Few problems on a ZR-1 I'm looking at.

[MuRCieLaGo]

Hello guys,

I just went to see a ZR-1, and on my way (9 hours ride), the seller called me to tell me that the alternator just failed. I decided to continue my ride anyway, to see the condition of the car. Here are the problems:

1. Failed alternator
2. Service Ride Control Light (is it hard to fix, usually?)
3. Brake light is on
4. Front left fender - wrong battery size (too big) was installed, so the fender is offset compared to the driver's door. I hope it hasn't been there for too long...
5. Muffler is not perfectly straight, I wonder if it is a quick fix...
6. The gap from the fender to the rear tires, on both sides, was different. Maybe it is because the car was parked sideway on a very small hill, but I'm not sure. The rear right shock had a color (don't remember which color) and left one was black.
7. The rear bumper was a bit offset compared to the rear left fender, so we could see the shadow going on the fender on a sunny day. I really don't know what this one could be...

Can you please give me your opinions guys? I can't say anything about transmission and engine, except that on idle it seemed to be perfect.

Thanks!

[We Gone]

If the car is priced accordingly and your willing to fix the issues.

1. Failed alternator..Easy fix but why
2. Service Ride Control Light (is it hard to fix, usually?)Could pricey
3. Brake light is onNot good you will at least have to go thru the complete system
4. Front left fender - wrong battery size (too big) was installed, so the fender is offset compared to the driver's door. I hope it hasn't been there for too long...Another easy fix
5. Muffler is not perfectly straight, I wonder if it is a quick fix...Find out why?? may be just needs adjusting
6. The gap from the fender to the rear tires, on both sides, was different. Maybe it is because the car was parked sideway on a very small hill, but I'm not sure. The rear right shock had a color (don't remember which color) and left one was black.Should have yellow shocks this may be why the SRC light is on..Not uncommon for a C4 not to sit level
7. The rear bumper was a bit offset compared to the rear left fender, so we could see the shadow going on the fender on a sunny day. I really don't know what this one could be... get under the car and look for any damage

[MuRCieLaGo]

If the car is priced accordingly and your willing to fix the issues. White 1991 26,000 miles 13,200 USD clean title.

1. Failed alternator..Easy fix but why It will be fixed next time I go take a look. I also wonder why it failed, I hope it is just a regular break.
2. Service Ride Control Light (is it hard to fix, usually?)Could pricey I thought it would be one of the cheapest fix, can I do it myself?
3. Brake light is on Not good you will at least have to go thru the complete system But still, nothing major there I guess?
4. Front left fender - wrong battery size (too big) was installed, so the fender is offset compared to the driver's door. I hope it hasn't been there for too long...Another easy fix Easy fix if the fender hasn't been bent!
5. Muffler is not perfectly straight, I wonder if it is a quick fix...Find out why?? may be just needs adjusting Yes, this fix doesn't bother me too much...
6. The gap from the fender to the rear tires, on both sides, was different. Maybe it is because the car was parked sideway on a very small hill, but I'm not sure. The rear right shock had a color (don't remember which color) and left one was black.Should have yellow shocks this may be why the SRC light is on..Not uncommon for a C4 not to sit level Not uncommon? Very ugly, I don't want that on mine. And I'm pretty sure it affects the stability of the car...
7. The rear bumper was a bit offset compared to the rear left fender, so we could see the shadow going on the fender on a sunny day. I really don't know what this one could be... get under the car and look for any damage What kind of damage? This problem bothers me the most, even if it is not offset by much.

Thanks a lot We_Gone!

[32valvesftw]

As always I guess it depends what your looking for, those easy things to fix were easy to find, live with the car for a few months and there may be a number of other issues that arise. Just sayin'

[C4Ray]

Walk away from this lemon!

[We Gone]

At that price none of the issues are major deal breakers. All things that can be fixed. best if you can do them!

The front gill (covering battery) is fiberglass and should flex back

The brakes could just be a bad master cyclinder, but would be a good time to go thru them.

The SRC will need to be checked out I would bet the black shock does not have the gear on it so that could be the issue.

The bumper could also just need to be adjuster.

The rear not level side to side, I have seen many that are 1/4 to 1/2 off.

Do a search on all these issues and you will find many topics to help make your decision.

[MuRCieLaGo]

As always I guess it depends what your looking for, those easy things to fix were easy to find, live with the car for a few months and there may be a number of other issues that arise. Just sayin'

Walk away from this lemon!

The car had a bunch of dust on the top. It needs love. The guy works on a Mitsubishi 3000 GT project in his garage (major wtf there, owns a ZR-1 and plays with a gay Mitsubishi). Paint is clean, but faded. Needs a good buff, it shows the amount of love this car had.

I don't think it's a lemon though. He started the engine and it started like a brand new V8...

[MuRCieLaGo]

At that price none of the issues are major deal breakers. All things that can be fixed. best if you can do them!

The front gill (covering battery) is fiberglass and should flex back

The brakes could just be a bad master cyclinder, but would be a good time to go thru them.

The SRC will need to be checked out I would bet the black shock does not have the gear on it so that could be the issue.

The bumper could also just need to be adjuster.

The rear not level side to side, I have seen many that are 1/4 to 1/2 off.

Do a search on all these issues and you will find many topics to help make your decision.

Thank you very much We_Gone,

I didn't know the front "fenders" were made of fiberglass, I thought it was some kind of metal.

To me, the 2 major problems are the rear not level and the rear bumper that might need an adjustment. The question is why it would need an adjustment...

What do you think of the price We_Gone? Interior is a 8.5-9/10, got 3 tops (copper, white, smoked), OEM 1995 rims. Weatherstrips also need to be changed (didn't mention it because I don't have any question with that issue).

[RussMcB]

Walk away from this lemon!$13k for a very low mileage ZR-1 with possibly easy-to-fix problems? Sounds like it might be worth looking into.

MuRCieLaGo, I think it mainly depends on if you are willing to take your time fixing the issues. You might end up with a supercar without spending a lot of money.

On the other hand, if it will be your "main" car that can't be on jack stands for extended periods, this might not be a good buy for you.

The ride control could be pricey to make it work like original, but there are less expensive options (like, put regular C4 shocks on).

The front lower fenders actually have slotted holes, so that might be a 5 minute fix.

Maybe you can do some research to see who has owned the car and learn more about its history.

Maybe you can convince the guy that the fixes are substantial and he should lower his price.

My '91's ride height is not even in the rear. This winter I plan to look into that. I'm pretty sure there can be adjustments made.

[We Gone]

Sent you a PM. Sometime you get a lot of negativity but than everyone has an opinion.

[MuRCieLaGo]

$13k for a very low mileage ZR-1 with possibly easy-to-fix problems? Sounds like it might be worth looking into.

MuRCieLaGo, I think it mainly depends on if you are willing to take your time fixing the issues. You might end up with a supercar without spending a lot of money.

On the other hand, if it will be your "main" car that can't be on jack stands for extended periods, this might not be a good buy for you.

The ride control could be pricey to make it work like original, but there are less expensive options (like, put regular C4 shocks on).

The front lower fenders actually have slotted holes, so that might be a 5 minute fix.

Maybe you can do some research to see who has owned the car and learn more about its history.

Maybe you can convince the guy that the fixes are substantial and he should lower his price.

My '91's ride height is not even in the rear. This winter I plan to look into that. I'm pretty sure there can be adjustments made.

I'm not afraid to have the car up on jack stands for a while, I've got one more summer car and a winter car.

I'm not interested at all by the regular C4 shocks option. But like We_Gone said, the might only be because one of both shocks is from a regular C4 and the other one from a ZR-1 (Bilstein?).

I tried to do some research on the car, the only thing I could retrieve from Autocheck is that the car comes from Ohio 1996-2006, was collecting dust from 2007-2013 and is in Canada since then.

Price won't be lowered by much now, maybe I can go to high 12k but that's about it.

I'm surprised you also have that problem of your rear wheels not being level. I'll do some search on that, I thought it was a very local issue.

Sent you a PM. Sometime you get a lot of negativity but than everyone has an opinion.

Thanks for your answers We_Gone, it's always nice to get quick, detailed answers to my questions.

[George Maz]

$13k seems like a low price considering the info given.
Owning my ZR-1 for just a short time, I've compiled a list of a dozen fixes and mods to be done this winter... and my car is what I'd consider nearly perfect for a 25yr old. These are fantastic cars, with exceptional community & forum support. I hope this one's within your comfort zone, or you find an even better one!

[-=Jeff=-]

Also, for the issues listed, Are you willing to be the one to do the work or will you need someone to do it for you? That in my opinion is key..

From the items you listed, I think you can push for a better price a bit and you may get a nice deal. how does the car look overall? I bought my 1990 with 60K miles in 2007. It needed quite the work, but I do as much as I can on my own.. it turned out quite nice..

Someone that saw a rough picture said it was a flood car, I have not seen any signs of that other than it was really rough.. But the driven train is solid and I too had a SRC light which turned out to be a loose shock. I have since replaced the shocks (did coilovers). I have seen cars with stock spring not sit perfect in the back, both my 90 and my previous 89 were this way.. If you like the car, the engine is solid (outside of the Alt) Everything else is purely C4.. If I was looking that would eb the car I would look for.. needs a small bit of work but priced for some of us that cannot afford the completely pristine NCRS ready cars

[MuRCieLaGo]

I'm there again. Alternator has been changed.

At low RPM like 3,000 on 4th gear, it has a hesitation before going higher in the RPMs.

And the engine stalls at idle.

Any quick idea? Should it be a big concern?

Pretty much ALL the problems stated above were fixed.

Thanks for your help guys!

[We Gone]

Could be as simple as a bad idle air control. I would suggest hooking a scanner to it and going for a drive. Good luck.

[Z51JEFF]

If it were me I'd pass,too many unexplained issues. Regardles of the price by the time everything -easy- has been repaired the low buy in price won't matter.

[ZZZZZR1]

If the car is priced accordingly and your willing to fix the issues.

1. Failed alternator..Easy fix but why
2. Service Ride Control Light (is it hard to fix, usually?)Could pricey
3. Brake light is onNot good you will at least have to go thru the complete system
4. Front left fender - wrong battery size (too big) was installed, so the fender is offset compared to the driver's door. I hope it hasn't been there for too long...Another easy fix
5. Muffler is not perfectly straight, I wonder if it is a quick fix...Find out why?? may be just needs adjusting
6. The gap from the fender to the rear tires, on both sides, was different. Maybe it is because the car was parked sideway on a very small hill, but I'm not sure. The rear right shock had a color (don't remember which color) and left one was black.Should have yellow shocks this may be why the SRC light is on..Not uncommon for a C4 not to sit level
7. The rear bumper was a bit offset compared to the rear left fender, so we could see the shadow going on the fender on a sunny day. I really don't know what this one could be... get under the car and look for any damage

I agree with Steve.

One thing, when people replace alternators they typically do it wrong and have it rebuilt incorrectly or buy aftermarket and it fails relatively soon. Find out where they purchased it and get a receipt

Check the specifics on the carfax. If few owners and no "stories" I think this is a super buy!

Many cars can have issues and they can build up. Hence the very reasonable price

As far as the acceleration issues. Looks like injectors and that is a typical issue with ZR-1's. While your at it. Change the coil packs and other maintenance issues

Sorry didn't notice a discussion over condition of the paint and interior. Check the weatherstrip. Is it crisp? How is the windshield? Does it have the lamination and radar cutout? How is the leather interior? Wear on the drivers bolster? (Typical). Radio / cd work? If issues Normal!!

How about condition of the wheels? Tires new? Or original GSC tires

Good luck. Sounds like a car with potential!

:cheers:

David

[MuRCieLaGo]

Thank you David! I finally took the decision - I bought the car. I'm confident it can be restored to a very good condition. That stalling issue is the main problem. Got the codes pulled by a GM scanner and it doesn't receive any signal from the Camshaft Position Sensor. Should I change it first or it could be some other stuff around?

[32valvesftw]

If you have a bad cam sensor you should have a code 31 and a light on the panel, plus full power won't work either. Its easy to change the sensor.

[RussMcB]

I bought the car. Congratulations! I'm sure you're going to be very happy with your decision. I got my ZR-1 in rough condition for a low price, and it has worked out great for me. I've had it less that a year and it's already 95% great. Having to work through the different issues helps you get familiar (even intimate :-) with it. Luckily for us the LT-5 parts are very reliable, the rest of the car is common C4, and there is fantastic support here and from our vendors.

[MuRCieLaGo]

If you have a bad cam sensor you should have a code 31 and a light on the panel, plus full power won't work either. Its easy to change the sensor.

I hope it will fix the stalling issues! Very expensive at the local auto parts store (USD $290)...

Congratulations! I'm sure you're going to be very happy with your decision. I got my ZR-1 in rough condition for a low price, and it has worked out great for me. I've had it less that a year and it's already 95% great. Having to work through the different issues helps you get familiar (even intimate :-) with it. Luckily for us the LT-5 parts are very reliable, the rest of the car is common C4, and there is fantastic support here and from our vendors.

Thanks, I already did 800 kms with it yesterday. When I was home all I wanted to do is to go back in it and have some fun again!

[MuRCieLaGo]

4717

Got any idea where this plug goes to?

[We Gone]

Congrats and best of luck


http://www.jerrysgaskets.com/sensor-cam-position-gm-90-95-12b3/

[Paul Workman]

4717

Got any idea where this plug goes to?

I'm assuming you mean the single, red wire connector? If so, that is the fuel pump diagnostic connector. With the ignition switch turned OFF, it is used to measure current draw to verify that both fuel pumps are drawing current (at least); approx 8-10 amperes is the normal draw. (Half that would indicate one pump is not working, for some reason.) Very handy, and has other uses too.

[MuRCieLaGo]

Thank you Paul, so it's normal if it is unplugged.

I'll start a thread on its own for my stalling problem I guess.