How long does the factory Opti usually last? At what milage should I expect it to croak?

The cars got 62k on her. Soon?

 

that is debatable... but to be honest, anything more than 70k miles, and you are a lucky-duck.

Time does not seem to be the factor. just miles.

contact carfan18(Jeff Kopp). He will fix you up with all you need for about 1/2 of what the chevy dealers normally charge. Plan ahead, and you can save a bundle.

Also, you will need a waterpump. that is what usually kills the opti. water gets into the bearings and the thing dies.

 

93K and i was feeling pretty lucky.
regards
doug :jester

 

Mine only went 56K, no waterpump failures either. Just got wet, well, it came from Portland Or. It rains there.

 

I've heard 60K. I just replaced mine (at 67K) but it turned out that it was plugs and wires, not the opti giving me fits. So my opti may be fine. I think water pump leakage seems to be a contributor more than anything.

 

Ours lasted till 115k when the waterpump took it out! :eek:

 

Buy the kit from MAD that vents your optispark. You can install it now or save it until the opti goes out. The kit from MAD vents the optispark with the vacume system just like GM started doing in 1995.

My water pump failed last year but didn't effect the optispark. Then I had an emergency leak in the coolent hose right at the top of the water pump at a friends home. Used a knife and cut the "bulge" out of the hose and then pushed it back onto the water pump until I could get a new hose. Coolent went everywhere and no water hose in sight so I poured a jug of water over the area. I wash my engine at least twice a month, usually my 3-year-old son helps me using the garden hose. I worry more about washing the engine in my Blazer than in the Corvette. Optispark works great at 63k miles.

 

I've got over 100k miles on mine, and no probs. Mine did have the recall work done on it by GM though. The recall applied to early model 92s. Mine was the 1488th vette built in 92, so it was a fairly early model, for that year.

 

I've been lucky compared to most of these guys. I've racked up 128,000 on the original opti. Maybe because it's a '95. However I've been through three waterpumps.

 

I just ordered the set-up from Jeff Kopp this week for my '94. I believe it would be the same for a '93. Here's the parts list:

Opti - P/N 10457702 - $329.00
Water Pump - P/N 12527739 - $145.75
Dist Drive Seal - P/N 10128317 - $2.20
W/P Drive Seals - P/N 10217886 - $4.03 & P/N 12553792 - $0.33
Crank Seal - P/N 10128316 - $6.07 (If you need it)

THESE PRICES ARE THE BEST YOU'LL FIND. GMPartsDirect.com is a bit cheaper on the parts, but they much higher on the S&H, and besides, you can't get better service than Jeff provides!



[Modified by mshipon, 5:57 PM 8/14/2001]

 

So this kit will prevent my opti from getting killed by the water pump? How come all the problems I hear are in '94 and older cars. Seems like the 95/96's dont have this problem?

 

Can you please list the MAD catalog # and page for the OptiSpark conversion kit? I just bought a 94 Opti and might want to make the change.

Thanks!

 

Completely prevent it. NO. Help, YES. The reason the 95/96's aren't as common is they were vented from the factory. Unforunately they don't just directly bolt up on the older models.

 

I'm currently at 95K w/ now problems so far.

 

Read the Corvette fever article Feb 2001. It's also posted on the Tech tips of this forum. I've been researching this and getting opinions from folks on the forum and local club members. Some have suggested that switching over to the late model Opti by redrilling the cam, replacing the timing cover with a late model and other subtle mods will cost the same as getting a new old style Opti because of the price difference. Call Jeff Kopp to price it out 1-800-728-8267. If you'll keep the old Opti, The best opnions seem to be to NOT adapt the late model cap because of inevitable sealing problems where the ECM plug fits. You solve one problem and cause another. The Corvette fever mod seems to be the best way to go. You can get the GM vent harness from Jeff without springing for the Mid Am kit.

 

Installing the OEM '92-'94 parts listed above without moisture sealing and purge mods is a recipe for short term failure. Expect inevitable seal shrinkage from engine heat, followed by severe bearing rust and/or cap high voltage breakdown every few years. The weakest seal is a piece of white foam in the Optispark that surrounds the wiring harness connector. It shrinks until you can slide a matchstick along side it. This foam is in a "low spot" that works like a puddle to water and oil. After a couple years, it works like a funnel! It is not a serviceable part on the Optispark. It MUST be thickly coated with high Temp black Permatex. I used a hobby brush to thickly cover the foam and all cap seams.

>>The MAD kit will destroy your Optispark. It was my first failed Optispark experiment. It is worth $3, not $21 and has one vacuum hose, not two. It creates a negative pressure inside that draws moisture through every gasket crack and crevice. There is NO air replenishment source, so humidity can not be removed. The vapor point of water can not be reached with engine vacuum either. The GM OEM '95 & '96 Vacuum Purge Harness Assy is cheaper and properly designed. It has two hoses for "air in" and "air out" and has top quality check valves and orifices. It does not create a negative pressure inside the distributor. It simply ensures the humidity inside the distributor remains as low as the ambient air. This is adequate.

>>LT1 owners that are "lucky" to get no moisture in their distributor get over 100k miles. If you modify the Optispark to block and rid moisture, you will see similar longevity without needing their luck.

>>Go to C4 Tech Tips for details and Corvette Fever article for pics and modify your distributor accordingly. The factory GM OEM '96 purge vacuum kit costs about $15 and a tube of premium black Permatex costs about $5. If your Optispark is not misfiring, this is probably all you need. Some older distributors have too much bearing rust damage from moisture and must be pitched.

 

Like Rick said, the MAD kit only has one hose so you actually have to buy 2 MAD kits to reproduce the GM 1995 "better" design. But like it's been said many times, many ways......buy the GM parts from Jeff and save yourself some money. :D