2002 Camaro SS Concern

[CamaroSS354]

ok, i'm a huge camaro fan just like everyone on this forum so i know quite a bit about them but i'm not an expert. i plan on buyin an 02 SS by next summer and i was wonderin if there were anything i need to know about them. for example, what are some things i need to lookout for on the car before i buy one, pros, cons, etc... thanks for any help!

[luvmyz28]

well the only thing I can say right off would be to just take a look at all the different areas on this site. alot of helpful threads in here. the only stuff that comes to mind would be that the rear ends on these cars (meaning the98-02 ta and camaros ls1s) are weak. so listen for the whining growling sounds from it or take a peek under to see if there is any heavy leakage. grab the driveshaft at the rear and give it a shake to check for play in the bearing. roof bubbles are common as well. from what I hear it has to do with the glue used for the tops. thats only cosmetic though. thats all I got right now. just do the usual checks for anything else like previous body damage or mechanical type stuff.

[meathammer]

well the only thing I can say right off would be to just take a look at all the different areas on this site. alot of helpful threads in here. the only stuff that comes to mind would be that the rear ends on these cars (meaning the98-02 ta and camaros ls1s) are weak. so listen for the whining growling sounds from it or take a peek under to see if there is any heavy leakage. grab the driveshaft at the rear and give it a shake to check for play in the bearing. roof bubbles are common as well. from what I hear it has to do with the glue used for the tops. thats only cosmetic though. thats all I got right now. just do the usual checks for anything else like previous body damage or mechanical type stuff.

All very true

[Baluchitherium]

Yeah man.. good info given.

Let me say first that I love these cars but like many vehicles they do have a decent list of problems that plague them.

Weak spots I have noticed:

Rear ends
Bad window motors
Hydraulic systems on the M6 (six speed manuals)
Every F-Body I have had has ALWAYS had AC problems
Headlight motors on Firebirds
Leaky T-Tops on some
VATS system seems to crap out alot (the little key security thing )
Fuel pumps seem weak on these cars.
Dash Cracks
Many LS1's seem to burn oil between changes
Warped rotors seem to plague these cars. My trick is to torque the lugs evenly with a torque wrench whenever reinstalling your wheels...Haven't had a problem since.
And I have seen quite a bit of alts,cat converters going out on these cars...

The good side:
My car is going on 140K + on original motor,tranny and doesn't burn any oil between changes.

Pulls very strong,looks great,drives fantastic (for me) and when you sort out any little bugs that these cars get they are hard to touch in the ol' fun factor department.

Use your common sense when test driving...test drive as many as you can so you get a good feel for them and you can tell the difference in feel from a well maintained F-Body and a beat up put away wet car...

Look for signs of collisions like paint that doesn't match very well,newer headlight on one side,misaligned body panels (although some misalignments are very common from the factory.Like Camaro tail light panels are off quite often).

Front fenders tend to be popped out a little bit just behind the front tires.This comes from people who don't bother to look under the car before jacking and they end up bending the bottom mounting point of the fender causing the fender to bulge a bit.No biggie,just carefully straighten,problem solved.

Not all these problems happen to everyone's cars,these have just been bugs that I have personally noticed over the course of owning 7 F-bodies over the years...Not to mention F-Bodies my brothers have owned as well...

Anyways man...when you find your F-Body you will have a smile 10 miles wide brother...good luck!

[CamaroSS354]

Anyways man...when you find your F-Body you will have a smile 10 miles wide brother...good luck!

for sure!!!!

thanks for all the info guys, i really appreciate it!

[Zinergy]

Yeah man.. good info given.

Let me say first that I love these cars but like many vehicles they do have a decent list of problems that plague them.

Weak spots I have noticed:

Rear ends
Bad window motors
Hydraulic systems on the M6 (six speed manuals)
Every F-Body I have had has ALWAYS had AC problems
Headlight motors on Firebirds
Leaky T-Tops on some
VATS system seems to crap out alot (the little key security thing )
Fuel pumps seem weak on these cars.
Dash Cracks
Many LS1's seem to burn oil between changes
Warped rotors seem to plague these cars. My trick is to torque the lugs evenly with a torque wrench whenever reinstalling your wheels...Haven't had a problem since.
And I have seen quite a bit of alts,cat converters going out on these cars...

The good side:
My car is going on 140K + on original motor,tranny and doesn't burn any oil between changes.

Pulls very strong,looks great,drives fantastic (for me) and when you sort out any little bugs that these cars get they are hard to touch in the ol' fun factor department.

Use your common sense when test driving...test drive as many as you can so you get a good feel for them and you can tell the difference in feel from a well maintained F-Body and a beat up put away wet car...

Look for signs of collisions like paint that doesn't match very well,newer headlight on one side,misaligned body panels (although some misalignments are very common from the factory.Like Camaro tail light panels are off quite often).

Front fenders tend to be popped out a little bit just behind the front tires.This comes from people who don't bother to look under the car before jacking and they end up bending the bottom mounting point of the fender causing the fender to bulge a bit.No biggie,just carefully straighten,problem solved.

Not all these problems happen to everyone's cars,these have just been bugs that I have personally noticed over the course of owning 7 F-bodies over the years...Not to mention F-Bodies my brothers have owned as well...

Anyways man...when you find your F-Body you will have a smile 10 miles wide brother...good luck!

What do you mean by hydraulic systems on the m6? Its a cable clutch

[Baluchitherium]

What do you mean by hydraulic systems on the m6? Its a cable clutch

As far as I know all 4th gen V8 (which an SS would be) F-Bodies are hydraulic clutch set ups... Master,slave...etc...

I have had to replace the master twice on my car and the slave once so...

Only time I have ever dealt with a cable clutch set up on my car was with my old 92' Mustang GT..

[Zinergy]

As far as I know all 4th gen V8 (which an SS would be) F-Bodies are hydraulic clutch set ups... Master,slave...etc...

I have had to replace the master twice on my car and the slave once so...

Only time I have ever dealt with a cable clutch set up on my car was with my old 92' Mustang GT..

You are right, i was thinking about when i pulled the tranny on the mustang

[tatertot91]

One thing i noticed was gaps between the front fenders and the doors towards the bottom. Some people jack the car up wrong and the bend out, or the body flexed it out of place. Besides that, all i can think of was already mentioned.

[MNZ28]

Not just on these cars but on any car before you start it turn the key to the on position when all the dash lights will come on, make sure that the CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ACTUALLY HAS A BULB IN THERE! I have seen people either get sick of looking at it or try to sell the car and just take the bulb out and 90% of people never even think the bulb might be taken out. But when you first start the car all the dash lights will come on for a second or two. So im sayin the car might have a small or large problem and you might not know at all because the check engine light will never come on at all. And Im sure someone will say if your car has a huge problem and you dont know without the light your a dumbass, but flood cars in particular are the thing that is popping into my mind right now.

[CamaroSS354]

make sure that the CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ACTUALLY HAS A BULB IN THERE!

so would i be like, "hey is your check engine light bulb screwed in?"
how would i know for sure without pissing off the owner?

[MNZ28]

just look at the light to see if its out when you cycle the key. you dont have to ask him anything. when you cycle the key all the dash lights will light up if the service engine soon does not light up then its either burnt out or not in there.

[CamaroSS354]

gotcha!