The Camaro Club (UK)

Afternoon fellas

Going to give the old girl a service this weekend. I do about 3000 miles a year in her and havent serviced her in about 10k, so looking to do quite a major one.

Apart from the following, can anyone think of anything else I should do? She has brand new coilovers, braces, brake pads and discs and a new K&N panel filter so these should be sorted. Checked oil last weekend and it is not black, but I think she deserves a bit of a spruce nonetheless. Also, what oils/fluids do everyone reccomend? Not worried about price really unless its silly!

Planning on:

Oil change
Oil Filter change
New sump plug gasket
Diff Oil change
New sparkplugs
Elbow grease under bonnet
Washer fluid

Any need to do trans fluid do you think? Not a clue how to do it so hoping not. Also read about a coolant flush, looks a bit involved, only seen it reccomended in "my car is overheating" threads, not as a service procuedure.

Also, how on earth do you get to the rearmost plugs on a 4th gen ls1?

Cheers all

Ferdi

I've heard plugs on LS engines can be a pig..
Something about going in from underneath rings a bell, might be worth checking online/youtube etc for some guidance.

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“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.”

If you have´nt a drain plug in the transmission pan it´s a messy job.
If the fluid on the dipstick is´nt dark or smells burnt I´d leave it.

A friend at Vauxhall told me transmission fluid is´nt a serviced item.....and that was years and years ago.

Cheers guys. i'll do the trans fluid test and hopefully wont need to change it.

Plugs look a nightmare, might be a "pay someone else" job sadly.

I'll crack on with the ENgine and diff oil though, see what the chaps at Customville say/sell me.

Cheers again.

gotta jack her up and do last one(or poss 2) rear plugs from under. A note to all, its a brilliant excuse to get some long tube headers, plugs are sooooo easy then

Make sure you use a specialist you can trust to do plugs if you dont do it. My car had FSH when I bought it. INC plug changes, which HAD NOT been done, they only did easy ones


Worth doing a fuel filter if it's never been done too. They don't usually fill up with crap but again if you're at it.

If your auto box is working well and no issues then don't mess with fluid unless it is burn. But if it smells burn and looks dark its worth changing, but be warned you take all the particles out that have been 'adhering' to the clutches. When you wash all these out and put fresh fluid in you can actually amplify an existing problem that you didnt know about. Best thing is to leave and not worry

Hows your coolant look? If its not too bad might be ok, but life on coolant is ~5 yrs so up to you really. I only did mine cause I got a new rad

I use AC delco 5w30 fully synth (about 20-30 quid), one 5 litre fills her right up (quoted 5.2 but dont need the 0.2). I use K and N oil filters about £10, fram are crap stay away. I use redline in my rear end. 75-90 I think. I use one tub of non slip and one normal. They have LSD additive in already. You should have zexel diff (98 + years usually but I have seen a 98 with an auburn) so don't need the additive really but it quietens the rear a little.

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'99 Z28 A4, 253 LS2 heads, 228R TSP cam, Patriol Dual Springs, Double roller timing chain, LS6 ported oil pump, OBX LTs, 3" True Duals, LS6 intake, 42lb/hr injectors, SLP lid + bellow, EFIlive COS 3 Speed Denisty Tune (self tuned), 3200 Circle D stall, CAI mod, KYB AGXs, Eibach Pro Front Springs, UMI panhard, LCA + Brackets, Strut Brace, Custom Subframe connectors, WS6 axle with 3.42s, 18" American Racing Rebels, US mirrors, 93 tail lights, 3.5 inch custom cowl hood. Mickey T's Street DRs on Vette-ZR1 wheels for the strip !
Best ET: 12.0 @ 116 mph (on a 0-60ft of 1.8 s)

I would suggest
- Brake fluid replace. I might be out of date, but as it ages it absorbs water and isn't good for you braking system
- Coolant replace - I haven't done this for a while, but I don't recall it being very difficult? You shouldn't mix OAT (Orange/pink) with err the other one (green). OAT is what you should have and as has been said about is meant to be good for 5 years.

In my experience both the above are frequently missed. So I always do both whenever I buy a new car. I'd guess the alloy Ls1 doesn't like to be short of (badly named) anti-freeze. Its as much about corrosion as frost protection.

Check the power steering fluid, although not usually a problem

Cheers chaps.

Got some Kendall 10W-30 fron customville (£7.50 a quart), will change that this weekend and pop in to get a fuel filter. Is it a job that involves any kind of bleeding or pressure?

Probably going to do the diff once its on the road and has had a chance to have a good run. Totally ignorant, is it a case of undoing a plug, draining and then brimming?

Thanks all.

The easy way to change the transmission fluid, I did it this way for years and on literally thousands of cars.

Start the engine and let it idle until it's toasty and all the particles in the fluid are in suspension. Turn the engine off.

Open the bonnet and look at the left hand side of your radiator where you will see the two metal pipes from the transmission to the oil cooler in the radiator.

Remove the top one and push a piece of rubber hose over the pipe and put the other end in a 5 gallon bucket.

Start the engine and let it idle.

Now watch as the old fluid is gently pumped out of your transmission into the bucket.
The moment you see bubbles in the bucket turn the engine off because all the old fluid is now out.
Re connect the cooler line and refill the transmission. If the transmission was at the correct fluid level when you started however much is in the bucket will give you a good idea how much fluid you need for the refill.
No the filter didn't get changed, but if it's blocked enough to limit fluid flow you have major transmission problems anyway and it will have to come out.

That's a good tip for changing Trans Fluid Neil !
Even doing it the official way and dropping the sump it still is only a partial change as a lot of fluid is trapped in the converter...
Using your method it would be possible to partly refill the box once the bubbles appear and do a full fluid change

Ferdi...don't be putting 10 w 30 in an LS1 its too thick when cold, needs the 5 w 30 the oil really is ideal

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'99 Z28 A4, 253 LS2 heads, 228R TSP cam, Patriol Dual Springs, Double roller timing chain, LS6 ported oil pump, OBX LTs, 3" True Duals, LS6 intake, 42lb/hr injectors, SLP lid + bellow, EFIlive COS 3 Speed Denisty Tune (self tuned), 3200 Circle D stall, CAI mod, KYB AGXs, Eibach Pro Front Springs, UMI panhard, LCA + Brackets, Strut Brace, Custom Subframe connectors, WS6 axle with 3.42s, 18" American Racing Rebels, US mirrors, 93 tail lights, 3.5 inch custom cowl hood. Mickey T's Street DRs on Vette-ZR1 wheels for the strip !
Best ET: 12.0 @ 116 mph (on a 0-60ft of 1.8 s)