Automaited car wash and the LT1
03-09-2009, 12:57 PM
#23
When my water pump went out it dumped crap all over the opti which then went out. I'm no tech tard but it seems to me like others have experienced this same problem. If you are so fuc*ing smart and the majority of us are retards, then why do you waste your time on here?
03-09-2009, 01:22 PM
#24
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When my water pump went out it dumped crap all over the opti which then went out. I'm no tech tard but it seems to me like others have experienced this same problem. If you are so fuc*ing smart and the majority of us are retards, then why do you waste your time on here?
03-09-2009, 02:09 PM
#26
When my water pump went out it dumped crap all over the opti which then went out. I'm no tech tard but it seems to me like others have experienced this same problem. If you are so fuc*ing smart and the majority of us are retards, then why do you waste your time on here?
Antifreeze is not pure water, leaves residue to mess with the optical pickup.
Far as why I waste my time here, because without the few folks that know what they are doing you guys would doom all the newbies to failure.
03-09-2009, 07:05 PM
#28
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i have to agree and disagree with this thread... and this is my .02 cents. i dont believe the water actually kills the optical sensor, what i believe is that the spark can follow the water trail thus causing carbon tracking. once a carbon track is traced on the cap, the spark is going to follow the path of least resistance (which it is easier to follow the track and go to a ground vs. jump a plug gap) i am with 96caprice, i have seen WAY WAY WAY too many opti's changed just because someone told them it was bad. hell the one i run and my back up were changed from a misfire at high rpm... i threw a cap/rotor on one and have been driving on it since. im willing to bet after a cap/rotor on my spare it will do fine too! if you are getting water/coolant into the opti it needs seals... or fix the damn leak. water pumps dont just usually DUMP one day, they leak gradually until its a big leak. once again, my .02 cents. Im off of my soapbox, carry on 
03-09-2009, 08:08 PM
#29
TECH Fanatic
Been through automatic car washes plenty of times. I've pressure washed the engine bay at least twice when I still had the opti distributor. Never had problems with it. 
Maybe I was lucky.
IMHO, I wouldn't think a carwash, even with the underspray part should hurt it. I mean, I'm sure plenty of these cars are driven in the rain all the time and hit puddles that splash up in the engine bay from time to time.
Maybe I was lucky.IMHO, I wouldn't think a carwash, even with the underspray part should hurt it. I mean, I'm sure plenty of these cars are driven in the rain all the time and hit puddles that splash up in the engine bay from time to time.
03-09-2009, 10:55 PM
#32
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Yes, the opti, and if its sealed/vented correctly then water should not get in either. Which is why I asked about rusting, my opti had some rust on it. It still ran, just saying.
03-10-2009, 09:50 AM
#33
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I would say that if you have a good cap on your opti there is not any issues, but if you are using a cap that has been comprimised with a crack or a bad seal, than you may have issues. The opti is not any more prone to water intrusion than a regular cap and rotor in the conventional spot. I had aRenault Alliance with a 1.4 (yes, I had one 
) that every time it rained it would run terrible, was too cheap(read as broke) to buy a cap for it, so I fashioned a tin foil guard to deflect the water away from the distributor, worked great until I could buy a cap!!!
As far as the water pump leaking and ruining the opti, I don't 100% buy that either, I have seen countless water pumps pissing on the opti with no problems after the water pump replacement. The only ones that had issues had cracked caps or bad seals on the cap itself, again, not the fault of the opti!!!
I do have to agree with Caprice, 98% of the optis were replaced for lack of understanding, or they just needed a cap and rotor!!! I just worked on a 96 Roadmaster wagon with 217,000 on the clock with the original opti unit, just had to replace the cap and rotor to cure a P0300 code, but the distributor itself was fine!!!
My opinion, run it through the wash, no problems!!!!
) that every time it rained it would run terrible, was too cheap(read as broke) to buy a cap for it, so I fashioned a tin foil guard to deflect the water away from the distributor, worked great until I could buy a cap!!!As far as the water pump leaking and ruining the opti, I don't 100% buy that either, I have seen countless water pumps pissing on the opti with no problems after the water pump replacement. The only ones that had issues had cracked caps or bad seals on the cap itself, again, not the fault of the opti!!!
I do have to agree with Caprice, 98% of the optis were replaced for lack of understanding, or they just needed a cap and rotor!!! I just worked on a 96 Roadmaster wagon with 217,000 on the clock with the original opti unit, just had to replace the cap and rotor to cure a P0300 code, but the distributor itself was fine!!!
My opinion, run it through the wash, no problems!!!!
