Besides that, it's really not that big a job to replace the opti later. Maybe you could just replace the cap & rotor for now.
Opti or no Opti on 94
Thread Starter
Heel & Toe
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 15
Likes: 0
Opti or no Opti on 94
My 94 LT1 needs a water pump and I am replacing with Delco. some of my club members say to replace the opti at the same time to prevent extra labor going back in in the near future. I haven't had any problem with the current opti. Is it worth it to replace now or roll the dice. Also what brand and do I upgrade to a vented one.....Thanks Oh yea 31,000 original miles.
Safety Car
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 3,651
Likes: 10
From: Apple Valley MN
I would say that at 31K you probably don't need to replace it if you don't want to, and it isn't exhibiting any problems. The only reason to replace it now would be to save on future labor as they said, and if you do replace it, then it would only seem to make sense to use the MSD, which is vented. That said, I replaced mine last year at 39K "as long as I was in there", which also led to replacing plugs and wires and installing headers "as long as I was in there" ;-)
Drifting
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 1,493
Likes: 94
From: Westfield MA
In addition to the above advice, I would ask how long your waterpump has been leaking. One perception is that coolant is particularly hard on the opti seals and bearings, so if it has been leaking a while, then replacement while you are there might not be a bad idea. It is not really that much work to replace it at some point in the future though, it could easily last another 100k miles.
One thing I would do if I was doing the job over again is attach a hose to the weep hole on the waterpump so that if it leaks, it won't leak on the opti. Maybe even connect it to a little transparent container that you could give a visual check to know when your pump is going.
If you want to switch to vented, you can physically attach vents to an early opti, switch to a late GM opti (lots of parts to change), go to an MSD or Dynaspark. Do some searches, lots of mixed reviews about all of these options. Mine is a late model, so I went with a GM unit.
One thing I would do if I was doing the job over again is attach a hose to the weep hole on the waterpump so that if it leaks, it won't leak on the opti. Maybe even connect it to a little transparent container that you could give a visual check to know when your pump is going.
If you want to switch to vented, you can physically attach vents to an early opti, switch to a late GM opti (lots of parts to change), go to an MSD or Dynaspark. Do some searches, lots of mixed reviews about all of these options. Mine is a late model, so I went with a GM unit.
Thread Starter
Heel & Toe
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 15
Likes: 0
opti or no opti
Hear good and bad about all; MSD,Delco,etc. Have equal numbe rof do it don't do it. Try for a vented MSD but I hear that the connectors don't match up. Has MSD changed that?
Will also replace wires.
Will also replace wires.
Racer
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 275
Likes: 0
From: West Monroe La.
The water pump on my 95 went out at 88,000 miles. It leaked on the opti for several weeks before I replaced it. The opti was still working fine, but with that many miles, I went ahead and replaced it,
I used a ac delco oem opti for the replacement, and at 104,500 miles it is still running perfect.
My 95 is a vented opti, and I would suggest that you convert to that if you can. From what I've read, they are more reliable than the older models.
I used a ac delco oem opti for the replacement, and at 104,500 miles it is still running perfect.
My 95 is a vented opti, and I would suggest that you convert to that if you can. From what I've read, they are more reliable than the older models.
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 1,324
Likes: 5
From: Charlotte NC
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Safety Car
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 3,793
Likes: 9
From: VA
How many miles/years do you go between cap/rotor inspections on your other cars with distributors?
If DIY - take it apart; inspect; replace if needed.
If paying for labor, idiotic not to just replace it.
If DIY - take it apart; inspect; replace if needed.
If paying for labor, idiotic not to just replace it.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 5,141
Likes: 7
From: Metairie Louisiana
I replaced mine at 113k miles because I was removing it anyway for a cam swap. The original opti looked extremely good in the inside for its age. If I was you I guess I would probably swap it for a new vented one though. Check out thepartsladi on ebay for a new GM replacement at a good price.
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 1,615
Likes: 3
From: Tampa Fl
I say keep your opti dry when you pull the pump and keep it.Look for oil leaks up front while you have it apart and fix any you might find.There are 3 seals in the timing chain cover that can leak,mine is leaking now from one of them(I think the one behind the opti).
Race Director
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 18,346
Likes: 1
From: D / FW
There are a few things you can do while you are in there like changing plug wires , putting a line from the weep hole using a fitting and a vacuum line about 8 in. long to drape over the front cross member to save the opti a bath in the future .
You can also remove the coil bracket and ICM [ Ignition control module ] and put some separation [ air ] between it and the bracket by using a flat washer [ one on each side ] which will increase the life of that item another 50 percent.
Just some mods that the engineers should have done if they had not been busy designing the LS engines.
The OEM opti as others have said are good as the aftermarket ones and they are designed to last 160,000 miles and often go to 240,000 plus miles with only a cap and rotor change.
I also run a bead of silicone around the optis cap and yes the vented opti is better as it sucks out the ozone created by the light process which is a corrosive.
All opti's are good for 7700 RPMs OEM or Aftermarket.
By using the 97 LS timing cover you can convert to Coil Packs.
You can also remove the coil bracket and ICM [ Ignition control module ] and put some separation [ air ] between it and the bracket by using a flat washer [ one on each side ] which will increase the life of that item another 50 percent.
Just some mods that the engineers should have done if they had not been busy designing the LS engines.
The OEM opti as others have said are good as the aftermarket ones and they are designed to last 160,000 miles and often go to 240,000 plus miles with only a cap and rotor change.
I also run a bead of silicone around the optis cap and yes the vented opti is better as it sucks out the ozone created by the light process which is a corrosive.
All opti's are good for 7700 RPMs OEM or Aftermarket.
By using the 97 LS timing cover you can convert to Coil Packs.
