1996 owners
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Team Owner
Joined: Apr 2001
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From: Dallas TX
1996 owners
What do i need to be on the look out with this year? I know the computer is OBDII, and i don't like that at all.. but what else should I be aware of when thinking about buying one? This is an LT1 btw.
Safety Car
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From: Green and Wet Western Oregon
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Re: 1996 owners (Glock'94)
The only thing about our 96 I would have liked to have would be the Power Sport Seats. I miss being able to pump them up in different ways to ease the old muscles on long trips. You already know about the LTPWS sensors (I like 'em some don't). If you don't want to run EMT's watch for the spare tire delete option. I can't think of anything about the car I don't like. "Friends" tried to talk me into buying a C5 Dark Bowling Green roadster two weeks ago, but I already have my dream Corvette!
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 838
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From: Out by the bridge again, TampaBay
Re: 1996 owners (Glock'94)
A lot of '96's have problems with the HVAC programmer. Symptoms are air not blowing or slow to change to A/C vents. Instead it blows out defroster and/or heater vents. Also intake manifold oil leaks are common.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2000
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From: St. louis, MO
Re: 1996 owners (Glock'94)
This one only has a power drivers seat :( . I think I'll use that to talk down the guy. Do all '96's have LTPWS?
[Modified by Gary96LT4, 12:26 AM 8/24/2002]
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Team Owner
Joined: Apr 2001
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From: Dallas TX
Re: 1996 owners (Gary96LT4)
Well, i couldn't find the RPO list since it was in a different spot than my '94 ... so I'll have to check to see if it had Z51. Z51 has the actuators on the shocks, right? It didn't have the active suspension.
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Joined: Jun 2001
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From: Malibu CA
Re: 1996 owners (Glock'94)
It's the last year of the C4's, so almost all of the bugs are worked out. The quality on my car has been excellent. I had a waterpump fail early on, and now another at 68k. Check hoses too, as I just had one twist off in my hand. Mine is the LT4, and that engine is great. :yesnod: Good luck.
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Team Owner
Joined: Apr 2001
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From: Dallas TX
Re: 1996 owners (jkingsbury)
How many miles are you at now, and have you replaced the Optispark yet? The water pump on this car was replaced Nov '01, and the optispark wasn't done at the same time .. so i'm wondering how long these vented optisparks will last compared to the '94 like i had.
Race Director
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From: Whippany NJ
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Re: 1996 owners (Glock'94)
Glock-
Not to worry too much. 96s are solid cars. Common gremlins are leaking intaki manifold and crank sensor leak. No big deals. Once fixed, your golden.
I love mine!
Not to worry too much. 96s are solid cars. Common gremlins are leaking intaki manifold and crank sensor leak. No big deals. Once fixed, your golden.
I love mine!
Safety Car
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 4,266
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From: Duncanville Tx.
Re: 1996 owners (Glock'94)
Well, i couldn't find the RPO list since it was in a different spot than my '94 ... so I'll have to check to see if it had Z51. Z51 has the actuators on the shocks, right? It didn't have the active suspension.
Safety Car
Joined: Jul 1999
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From: Marianna FL
Re: 1996 owners (Gary96LT4)
No, if you have the Z51 suspension you did not get the LTPWS (runflats). Also, Z51 has 275 tires on all four corners. :chevy
Drifting
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 1,997
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From: Lake Ozark MO
Re: 1996 owners (Glock'94)
I can't express this enough... get the VIN of the vehicle in question.. head down to your local GM dealer and grab a free warranty report.
This was the deciding factor in my Vette purchase (on Ebay amazingly).
I saw that the previous owner was smart enough to take it back to the dealer he purchased it from originally for loads of warranty repairs (which is not bad... just typical GM).
So every Opti, waterpump gasket, fuel pump, horn, evap canister, rear shade, battery, intake gasket, rear weather strip, O2 sensor, A/C programmer, air check valve, radio receiver, windshield wiper, LTPWS sensor, and right front window switch was completely fixed by the time I got it.
Now it just leaks a drip or two out of the front tranny seal and engine rear main. Just like a real GM is supposed to. But it runs great and the stinkin' PKE even works ;)
This was the deciding factor in my Vette purchase (on Ebay amazingly).
I saw that the previous owner was smart enough to take it back to the dealer he purchased it from originally for loads of warranty repairs (which is not bad... just typical GM).
So every Opti, waterpump gasket, fuel pump, horn, evap canister, rear shade, battery, intake gasket, rear weather strip, O2 sensor, A/C programmer, air check valve, radio receiver, windshield wiper, LTPWS sensor, and right front window switch was completely fixed by the time I got it.
Now it just leaks a drip or two out of the front tranny seal and engine rear main. Just like a real GM is supposed to. But it runs great and the stinkin' PKE even works ;)
Burning Brakes
Joined: May 2001
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From: Coto de Caza CA
Re: 1996 owners (guywade)
"My GS has Z51 suspension and LTPWS. The options do not exclude one another." You have the sensors but not spare delete or runflats right? It was my understanding that spare delete and run flats were not built in 275 or 315 only 285 and 255.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 6,199
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From: St. louis, MO
Re: 1996 owners (Mr Dave)
No, if you have the Z51 suspension you did not get the LTPWS (runflats). Also, Z51 has 275 tires on all four corners. :chevy
My GS has Z51 suspension and LTPWS. The options do not exclude one another.
My GS has Z51 suspension and LTPWS. The options do not exclude one another.
According to my 96 sales brochure, if you got the Z51, you did not get the run flats. And, I believe the Corvette Black Book backs this up. It makes sense that the performance system (Z51) would not have runflats, or LTPWS, the Z06s don't have run flats, they just don't give the performance needed.
Maybe someone added your sensors before you bought it, if you got it used. I think they do exclude one another, but I have been wrong before.
Safety Car
Joined: Jul 1999
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From: Marianna FL
Re: 1996 owners (Gary96LT4)
There are lots of GrandSports with LTPWS from the factory. The option code for the LTPWS is in my glove box. The option code for EMT's is not. As far as I know, they were two separate options. You probably couldn't get the EMT's without the LTPWS, but you could get the LTPWS without the EMT's.
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 187
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From: Downers Grove IL
Re: 1996 owners (Gary96LT4)
My feeling is that the 96 is a very nice tight car. It will suffer from the common LT1 oil leak problems but there is nothing one can really do about it. I just got one in May with 26K miles on it and its really clean and nice, still had the original battery in her.