LT1 tune up?
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 263
Likes: 12
From: k-town
LT1 tune up?
Time to replace the water pump
I was thinking it would be a good time for a tune up not sure when the last time it was done,
Thinking about replacing:
Opti
Plugs
Coil
New plug wires to
What you guys think
I was thinking it would be a good time for a tune up not sure when the last time it was done,
Thinking about replacing:
Opti
Plugs
Coil
New plug wires to
What you guys think
Advanced
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 81
Likes: 0
From: Southwest Ohio
My 96 waterpump let go. I did opti,plugs,wires,heater and radiator hoses. My thoughts were do it while im in there. Some people run the new opti for a long time and thought I might have changed it prematurely. Vette mechanic I spoke to acted like the coils are pretty dependable. He strongly recommended AC opti and using the AC wires made it much easier.
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 7,329
Likes: 2,256
From: Central Maryland
My 96 waterpump let go. I did opti,plugs,wires,heater and radiator hoses. My thoughts were do it while im in there. Some people run the new opti for a long time and thought I might have changed it prematurely. Vette mechanic I spoke to acted like the coils are pretty dependable. He strongly recommended AC opti and using the AC wires made it much easier.
Definitely, change the plugs and wires while you have the water pump off. The opti is debatable, but I'd do it while I was in there.
Use A/C Delco wires. They'll fit perfectly, as the old ones did, and they are high quality.
In your case, I would not recommend an OEM opti, if you choose to replace it. Your '93 has the first-generation opti, and I'd recommend you upgrade to the DynaSpark (if they're still in business), or the MSD. Both of these units have numerous upgrades that should improve longevity.
Live well,
SJW
Drifting
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 1,491
Likes: 94
From: Westfield MA
My WP started leaking about 20 minutes after I bought the car. In addition to a new WP, I replaced the opti, radiator hoses, heater hoses, wires, plugs and belt. I used an OEM opti but as others have said, if I had an earlier car, I probably would have gone with a Dynaspark or MSD unit. I also got OEM wires from the Chevy dealer but wouldn't bother with that next time, they were not exactly the same as the originals and were not numbered like the originals.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
2027 Corvette vs The World: Every C8 vs Its Closest Competitor
Joe Kucinski
10 Most Common Corvette Problems of the Last 20 Years!
Joe Kucinski
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 15,344
Likes: 4,008
From: Texas
How does the car run (other than the waterpump)?
- If it runs fine, pull the plugs and check the gaps and look for other issues such as oil or fuel dampness. If the plugs look like they've been to hell and back, then change them.
- Check the impedence on the wires and look for splitting, cracks, etc. If they're not brittle and they test good, leave them.
If it makes you feel better then just replace the wires and plugs.
No need to replace the coil or ICM or opti. Total and complete waste of money. Many people take perfectly fine running cars, change the opti, and then end up with ignition issues. This is where the old adage of "if it ain't broke..." aptly applies.
Last edited by 96GS#007; Nov 26, 2010 at 04:28 PM.
