new to ls1

[coolvxss]

hey guys. Newbie here. Tomorrow im picking up a 2002 vx ss 6sp. I have booked into a mechanic to get it all checked out before i hand the money over. I have taken it for a drive and had a look over it myself and it seemed all sweet. Is there any common problems i should be looking for? Thanks guys

[Palmer]

Diff Whine seems to be a common problem - means you need to get it reconditioned or a new one

Perhaps check to feel how the clutch feels (any smells etc) - should be ok if its fairly stock though

[coolvxss]

Yeah car is 100% stock. Hmm when i took it for a drive i couldnt hear any diff noises. But wasnt really looking for diff wine. i have to release the clutch a fair way before it starts grabbing. is this a sign of wear of is that normal? Clutch expensive for vx's?

[LS1-5.7]

Looks like you've already bought it judging by your user name coolvx, must be a good sign ;) How many K's are on it and what colour is it ? Generally by the time VX came around, piston slap and gudgeon pin issues were resolved but it wont hurt to listen to it start up from stone cold to operating temp and listen for any unusual noises. The clutch does sound like it's seen better days so budget about $1200 to replace it with something you won't need to replace again. Overall , they're pretty much over engineered in many areas and not too much goes wrong with them. Obviously check service history etc with the owner and try giving the selling dealer a call to see what sort of service/warranty items have been repaired on it. If it feels tight and drives well then the rest may be fine as well and cars generally speak for themselves in appearance. I hope it turns out to be the one you want and good luck :woot:

[coolvxss]

when i took it for a drive it seemed perfect:) so im pretty sure it should all be good. i was gona hand the money over on the weekend, but my parents told me to get it checked out at a mechanic just incase, so i have it booked in for tomorrow. so should have it in my hands tomorrow avo:)

its got 170 000km on it, which i thought is a little high, but the body is very straight. brand new tyres. and interior looks like its new. Its been owned by an older fella, so dont think its been thrashed or anything. Even still has original stereo so thats prob a sign no young kid has owned and thrashed it. cant wait to get it. i have been looking for 6 months. found it hard to get a 6sp in good condition. everytime i found one seemed like hasnt been looked after or been in smash or something. but this one looks good:)
Oh yeah its silver in colour

[redvxr8clubby]

170,000 Km is high, but some on this site say the engines are good for many more Km's, don't forget all your cars components have done 170,000 Km, transmission, brakes, clutch, suspension. However the condition sounds great, and others you have seen haven't been so great. See how your inspection comes up. The other thing is price, a car with 170,000 Km is above average Km, even though you are happy with condition, the price should be lower than average - if you trade it in, the dealers will hit your trade in value pretty hard. Remember you only have to rack up 30,000 Km - depending on the km's you drive, you'll probably be over 200,000 Km in less than 2 years, resale price will take a hammering when you get to those clicks. But if your happy with the car, go for it. M6 is the way to go, :goodjob:

[LS1-5.7]

Well the k's are a little high but that's not always a bad thing. I'd prefer a car that has done 170000 km's in a good life compared to one with 50000 km of abuse and poor or no maintenance. If the $$$ are right then go for it. Won't be long before you start modding it anyway lol. Silver does tend to fade prematurely so check that it has not had the crapper buffed out of it to rejuvinate it as this will leave the paint very thin in places.

[glavas]

so whats a vx worth at the moment annyway? 8-10k?

[coolvxss]

Well i got the car checked out, and now have some things to think about. the mechanic found an oil leak, seems to be coming from upper part of engine. said maybe the rocker covers. But didnt diagnose the problem because that wasnt part of the report. Where are oil leaks common on these engines? and are they easy to fix? or hard and expensive? also the steering rack has a leak. the rest of car is pretty good. Just wasnt sure about the oil leaks and stuff

[redvxr8clubby]

From reading various threads previously, leaking rocker covers aren't unusual and a straight forward fix. I had a steering rack replaced in my VS a few years ago - I am thinking for a reconditioned rack you might be looking atleast$400? given the car has 170,000km on it, if that's all thats wrong it's pretty good. Maybe telling you something you already know, but your buying used, so allow some dollars for some repairs, chances are something unexpected will crop up.

[coolvxss]

Im hoping its rocker covers. how can i check if its the rocker covers. The mechanic only showed me the oil leak from under car when the car was up on the hoist, so couldnt really tell where it was coming from. All i know its from top of engine somewhere. when you look in engine bay, cant see where oil could be leaking. guessing i have to take the plastic engine cover off to see the rockers?

[SirNemesis]

If its coming from the back of the engine it could be an oil pressure sensor. When these sensors fail oil can leak through them and then drip down the back of the block. About $100 to fix that.

[LS1-5.7]

Nothing serious in any of that. Don't forget it's done some work over the years and it is really just "maintenance" and would be the same with any car you buy. Oil leak will be simple to fix and as for the rack, they leak from new so don't be too alarmed :rofl: Again, a justifiable repair and not likely to have to be done again. If you pick it up for the right price then throw some good money at it as it's better to know what HAS been fixed on it rather than know it is still ok but could fail soon due to the mileage ..... Be sure to send us a pic so we know what we're talking about. Cheers

[coolvxss]

He called me up today, and said he is going to take it into the mechanic thisavo to sus out the problems because he didnt even know the problems existed. there is no oil on his driveway or anything.

Another thing i just remember is that the inside of his front tyres are wearing out fast. The mechanic said it could be due to worn bushes? is this true? The tyres are only few thousand kms old and you can already see serious wear on inside tyre. especially on the right tyre. the owner didnt even know, because the tyres look fine untill you look right under when the car is jacked up

[DukeZ]

welcome to the wonderful world of vx ss ownership lol....tyres helli chew thru a set in under 12months and thats sensible driving damn camber issues :)

[OscarTheGrouch]

welcome to the wonderful world of vx ss ownership lol....tyres helli chew thru a set in under 12months and thats sensible driving damn camber issues :)

With the rear tyres it'd be camber problems maybe, but not so likely the fronts.

Front tyres wearing on the inside like that points to a wheel alignment problem. You just need to get it aligned and get them to check the suspension while you're at it to make sure there aren't worn components causing the alignment to go out of whack prematurely.

If you are getting the steering rack replaced it will need an alignment once that's done anyway.

[coolvxss]

Hey guys, been a while since i posted. but i finally got the vx:) the problems got fixed. New steering rack and bushes.

First thing i want to do is get an exhaust. stock exhaust is way too quiet. I cant afford a full exhaust system at this time, so is it possible to do it in bits? like first i want a catback so i cant get it louder. Then later down the track when i get more cash, i will get the rest done. is this possible?

If so, what is a good sounding catback at a reasonable price. I want it loud, but not straight pipe loud. And what is the price range for catbacks on the ls1's? i think i would like a twin 2.5inch. or should i go the 3inch? My only future mods are going to be, maffless tune, and headers and cats. but those mods wont come till some time. just want the catback for now.

Cheers

[WOMBIE]

Mate go to the Sureflo Exhaust sponsor section and have a look at this Australian LS1 and Holden Forums (http://www.ls1.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=27448) ........it's got quite a bit of info and might just be what your looking for :)

[coolvxss]

Can someone please give me a rough price range on catbacks? I prob want it installed, or is it hard to put a catback exhaust on yourself? because then i could get one off the net. cheers

[JT]

It's relatively easy to change catback if you are handy with tools

[VXSS346]

Can someone please give me a rough price range on catbacks? I prob want it installed, or is it hard to put a catback exhaust on yourself? because then i could get one off the net. cheers

$350 for cheap crap all the way to $1500.

If you wan't mild steel, $350 to $700, Stainless steel above $700. Roughly. :)

Best to do a search and read up on it, and listen to different systems, (outside and inside the car) otherwise you might end up doing it more than once until you get the exhaust you wan't, like I and many others have. :(

BTW Nice car mate, Congratulations.

Cheers :)

[DukeZ]

jsut drop ur pipes at the cats????

i paid a 1000 for my rear section stainless :)

up to u wat u want tho check the sponsors thread for some good deals

[silver_ss]

i payed around 1500 extractors through minus hiflow cats bout 600 or so for twin 2.5 cat back

[zimmerpete]

You will be seriously disappointed with just a catback. I did it and hated it! Sounded bloody terrible. Took it straight back to the shop the next day, spent the extra coin and got steal hi-flow cats and a set of extractors as well, love it !!

[coolvxss]

I will be getting extractors eventually when i get more money, but thought might aswell do it in bits. anything has got to sound better then stock exhaust. I found this exhaust on ebay. Has anybody bought an exhaust from ebay before. i have only got carstands at home which are not that high, so will this make it hard to fit myself?

I dont really know anybody with a ls1 so cant really listen for one i like. which is crap cause i dont want to buy an exhaust that i dont like. but i have heard good things about xforce

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/XFORCE-TWIN-2-5-CAT-BACK-EXHAUST-VT-Z-COMMODORE-2-1-2_W0QQitemZ200381428791QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAU_Car_P arts_Accessories?hash=item2ea7a9f437&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

cheers