped on
the exhaust pipe - does that smell good). Took it to the dealer who said,"
oh yea, we get this all the time (boy that made me real confident). He
resealed the intake manifold. He also replaced the rear main seal (another
confidence builder with only 3,000 miles on the car).
The car ran great after the repairs and no more oil leak.
Then a new problem developed. When I would run the car through the car
wash (with the underbody spray) the service engine light would come on and
the car would run really rough like it was missing on more than one
cylinder. By the time I would exit the car wash the engine would be
running ok but the check engine light would still be on.
Took it to the dealer and he checked the computer and it had thrown a code
for a misfire on 3 cylinders. Their mechanic said he thought the engine
had a vacumn leak through the intake manifold seal and that I was sucking
water and causing the 3 cylinders to not fire (sounded pretty farfetched
to me, but this is warrenty work so what the hell). So they resealed the
intake manifold again (I should mention that this is another dealer - not
the one who did the work the first time).Problem cured. Made it through
the car wash without throwing a code or misfire - but I am now running
ruff on an idle (another vacumn leak?).
The upshot is I have lost all confidence in GM. It's not like this is a
new engine design or anything. You know who is paying for all these
warrenty repairs - you and me when we pay for the car!
Waiting for the engine to run right before I do the mods.
Deane in Michigan
Patrick Gattafoni
Chris wrote:
>
> OK,
> I have a question for you. Was the oil visible in the engine bay as a leak
> or was it mysteriously disappearing into the engine? I just finished some
> work on my car and now it seems to be sucking down some oil although there
> is no drip and there was never any oil burning before, now it's
> disappearing, and I was wondering if this is that was happening with you
> guys who had leaky intake manifold gaskets.
> Thanks in advance...
Chris, I had the intake leak in my 95 TA, and it wasn't as obvious when
looking in the engine compartment as you'd think. I was losing about a
quart every 2500-3000 miles and could smell oil burning when I got out
of the car. There was a small puddle of oil in the front area when you
looked inside the engine compartment though, and that's what clued the
dealer to the problem. I had mine replaced about 1000 miles ago and it
now doesn't burn a drop!
Patrick Gattafoni
95 TA
87 Mustang GT
Wayne
On 23 Dec 1996 09:09:35 GMT, "Chris" <chen...@chenevich.xo.com>
wrote:
>OK,
> I have a question for you. Was the oil visible in the engine bay as a leak
>or was it mysteriously disappearing into the engine? I just finished some
>work on my car and now it seems to be sucking down some oil although there
>is no drip and there was never any oil burning before, now it's
>disappearing, and I was wondering if this is that was happening with you
>guys who had leaky intake manifold gaskets.
>Thanks in advance...
>--
>Chris Chenevich
>Pyramid Engineering
>"How fast do you want to go today?"
>
When I had the problem on my '96 Formula, it was just a burning oil
smell. I checked the oil EVERY gas fill up and it never used any oil.
Once they replaced the intake manifold gasket, under warranty, the
smell went away.
RBarger
I have a '96 WS6 and also had to have my intake gasket replaced. The
mechanic at the dealership told me that GM used a different sealant for a
period of time other than Delco and they are having to replace a lot of
them.
Gary Hensley
Coming back from a trip to Indiana my oil light poped on and I was 3
quarts low on oil. This just after 1500 miles from having the oil
changed. Dealer ended up finding two different leaks. 1 on the
head gasket and 1 on the intake manifold. Sounds like a common
problem on the LT1.
Gary Hensley
gary-h...@worldnet.att.net
MGADBURY
Walter,
You're not the only one with the leak. I bought a used 96 SS (1800
miles) from
a friend of mine and it leaked oil all over the place. The Chrevolt
dealership replaced the gasket and so far (one week) no more leaks. There
is a service
bulletin regarding the problem. #476111. It really has to do with the
sealant used
and not so much the gasket. Good Luck
Mark Gadbury
Fort Collins, CO
MGAD...@aol.com
Mike Leazure
KearneyG wrote:
>
> Me too here. My '97 SS has only 700 miles in it and is leaking oil on the
> right side, dripping on the exhaust. The dealer looked at it and said
> "looks like the intake is leaking pretty good". I'm taking it in next week
> for repair.
>
> Geno
KearneyG -
I have a '96 SS that had the same oil leak. It is the intake manifold
and you can blame SLP for using a too thin a line of gasket sealer after
they enlarge the intake.
Mike
HMah414055
Same here on my 94 Z28. Wow, what were they thinking!?
Performin' Norman
PS. Service bulletin number is 476111
KearneyG
Mike
BBz27 wrote:
>
> Mike Leazure wrote:
> >
> > I have a '96 SS that had the same oil leak. It is the intake manifold
> > and you can blame SLP for using a too thin a line of gasket sealer after
> > they enlarge the intake.
> >
> > Mike
>
> SS conversion?
>
> --
> Dante Ibarra bib...@gmu.edu
> 1969 Camaro SS http://www.kirtland.cc.mi.us/f-body/diss/diss.html
> 1994 Firebird Formula
Dante,
SLP has to remove the I. manifold to install the forced air induction
system that improves air flow. The re-install I believe is where the
problem lies. GM my also be at fault, but SLP is simply following GM's
specs. The problem keeps going and going and ...
Wayne
On Sat, 28 Dec 1996 21:46:29 -0800, Mike Leazure <in...@ricochet.net>
wrote:
>KearneyG -
>
>I have a '96 SS that had the same oil leak. It is the intake manifold
>and you can blame SLP for using a too thin a line of gasket sealer after
>they enlarge the intake.
>
>Mike
Just about all of us have it... not just the SS guys.
Methinks it's GM, not SLP.
--------------
Wayne Edelen '96 Firebird Formula
Frederick, MD Med Drk Purple
wred...@clark.net 1SC, TTops, !CAGS, AS&M Cold Air
Jim Petkus
Chris wrote:
>
> Hmm,
> I may be wrong here but I am pretty sure they would not have to remove the
> intake manifold to install any of the SLP items. The Ram Air intake pieces
> sit atop the intake manifold but mate to an otherwise stock throttle body
> and intake manifold. Besides, I've heard of plenty of non SS cars with the
> same problems.
> --
> Chris Chenevich
> Pyramid Engineering
> "How fast do you want to go today?"
>
> > BBz27 wrote:
> > >
> > > Mike Leazure wrote:
> > > >
> > > > and you can blame SLP for using a too thin a line of gasket sealer
> after
> > > > they enlarge the intake.
> > > >
> > > > Mike
> > >
> manifold during the
> > > SS conversion?
> > >
> > > --
> > > Dante Ibarra bib...@gmu.edu
> > > 1969 Camaro SS http://www.kirtland.cc.mi.us/f-body/diss/diss.html
> > > 1994 Firebird Formula
> > Dante,
> >
> > SLP has to remove the I. manifold to install the forced air induction
> > system that improves air flow. The re-install I believe is where the
> > problem lies. GM my also be at fault, but SLP is simply following GM's
> > specs. The problem keeps going and going and ...
> >
I experienced an oil leak on my 95 Z28 when it was only a couple of
months old. I have heard plenty of tails of leaky LT1's.
Jim Petkus
BBz27
Mike wrote:
>
> SLP has to remove the I. manifold to install the forced air induction
> system that improves air flow. The re-install I believe is where the
> problem lies. GM my also be at fault, but SLP is simply following GM's
> specs. The problem keeps going and going and ...
I thought the ram air intake assembly was a simple bolt on deal for the Firehawks/WS6
and SS at least it looks like it was. I was unaware that the entire manifold had to be
removed to do this during the SLP conversion...do they bore out the manifold because I
thought SLP still used the stock 48mm throttle body?
BBz27
Mike Leazure wrote:
>
> I have a '96 SS that had the same oil leak. It is the intake manifold
> and you can blame SLP for using a too thin a line of gasket sealer after
> they enlarge the intake.
>
> Mike
I dont think SLP is to blame...GM. What did SLP do to your intake manifold during the
SS conversion?
--
Rob Gallagher
Mike Leazure wrote:
>
>
> I have a '96 SS that had the same oil leak. It is the intake manifold
> and you can blame SLP for using a too thin a line of gasket sealer after
> they enlarge the intake.
>
> Mike
SLP does obsolutely nothing to the intake manifold or heads. The oil
leak is because GM does not use enough sealer.
Rob Gallagher
1996 Z/28 SS #889, White, M6, T-tops, Torsen, Bilstein
SLP exhaust, PEG2, graphite leather, Pwr Seat, BOSE CD
SFC's, K&N airfilter, 160 Powerstat, HPP+,1LE DS
Pwr Ant, Mobil 1(oil&ATF), !CAGS, 4.10 Strange
UD pulley
Rob Gallagher
Mike wrote:
>
> BBz27 wrote:
> >
> > Mike Leazure wrote:
> > >
> > > I have a '96 SS that had the same oil leak. It is the intake manifold
> > > and you can blame SLP for using a too thin a line of gasket sealer after
> > > they enlarge the intake.
> > >
> > > Mike
> >
> > SS conversion?
> >
> > --
> > Dante Ibarra bib...@gmu.edu
> > 1969 Camaro SS http://www.kirtland.cc.mi.us/f-body/diss/diss.html
> > 1994 Firebird Formula
>
> SLP has to remove the I. manifold to install the forced air induction
> system that improves air flow. The re-install I believe is where the
> problem lies. GM my also be at fault, but SLP is simply following GM's
> specs. The problem keeps going and going and ...
There is no requirement to remove the intake to add the assembly that
sets
on top of the intake and fuel rails. The owners manual shows an
isometric
drawing of the assembly including thottle body snorkel, MAF and air box.
To
install this does not require the removal of the intake. In fact if you
install the 160 deg. thermostat you find life is much easier by removing
this assembly and it takes a total of about 15 minutes and that includes
the first of several beers one would consume while doing the thermostat
change. The total thermo. change takes maybe 30 to 45 minutes and that
is working very slow. FWIW.
--
Chris
Hmm,
I may be wrong here but I am pretty sure they would not have to remove the
intake manifold to install any of the SLP items. The Ram Air intake pieces
sit atop the intake manifold but mate to an otherwise stock throttle body
and intake manifold. Besides, I've heard of plenty of non SS cars with the
same problems.
--
Chris Chenevich
Pyramid Engineering
"How fast do you want to go today?"
Mike <in...@ricochet.net> wrote in article <32C70D...@ricochet.net>...
Mike
> >
Well I stand corrected. I actually thought the intake manifold was
removed during the conversion process. I had it in my mind that SLP
enlarged the intake in addition to the air induction.
I have learned a lot from the posts over the last few days.
So the question still remains whats the problem with these oil leaks?
Such a fine car - F-body - to have this blimish is a shame.
Thanks to all that addressed this issue.
Mike
Mike
yates wrote:
>
> Slp does not remove the intake manifold,wherever you got that info
> from is totally bogus.Truth be told the Slp intake pieces are easier to
> install than stock z-28 components.There was rumor that Slp ported
> the exhaust manifolds,but that was done ONLY to test mules that were
> flogged to the media.The sad fact is,a SS and stock z-28 are so close
> in performance it snot worth mentioning.Slp bulshitted the public
> with thier hopped up SS.I feel sorry for all the people who
> bought these thinking they were the street terrors they werebilled to be.
Yates-
Okay, no arguement about the intake manifold, but your shots at SLP seem
a little strong. Where does your info come from? I have seen a lot of
stats from different sources that say there is a noticeable performance
gain with the SS. And more important to me, the seat of the pants, balls
to the walls test drives I took proved to me the extra cash was worth
it.
I drove at least 9 '96 Z28's, all brand new from different dealers. Then
I got real serious with the dealer of choice. I took 2, I repeat 2 SS's
for a ride I will never do with my own, and could feel the extra kick in
the small of my back.
Yes, SS buyers pay a heep of money, but we get it all right off the
showroom floor with a warranty to boot. The styling, "17 245's, leather,
6M, etc. The perfect poor man's Corvette!!!
My point is, we paid for the fastest F-body GM has to offer.
Mike
yates
Super Dave
Why would they have to remove the intake? The forced-air induction system
is nothing more than a different plastic pipe between the throttle body and
the air filter, and a different hood.
--
Super Dave
1996 SS Z28 #171
ATI Supercharged + Intercooled
the...@cyberramp.net
elix...@aol.com
>Okay, no arguement about the intake manifold, but your shots at SLP seem
>a little strong. Where does your info come from? I have seen a lot of
>stats from different sources that say there is a noticeable performance
>gain with the SS. And more important to me, the seat of the pants, balls
>to the walls test drives I took proved to me the extra cash was worth
>it.
I gotta agree with that statement. I own a 96 Z28 and have been pulled on
the on-ramps by SS's. Its not a huge difference, but that extra 4 feet
the SS's consistantly get on me is enough to convince me that I need to
make a mod or two. hehehe.
Would *I* buy an SS? Nope. Nice cars, but not *that* nice. The extra
thousands could make a Z sit-up and run with a Viper. (Maybe not, but you
get the idea.)
Grins....
Jeff
MCWatts
I've read from a lot of people that they think the $3k upgrade cost for a
SS/WS6 is too much. I felt that it depended on what you wanted to buy. I
dare you to get a painted hood, the intake kit, and most importantly the
wheels for less than that. You'll pay more, and not have a production
car. But if all you want is straight line speed and don't care about 17"
rims, you probably could spend the money more effectively on just the
engine. Just my $.02 worth.
-Colin Watts-
-------------------'96 Silver Trans-Am Ram-Air-------------------------
T-Tops, Leather, CD, Most
everything else. Gotta love it!
-------------------My own personal Silver Bullet------------------------
BBz27
Mike wrote:
> Okay, no arguement about the intake manifold, but your shots at SLP seem
> a little strong. Where does your info come from? I have seen a lot of
> stats from different sources that say there is a noticeable performance
> gain with the SS. And more important to me, the seat of the pants, balls
> to the walls test drives I took proved to me the extra cash was worth
> it.
Car and driver rated the SLP SS way above its supposedly twin WS6 but it was later
revealed that the Car and Driver Camaro SS vs WS6 vs Cobra performance test were a bit
misleading. The Camaro SS that SLP supplied had a few thousand miles on it whereas the
other two were brand new and that SS did have the exhaust manifolds extrude honed that
apparently production SS dont get.
> My point is, we paid for the fastest F-body GM has to offer.
Maybe and I like the looks of the SS but IMO a Z-28/Firebird and a few engine/suspension
mods would have been cheaper. I do like the Torsen Diff only available on the SS. later
SEM 7041
Can I hear an AMEN!?!
To each their own......to sit there and be judgemental of another persons
decision to buy an SS is rediculous. Three grand for the SS package is
not a rip off.......if that is what you want. Colin was absolutely right
when he said that you would be hard pressed to get the equip. for less
that that.....you'd probably have to double the figure.
OK.....now that I have stated my $0.02 worth.....I do have a legit
item/question to add regarding this string.....
I have a '95 Z. At 14K miles, I developed an oil leak at the rear of the
block. The oil was all over the flywheel cover, transmission pan,
exhaust, etc. Well, I took the car in to the dealer and (amazingly) after
only 2 visits they managed to fix the problem. Turned out that the rear
main seal had gone bad (dunno why).
Well, now my baby has 33K on her odometer and I am again having some more
serious oil leakage problems.....only this time it seems to be leaking
down the passengers side of the flywheel cover (from in front of it, near
the oil filter). Is this the notorious Intake manifold prob. that
everyone is chattering about? I am gonna be calling the dealer again in
the next week or two to bring it in and I would like to know some info. up
front.
Thanks for any help
Steve McCorry (sem...@aol.com)
'95 Sebring Silver Z-28
Mike
Dante-
Yes, your right about making after purchase mods. for less cash. I
understand the thrill of the hunt that drives many of the guys on this
NG. This combination of finding the right parts, the right shop, the
right adivice, all at the right price can be very fulfilling. That
feeling of doing it yourself is great.
I am not blessed with that much time in this stage of my life. I run a
business most of my waking hours in that quest to make a ton of money.
Oh yea, I almost forgot, I have a wife and 2 kids that run around like
the energizer bunny! Keeps me busy.
My escape is this bad-ass car I bought after a profitable 1995.
Anyway, my purpose is not sound like a yuppie with more money than time.
I want to state saving money is important to a point. This point I
mention tends to change as you grow older. I'm 36 and my priorities are
much different than when I was 23 or 28, etc. I have no less desire for
speed, likely more because of my experiences. I simply want instant
gratification. Kinda like being in control of the remote.
The SS fills the void in my life much as I'm sure it does for many of
you guys. Fast car, unusual styling.
Please understand I wish my life was organized enough to take the time
to find all the above contacts. It is not, so I drag my tired bones from
dealer to dealer for 3 weeks, piss my main squeeze off for neglecting
her and kids, to find a race car. I do, it's called an SS.
Mike
Wayne
On Mon, 30 Dec 1996 22:40:37 -0800, Mike <in...@ricochet.net> wrote:
><snip'd>
>I have learned a lot from the posts over the last few days.
Stick around, this NG is the best in the land for just that.
>So the question still remains whats the problem with these oil leaks?
>Such a fine car - F-body - to have this blimish is a shame.
Unfortunately, that's not the only blemish. You learn to live with
some, the warranty takes care of some and the aftermarket picks up the
rear.
RAM LT 1
The SS and WS6 definitly have a gasget sealing problem. Iam a good friend
of a the dealer of Rogers Pontiac in Chicago,he took care of my car like
his own. He told me that they had a recall on the ws6. It took most of the
day so I ran out and got some nice mr. gasget valve covers. So far its
been great I put a Borla exhaust on and its like a champ. Also I want to
put a hypertech computer programer plus in with a 52 mm throtle bod from
BBK but Im still research that any advice would be great thanks.
yates
The reason for my comment was that the SS that was tested,in
particular in High Tech Perf.was obviously a ringer,since these
numbers are not being duplicated with production cars.I'd call it
fraud.If I had bought one and later found out my car is at best
marginally faster than a stock Z,Id be pissed.Just my .02
BEAR07
Oil leaks on the LT-1 engine have nothing to do with the SS conversion
sine SLP does not remoe the intake manifold. This is a very common
problem with all LT-1 engines. GM has issued issued a service bulletin to
fix this condition.
MGADBURY
Go to the dealer and mention service bulletin #476111. Problem should be
fixed right away. I have no more leaks after the fix.
ThunderLT1
I spent $15000 on my 94 Z28 a year ago with only 12000 miles on it. Spent
$800 in mods (intake, chip, exhaust, ignition) and I run 13.4's w/2.73's
and GSC's. I just spent $400 for a set of '97 Trans Am 5 spoke wheels,
makes the car look very aggressive. I need springs though because the damn
car sits too high for stock. Lower springs I've noticed make 16 inch
wheels look like 17's.
The SS is a lot of hype, but the 17 inch 275 wheel and tire combo, ram
air system, hood, exhaust, Hurst shifter, "High" resale, better racing
shocks (a lot worse for dragging though), stronger limited slip make the
car worth while. You can not get all those "quality" goods for $5000 in
the aftermarket.
By the way my intake seal was replaced when I had the leaky rear main seal
replaced. The rear end filler bolt leaks too. All this leaking is making
me very nervous when my warrenty runs out.
Thunder LT1
MCWatts
I didn't have any more leaks either, but now I have a weird noise coming
from the throttle body that sound just like an exhaust leak. But it only
happens when you "bog" the engine. It also seems a little harder to start
in the morning. So I guess it's back to the shop AGAIN...
-Colin Watts (now to be found at mcw...@gj.net despite this last AOL
post!)-
Chris
Have whoever is fixing your car check the Tube that attaches to the rear of
the intake manifold, I had a hairline crack there and we never fond what
was making the damn ticking noise till I had to pull the manifold and lo
and behold it was cracked and surrounded by carbon debris.
--
Chris Chenevich
Pyramid Engineering
"How fast do you want to go today?"
MCWatts <mcw...@aol.com> wrote in article
<19970106191...@ladder01.news.aol.com>...
SKINS Z
I have '93 Z and it has had an oil leak since about 17000 miles (now
25000). I have taken it to the dealer twice and both times they said it
was the intake manifold seal leaking. Both times I told them that it
looked like the rear main seal. Well there is still a puddle forming in
my garage.
I still think its an incredibly priced, well performing car. My 6 spd.
has a Hurst shifter, Performance Resource chip, Saga ram air kit, K&N
Filter, Edelbrock headers, Flowmaster exhaust w/ big block muffler, and
who needs the cat.
For the winter my plans are to install frame conectors, 4.10 gear, and a
set of Mickey Thompson DOT slicks.
MGADBURY
It's no doubt the intake manifold gasket. The Service Bulletin number is
476111. Let the dealer know and have them replace the gasket. That should
take care of it for you.
RVolk52664
I also own a 96 SS. I bought it new and when I rolled over 2500 miles, I
had to take in to the dealership to have the intake manifold gaskets
replaced too. Really bumbed me out. Anyone experience rear end problems
(poppling and grinding??) That also was replaced (not due to drag racing).
Let me know. My E-Mail address is rvolk...@aol.com