opti at 54k
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2019
Posts: 174
Likes: 32
From: NEPA
opti at 54k
my water pump went in my 96 LT4. I caught it early so I don't think the opti got wet, it only has 54k on it. Everything ran fine before.
I've got the water pump off, going to order new plug wires. My question is whether or not I should mess with the opti at this mileage or not????
I've got the water pump off, going to order new plug wires. My question is whether or not I should mess with the opti at this mileage or not????
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 14,676
Likes: 751
From: NEwhere Ohio
If thats OEM working fine, youd be dumb to replace it with anything other than OEM NOS (which isnt easy to find)
id say leave it alone if its fine inside.
inspect the seals make sure they arent cracked. put dielectric greAse on them.
test the vacuum system (it doesnt pull a lot of vacuum just a tiny amount due to the reducer).
may also put rtv silicone around the connector harness entry point and the 2 halves as a fail safe in case the oem seAl cracks.
lastly
do the water pump weep hole mod to direct leaks from a leaky water pump away from the optispark
good luck
id say leave it alone if its fine inside.
inspect the seals make sure they arent cracked. put dielectric greAse on them.
test the vacuum system (it doesnt pull a lot of vacuum just a tiny amount due to the reducer).
may also put rtv silicone around the connector harness entry point and the 2 halves as a fail safe in case the oem seAl cracks.
lastly
do the water pump weep hole mod to direct leaks from a leaky water pump away from the optispark
good luck
Last edited by dizwiz24; Nov 5, 2019 at 08:17 AM.
Racer
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 316
Likes: 63
From: Peoria IL
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2019
Posts: 174
Likes: 32
From: NEPA
If thats OEM working fine, youd be dumb to replace it with anything other than OEM NOS (which isnt easy to find)
id say leave it alone if its fine inside.
inspect the seals make sure they arent cracked. put dielectric greAse on them.
test the vacuum system (it doesnt pull a lot of vacuum just a tiny amount due to the reducer).
may also put rtv silicone around the connector harness entry point and the 2 halves as a fail safe in case the oem seAl cracks.
lastly
do the water pump weep hole mod to direct leaks from a leaky water pump away from the optispark
good luck
id say leave it alone if its fine inside.
inspect the seals make sure they arent cracked. put dielectric greAse on them.
test the vacuum system (it doesnt pull a lot of vacuum just a tiny amount due to the reducer).
may also put rtv silicone around the connector harness entry point and the 2 halves as a fail safe in case the oem seAl cracks.
lastly
do the water pump weep hole mod to direct leaks from a leaky water pump away from the optispark
good luck
Thanks for the advice, I'll give it a whack... I took a look in Home Depot for something to drain the water from the water pump, but all the fittings looked a bit big...
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2019
Posts: 174
Likes: 32
From: NEPA
Interesting, I wasn't sure what the expected lifespan would be on these and whether many would need rebuilding at this kind of mileage. Did you get any indication that there was any problem with yours during the rebuilding process?
Safety Car
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 4,197
Likes: 1,321
From: LeClaire Iowa
will see the optidoctor does not charge much to clean up, bead blast, install new bearing and seal the unit up with some real good sealant and TEST. Too much work for me to not have it done right.
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Pro
Joined: Sep 2018
Posts: 671
Likes: 171
From: Birmingham, Alabama
I used a 90* grease fitting for the elbow since that was all Lowe’s had. Turned out to be better since it is a hardened part and always in stock. I drilled out the end and removed the inner spring and ball.
I applied a little thread sealant to the elbow threads
Took a pair of vice grips and screwed the elbow into the water pump until it stopped in the position I needed. I ran the drain hose out the passenger side as it was less obstructed and there were other hoses to attach it to.
Pro
Joined: Sep 2018
Posts: 671
Likes: 171
From: Birmingham, Alabama
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 2,692
Likes: 349
From: Sacramento California
I did my weep hole mod with the water pump in the car. I got one of those double-pointed brass barbs (3/16 I think), cut one end down to 2 barbs and carefully filed that end small enough to tightly fit inside the weephole. Took a bit of arm contortion to reach under there with enough force to push it in. But it's snug in the hole and the hose is routed down to the underside of the car.