doing the water pump and prolly should deal with the opti, thierfore am looking for suggestions for a "middle of the road unit suggestions welcome thanx

 

this is a typical 'newb' strategy. pro-active replacement of a working fine, likely oem unit with something of lessor quality that will give you trouble.

same applies for the waterpump... is it leaking ? or is this a pro active replacement of a working oem unit with one of lessor quality (made in china)

better off getting your oem one rebuilt by someone here in the usa.

as for optisparks:
there are no middle of the road units.

you either have an oem new old stock unit (with mitsubishi optical sensor) that will work reliably (add a vent if its a pre 1995 unit) or you have one without the mitsubishi optical sensor that will break down on you.

new old stock optisparks are hard to find but they can be found. finding one on ebay, that an old man bought as a spare 20 years ago, or even junkyards is a better bet.

someone posted that they know someone who installs mitsubishi optical sensors into msd optisparks

take apart your optispark and see if t has the mitsubishi symbol on the sensor. if it does, its likely an oem unit.

i would replace the seals if they are cracked (can use rtv also), bearing (if it needs it) add a custom vent, and possibly replace the cap/rotor (especially the rotor)


but do not get rid of the mitsubishi optical sensor optispark (if it still has an oem unit in there)

 

i want to add before someone jumps all over me:

the oem optisparks from 92-94 have a design flaw that will cAuse failure if not corrected.
they need a custom vent added (like 95-96) and then they become perfectly reliably.

need to vent out the ozone (from sparking) that will destroy the rubber seals and also provide a pathway out for Any water intrusion.

also note the 95-96 will fail like they dont have a vent if the vent becomes inoperable (clogged, disconnected, melted, etc)

once the 92-94 units have an operating vent added to them - they become perfectly reliable

 

unable to do the work myself else I would ! and yes I'm kind of a newbie just like everyone else started out and ask legit questions.

history of the car, its a used 95 I bought this april that had 83 K on the clock, Ive since put 900 miles and started noticing a how water smell but didn't take it seriously so thought it was time to get it checked out,took it in for a coolant flush then found out the WP was leaking + the liquid was nasty. Am aware the 95 opti has a drian hole that gets rid of any water "or atleast that's what I was told and have read. Thierfore was a bit concerned the opti might be damaged but will have the shop check it out when they change the WP per the brand opti you mentioned.

Am assuming since the car has just 83K the opti is stock and didn't see any service reports per Carfax, but again will take a closer look at the shop

 

Is there a way to actually replace the bearing in an opti? I searched for info on that a while back and found nada. Please fill us in if you know of a way!

To the OP, being a 95, your car's opti is already vented. Assuming it hasn't seen lots of sustained high-rpm use (continuous track laps, mainly), then the bearing is probably okay. These things actually are sealed, so any coolant that got on it shouldn't have gotten inside the opti. But I agree with dizwiz24's suggestions: keep the original opti and do his preventive maintenance suggestions to keep it happy for years to come.

 

l
the shop will need to take the time to take apArt the optispark, check for water intrusion damage, and make sure the seals arent cracked.

have them verify the little mitsubishi symbol on the sensor and clean up the inside.

even if the sensor/optispark is good (no water intrusion), the seals are probably bad due to age. they can also put some rtv silicone around the cap and electrical connector is good measure against water intrusion.

also people do a water pumpweep hole mod to route a hose away from the optispark in case waterpump leaks

if you have an original ac delco optispark, all i would do is buy a replacement cap/rotor kit to install (i believe it may also come with new seals) and re use the original ac delco sensor/base unit.

probably also a good time to do new plugs and wires.

even if you go to the dealer and pay top dollar for an ac delco optispark - its not the same as a new old stock (ac delco opti. they will sell you an ac delco - remanufactured (in china) optispark. i bought one and had problems with it. car would run for a few seconds and die. wouldnt restart for 3 hours and then would die again once it got hot.

though if i 'had no choice' and couldnt get an oem optispark (id even take a used one vs a new off brand), i would go with either an ac delco remanufactured or delphi unit. i would take it apart and return it for a different one until i got one with the mitsubishi optical sensor

the others dont hold up to heat

 

[QUOTE=dizwiz24;1595150766]l
the shop will need to take the time to take apArt the optispark, check for water intrusion damage, and make sure the seals arent cracked.

have them verify the little mitsubishi symbol on the sensor and clean up the inside.

even if the sensor/optispark is good (no water intrusion), the seals are probably bad due to age. they can also put some rtv silicone around the cap and electrical connector is good measure against water intrusion.

also people do a water pumpweep hole mod to route a hose away from the optispark in case waterpump leaks

if you have an original ac delco optispark, all i would do is buy a replacement cap/rotor kit to install (i believe it may also come with new seals) and re use the original ac delco sensor/base unit.

probably also a good time to do new plugs and wires.

even if you go to the dealer and pay top dollar for an ac delco optispark - its not the same as a new old stock (ac delco opti. they will sell you an ac delco - remanufactured (in china) optispark. i bought one and had problems with it. car would run for a few seconds and die. wouldnt restart for 3 hours and then would die again once it got hot.

though if i 'had no choice' and couldnt get an oem optispark (id even take a used one vs a new off brand), i would go with either an ac delco remanufactured or delphi unit. i would take it apart and return it for a different one until i got one with the mitsubishi optical sensor

the others dont hold up to heat

/QUOTE A BIG THANX and will forward this message to the shop and will see how it goes

 

First of all you need to start using the form search feature. There is a great thread on optis still active on the forum first page - and I hate repeating myself daily.

But in your case your Opti is really only due for a cap and rotor. If you want to do some pro-active maintenance I would add a retro vent system. That's what I'm using on my '94 LT1. It converts a non-vented Opti to a vented Opti. Inexpensive too. Again just use the search function for this - I would have to myself as it's been so long I no longer have part numbers for you.

Hope this helps.

 

His is a 95, so it is already vented from the factory.

 

interesting someone would advise replacing cap\rotor, is that something most here would advise??

 

I would take a look at it first. The vented optis are less likely to need cap and rotor replaced because moisture and ozone don't build up inside as much as in non-vented ones. But certainly if you see signs of oxidation or other damage, it's a good idea to replace them on any distributor.

 

hey guys think I found someone who will deal with that WP and crank seal replacement and needing to ask what coolant to use, I have a new jug of diluted 50/50 prestone and wondering if that can be used, thanx

 

Be sure to use the green and not the orange. You do not want to put dex cool into your 95.

 

thanx for the reminder we just gotta jug of the green stuff, their gonna do the work Friday so we can get this car back on the road!!

 

Hi, any updates on how things came out?

 

Had to go thru hell couple days being the mechanic at the 1st shop was incompetent but the owner was kind enuff to give a full refund so took it to another shop and got the part installed right. still heats up a bit but nothing a different rad wont fix. Am seeing an oil film in the coolant so need to investigate that.

 

For your consideration I would offer you the following. Your 95 (like my own 95) is an expensive car to throw parts at.

1) Try and get yourself a two volume set of the 1995 factory service manual. You can generally find them for less than $100 in the C4 parts for sale area or on fleebay. It is a great help in two areas; first in the proper steps for diagnosing issues, second in showing the proper sequence for disassembly and reassembly.

2) Make an appointment with one of the local vette specialty shops in your area (which is my area) here (in my view) are 3 of the best in the PNW:

Brads Custom Auto in lake city

Corvettes of Auburn

Wong's Performance Engineering

Your buddy Keith can speak to you about these shops.

Have them do a full look-over of the car and ask for their recommendations about what needs to be replaced.

 

sounds good, just send us a blank check and will get right on it anyway thanx for the info.