looking to buy a 93 t/a questions
 

saw a great 1993 trans am today
have some questions
1 owner said the the car at idle gets hot then the fans kick in and cools off .this does not happens when he drives it
2 when did the t/a get the ram air hood , this does not have one
3 at wram up i heard some kind of ringing or bell sounding noise then it went away
4 when i drove the steering seemed to be like it had non power , or is the normal
what else so i look out for on these cars

sorry put this in the wrong place

The cooling system on LT1 cars often gets air in the system which causes erratic problems. On the water neck there is a screw to back out to allow all of the air to escape. Someone probably added water to the radiator allowing air in the lines. You should purge the system to see if it helps. Also how hot is hot?

The TA got the Ram Air option in 96 or 97. It was however available on Firehawks in 1993

It’s possible you are hearing the smog pump- I seem to remember it running until it reaches operational temp.

The steering on these cars has a much more performance feel than the older cars- it’s probably fine.

Look for rust in the rear floor boards if it has T Tops. Listen for a noisy fuel pump ( they are a pain to replace). The biggest headache on these cars is the distributor located behind the water pump. If it has good, consistent throttle response it’s probably okay.

Hope this helps

In 1993 the hoods were exclusive to Firehawks.
The "WS6" or "Ram Air" package came later in the 1996 model year;
As I recall, the first full model year with the WS6 option was 1997.

The distributor is a common issue. It is behind the water pump. They are good for breaking up at higher rpm. The spark plugs are a pain to replace. The fuel pump is in the tank, the differential and exhaust have to come out and the tank is still a pain to get out. Check for recalls, i think there was one for a small leak where the neck meets the tank. Those are some that i can remember from my time at the dealer back then.

wow seems like i lot of issues should i stay away from these cars

Nah - don't be scared. OptiSpark problems are overblown (internet). They are a PITA to remove and replace but even if you have to do that at some point it's not the end of the world. Just make sure you get a quality rebuilt unit from somewhere like Petris - parts store Opti's are a crapshoot at best.

Overall the LT1's are relatively quick, reliable and fun. A car you can cruise in one day and take to an Autocross event the next. LT1's sound great too. There is a ton of aftermarket support for suspension and handling improvements (UMI etc.).

If you like the car, it runs well and the price is fair - have at it and enjoy.

FWIW...the rear end on my 97 whined early on.

I don't mean to scare you away. They are a nice car. The opti-spark was only available from dealer at the time, so everyone complained about prices. We also didn't have an abnormal amount of failures. But they do fail. There are more choices for them now. Spark plugs are just a normal wear item, just not fun to do when they do need done.

The LT cars sound so much better than a LS car!

Putting a set of long tubes on a LT car really makes it more enjoyable. Picks up 25+ horsepower and makes changing the plugs much easier. A nice LT car with long tubes and the cat gutted can hang with a LS car all day.

The MSD is a pain the first time, after that it’s just time consuming. I usually buy the MSD ones