jodester

I'm a newbie to the forum, but I have been looking for a vette for a while. I've always liked the c4 but have been warned by 2 different mechanics about the crossfire injection and the L98 motors as being "trouble" and to avoid them. I was Just curious as what current and past owners of these models' experience has been? Thanks

ToniJ1960

Well mines getting into shape pretty well,once I got the o rings in the injectors changed it idles the way a car should now
And its not hard to work on. As long as you realize its not the most powerful engine, but its still fun to drive. I love my 84, I just bought it last July and its getting better and better.

By the way, in the electronic servicing field we always heard, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Basically, some people learned a little and thought they knew what to do, but not enough to know what NOT to do.

When I had my car at Car-x, the so called mechanic there was telling me he loved the old 70s Corvette that had 32 injectors and you could shut half of them off. I said it sounds like like youre thinking about the zri and it didnt start until mid to late 80s. He qot real quiet.

My point is, these `mechanics` know enough to know an 84 is a Crossfire, but probably not enough to know theres nothing that bad about them in reality (other than just not being real powerful).

CRUZN C4

Nothing wrong with the L-83s and L-98s.

QCVette

They both are reliable motors. There have been a lot of them made and they can run pretty well.

I did not have an '84 crossfire, but I had '85, '87, and '88 Corvettes with the L98. No problems at all with them.

Yes, there are other and later motors that can make more power, but with very little work (intake, catback exhaust, 1.6 rockers) my '87 was running 13's and still getting great mileage too. They are a good street motor in that they make torque at a lower and more usable rpm for the street than some of the later motors.

Joe C

- never had a x-fire, but I've had an 85, and two 90's, and put well over 100K on those C4's, with no significant issues with any of the L98's. I'd like to know what the OP's mechanic is referring to, and why he says to avoid them. about the only issues I've had on any of my corvettes was from poor maintenance and repair techniques from some of the previous "mechanics."

gerardvg

You obviously have two mechanics you should avoid, that is the typical response from someone who doesn't understand them.
Nothing wrong with the C4 corvettes and with a shop manual you can sort out most error codes yourself, thats right the ecm will tel you what is not right.

Look around and buy the best car you can find, it's worth spending a little more for a well looked after car it wil save you money in the long run.

pezter22

I have an '84 and '91. Both are great cars to drive. The '91 has a ZF6 speed with the FX3 suspension option and needs nothing.

The '84 has the Doug Nash 4+3 transmission, which is starting to give me a loud wining sound. But it is 30 years old, so it's time to change it out. Tremec maybe...

Both cars are very easy to work on, if you have the Factory Service Manuals (FSM) and read the C4 forums regularly. It's a lot of fun and sometimes a bit costly, but sometimes you score a deal on ebay.

Philsphan

I don't know what to say to this. mines been a nightmare for the most part well over 3k put into it in the 17 months i've owned it. I would say a grand of that was the previous mechanic ripping me off throwing parts at it but then when it overheated and serpentine belt went on highway after a grand of work too it. This damage literally occurred the day I had picked it up and was on highway. Next thing Head gaskets replaced heads rebuilt there was another 2300 of work. Now about 10 months later alternator which was supposedly replaced went bad stalled out 3rd time on a flat bed. I mean ive only put a little over 2k miles on it in this time period.

Larrye

My '85 has 150,000 miles, and runs hard and strong in stock form.
Even the "newest" C4 is now 18 years old. If you keep in mind that any "old" car will have certain issues, you will be fine. Like a previous poster stated, buy the best car you can find and afford and you will be ahead of the game.

No particular quality issues with the early C4 engines, these are the original SB engines. Parts are plentiful, cheap, and mods are many and varied if you desire even more HP. Love my L98, it is loaded with torque that you can really feel.

beerme

The Cross Fire and L98 are basic Chevy 350's with different fuel intake systems than the legacy style carburetors.

The only thing I know that could be considered a negative would be the L98 is a 2 bolt main, but even that isn't that big of deal unless your looking to turn 6000 plus RPMs.

Now I will say the TPI intake is known for vacuum leaks but once you learn your car you will realize when it is time to tighten the plenum bolts, if needed. Because of the fuel injection there are wiring and sensors which can go bad, but that is true with the LT1's as well. I cannot speak for the LT1 opti-spark ignition as I haven't had one that went out but I think most of the folks here would say they prefer the L98 to the Opti-Spark as far as ignitions go.

One other item that is known to happen is head gasket leaks, this is an issue and I was quoted somewhere around 1100 to have mine replaced. I decided that money was better spent doing a rebuild so I could get more umph out of my L98 TPI motor.

Best of luck, regardless of which generation C4 you opt for I am sure you will enjoy your time behind the wheel. But just remember these are now considered classic cars so unless you do a full frame off restoration parts are going to need attention and replacement.

jodester

Thanks for the replies.
I admit one of the guys was a flake,who just told me to stay away from the crossfire injection, however the second mechanic I respect, I haven't been able to talk to him in depth about it as of yet,but he seems to feel I should start out with an LS motor. Problem is, nothing past the c4 really interests me. I'm an "old school" guy who loves history. I keep flip flopping between the C3's and C4's,as the 1's and 2's are outta my price range.

3JsVette

Just keep in mind the newer the Corvette the more electronics and the more that's controlled by computers. The early C4s are much easier to work on. As everyone has told you buy the best condition car you can afford. No matter what you buy someone will tell you that you could have gotten a similar car for less. You do pay for condition.

DinoBob

I think that you cannot go wrong with a well maintained, low mile L98. As far as issues, there are a couple as mentioned here but every car has its pet issue. Remember that they are 18-30 years old and that like any old car, it is advisable to know the business end of a wrench before getting involved.

FASTAZU

Both great motors, the biggest issue with CF is people who mess with them and don't know what they are doing.

larryinalabama

I think the problem is the cars were advanced way behond their time, and in many ways still are too this day. So the deal is no one back in the day knew how to fix them, and 25 years later very few have learned.

Im very thankful for this site it has helped me fix some problems that I doubt I could have resolved without this resorce.

I know a old Chevrolet Mechanic that says the crossfire was awesome.

65Z01

I had put >200,000 miles on my prior 35th Anni, with over 8 yrs of many passes down the 1/4 mile. About 3yrs ago it was hit and replaced with my current 35th Anni.

Take your time, look at a few C4s and get the one you just "have to have"; enjoy the search and the driving experience thereafter...

ch@0s

Learn to work on your own car. I don't let anyone touch my cars.

ch@0s

Some C4 have an LS1.

tdereggi

Whether L98 or prior is right for you Depends your goals. I absolutely love my 85, best purchase Ive ever made. If you drive a 30yr old car, I cant think of a better car than a Vette from a mechanical point of view, because so easy to obtain parts. The differences are really about power out of the box, not so much differences in reliabilty. If you are looking to make a race car, You will start off with more horsepower with a LT1 or newer. But the L98 still has as much torque, so its just as fun to drive on the street. I steered away from the 84 just because it was a first year car, and numerous improvements were made in 85 learning from the 84 trial. Nothing major, just little things. 85 also offered the tuned port injection adding significant hp improvement, plus it looks cool. I will tell you one of my favorite things about my 85 is the Doug Nash 4x3 manual (automatic overdrive on 3 top gears) transmission. Its made cruising through the suburbs so much more enjoyable, minimizing the amount of manual shifting needed in everyday driving. THis was great for me, since that's the primary type of driving I do. Some mechanics looked at the 4x3 as a reliability trouble issue. But if maintained (oil changes etc), it works well. I will say I do miss having a 6th gear. When driving down the highway, I find it less comfortable crusing over 60mph, at 3000 RPMs, and feel like shifting to a 6th that doesn't exist. So if doing lots of fast highway driving, I think after 87 the went to a 6 speed. I can also say, for street driving, 240lb of torgue is a lot, and more than needed, and at that, hard to keep the tires gripped to road.

65Z01

Actually they introduced the 6-speed manual in '89, which is regard as the best of the L98 years.
It still had the star-wars dash, same tight fitting seats and did away with that dreaded 9th fuel injector.