rremesal

Team,

I just cracked open my Opti and was really amazed at its condition. I'm not the original owner, but based on the built up gunk on the outside of the Opti, I'm fairly certain it's the original 84K mile unit. Further, the car had a Carfax report done on it...it listed a water pump replacement shortly after original purchase. No mention of Opti replacement.

96 LT4

Ric




There was a very light coating of oil inside the cap...notice where I ran my finger. Perhaps oil fumes are making their way via the vent inlet at the intake bellow.

I am extremely surprised at how good the contacts look. There is hardly any wear and no gunk buildup.

The center contact is virtually brand new. Zero defect, corrosion or wear. Notice there is no oil inside the Opti.

The rotor has very little wear. Also, unlike other mebers, the screws look brand new and the rotor was firmly in place. Despite heavy oil seepage on the outside of the block, no oil made it's way inside the Opti. I can see under the white cover and the metal is virtually new...no corrosion. Notice the yellowish rubber gasket on the outer diameter. It had a nice tight seal against the cap. This is a testament to the many improvements of the later Optis. They were effective!

rremesal

May 24, 1995... If I read that right.

Whaleman

That is in unbelievable condition. The rotor and cap look like maybe 1000 miles. Dan

rremesal

To be honest... It's almost bittersweet. I have a slight chop to my idle. It can be felt in the car as a tiny "stumble". It's visible if I have the car idling with a door open.
I was hoping a tune up to the Opti would resolve that since plugs and wires are new. I guess not!

Then again, it may be a completely normal idle.

lt1-xjs

That thing looks to be pristine. Even the rotor screws look snug. The consensus over the years has been to remove the screws and put a dab of Loctite on them.

rremesal

I got the new parts in. Take a look... Some oil did make it's way in. Looks like mainly through the pin drive.
Ric

Oily shield.


Notice how oil was going flung out at the disc by the centrifugal force.

I removed the sensor and ran a paper towel through the slit. I cleaned up everything else before assembly.

Replaced with this. Black cap with brass points. Stocker was aluminum.

Whaleman

Did you clean any oil from the optical reader? Dan

rremesal

Yes...where the 2 screws hold down the sensor. See pics above. However, The rest of the sensor was dry. The sensor itself wasn't event dusty.

rremesal

Team,

I put the new parts back (cap and rotor) in the stock Opti. However, before replacing it, I gave the front of the engine and frame as good a cleaning as I could. The oil/dirt mix was absolutely caked on, especially on the K member.

I did jump the gun a bit and replaced the new water pump back before the damper. The latter is out to Damper Doctor for rebuilding.


Yikes!


I'm hoping I can slide the damper in without removing the water pump.

rremesal

Team,

Update on this post...

- As you can see in the pictures and information above, I cleaned the Opti in my 96 LT4 and installed a new cap and rotor
- Redid the Opti vent hoses with new ones
- I also installed a new water pump with temp sensor, and the two main hoses leading to and from the radiator
- Replaced Opti and water pump timing cover seal
- I attempted to replace the temp sensor on the pass side head, but gave up on that. Too much work and risk for little if any reward
- I installed 2 new knock sensors. While at it, I made sure to drain all the old antifreeze out, including the heater core
- This thing took 4 gallons of antifreeze back in I have to check the overflow tank and see if more got sucked in
- Last but not least, I had the damper sent to Damper Doctor for rebuilding

After reassembly, the car fired right up. No issues whatsoever.

Impressions thus far (after 25 miles of driving), the car seems ever so slightly smoother. Free revving past 3K RPMs, the engine is smoother and does not vibrate as much as it did in the past. Driving past 3K RPMs seem to be smoother as well. A google search will reveal this is a somewhat common problem with LT4...engine vibrations past 3K RPMs. Perhaps it has to do with both the damper and the DM flywheel.

Overall, not a great improvement to driveability, but lots of satisfaction knowing the front-end of the engine is all up to spec.

I do need to take care of the china wall oil seepage. As you can see from the pics, it made a huge mess. However, I'll have to push that down the road. Wife is already asking "What project are you getting yourself into next?"

Ric

rremesal

Update: After a couple of weeks and a few hundred miles of driving, it is very clear the china wall is leaking oil. The top of the timing cover is already covered in a light coat of oil and the block behind the cover and under the china wall is shiny...as if recently painted black. (see pre assembly pic below).

Up next...manifold comes off.