1992 Chevrolet Lumina Z34 from North America - Comments

Concur.

I just purchased a 92 Z34 with a 5 speed and I also have a 93 with an automatic. Can anyone tell me the production numbers for the 92 with the five speed. thanks.

I have a Lumina z34 (1993) as well. I can't get the thing to start right lol. It starts great when the engine is cooled but whenever I drive it and warm it up, then park it and try to go out and drive it 2 hours later it don't start right. If I let it sit overnight it starts OK in the morning? Can anybody help me with this please? One more problem is the car shifts hard and the tranny is slipping when I drop the pedal from stand still. Lol, kinda rough on the car but I love her. She's so powerful in performance. Btw, she has 145k on her.

I just bought a '94 Z34 auto for $500 here in Panama (Central America). Hasn't run for 4 years since the previous owner tried to connect the battery the wrong way round and blew the alternator (yes, I know I'm going to have fun replacing that!). Picking it up on Saturday and then trying to get it running again on a shoestring budget... should be entertaining! Fortunately it is rust free and supposedly had the timing belt changed not long before being laid up, so hopefully a new alternator, battery, radiator top hose, tyres (sorry for the spelling - I'm a Brit) and a few other bits and pieces (attempted break-in sometime in the past, so needs new door handles) and it should be good to go. However, if anyone has any cheap, reliable parts suppliers they can recommend (who will ship to Panama without charging the earth), I'd love to hear about them. Jim.

The Z34 is obviously a future classic, isn't it about time there was an owner's club?

I did a top end rebuild on a 92 Z34 & I have " a lot" of experience with Chevy but this is my first Z34 & I need help!!! Any one out there know how to get the timing for real right??? I've looked @ the Chevy Chilton's 90-96, and " nothing " for time. So, I went to the dealership (chevy) and after laughing loudly in my face & informing me that I've picked " THE worst car in all of Chevy history to work on " but one of the meanest running, then showed me the Z34 service & repair manual. This car is so intricate if they went into any details on any one subject, "It Would Be like, 10,000+ pages. So still no real details for timing. This coming from class A rated Mechanic who dose full rebuilds from the ground up in a day or so. This car is like a nightmare. The worst part is, its my " Wife's " car, if I don't fix it," She Knows Me " & will " NEVER " believe it wasn't intentional. I've complained about her beloved Z34 ever since I went through 9 kinds of hell for the alternator 2yrs ago, & shes truly fallen smooth off in love with it since. Please, guys help me out. I'm in a bad jam, any advice is better then none,& I'm running out of ideas. It looks all top dead center & Zeroed out but I've set it, reset it,& re-reset & re-re-reset,exc... still all wrong. Please don't make me have to tell my baby " Big Daddy " Can't do it. For god sakes shes merciless & will haunt me with this one, FOREVER!!! Just Call REAPER that's me (417) 773-6068 and please be discrete.Thanks.Or e-mail wolverine53590@yahoo.com.

As a 1992 Lumina Z34 owner I like the car except the dash. I have the Getrag 5-speed transmission and am pouring money into my car and getting back on the road because I cannot afford a new Camaro... which is what I really want.

Someone asked about the 5-speeds. There were 1827 made in 1992. It was produced with the 5-speed in 1991-1993. The 1991's with the manual have the worst problems... which is why very few are on the road. The "official" reason the -Getrag 5-speed was dropped is because of "lack of demand". The "unofficial" and real reason... is because the engine was too much for the transmission.

To deal with the "throw out bearing" issue, the entire engine must be dropped and taken apart. It takes about 16 hours to drop the engine. At the time I did that the tech recommended I get a new clutch... which I did. The parts were close to $1000 for the hydraulic clutch alone. These cars are famous for alternators. I just paid almost $500 including labor for another one. The timing belt is also another issue. I am also shelling out serious cash for new rotors and pads.

The biggest problem with these cars is lack of parts... especially the 5 speed. Getrag, who made the transmission, filed bankruptcy last fall. They were contracted by GM to make the transmission so GM would not have to make their own. The bushings are cheap rubber and when they wear out the shifter cable separates for the shift handle. This has happened twice. Most of the parts for the manual transmission are no longer made or available aftermarket.

Honestly, if I knew how much it was going to cost me to get this car put back on the road I may have just bought a new car with warranty. It is definitely a money pit. In the past month I have invested in an exhaust system, alternator, brake pads and rotors, parking brake cables, and spark plug wires.

They were good cars for their day, but Make sure you have a lot of money and patience if you own one of these... especially the 5 speed.