LT1-LT4 Modifications 1993-97 Gen II Small Block V8

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Old Mar 27, 2009 | 05:16 PM
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Default Wtf???????????????????????

Well my old opti that had come out of my car was setting on the table, so i decided to finally open her up all the points were corroided. It was bad the deeper i got the worsier it looked, but to my amazement, i saw the optical sensor itself, upon further studying it, it had a mitshubishi(probably didn't spell it wright) sign on it. Was chevrolet partners with them at one point ? I can post picture of it later if anyone wants to see
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Old Mar 27, 2009 | 05:27 PM
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Originally Posted by Kmaroman
Well my old opti that had come out of my car was setting on the table, so i decided to finally open her up all the points were corroided. It was bad the deeper i got the worsier it looked, but to my amazement, i saw the optical sensor itself, upon further studying it, it had a mitshubishi(probably didn't spell it wright) sign on it. Was chevrolet partners with them at one point ? I can post picture of it later if anyone wants to see
Yes, all the optical sensors are made by Mitsubishi.
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Old Mar 27, 2009 | 06:14 PM
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Originally Posted by ss.slp.ls1
Yes, all the optical sensors are made by Mitsubishi.
Also important to note that they have been used in other vehicles without ANY problems unlike the notorious LT1.

Cap and rotor problems are far more common then sensor problems, but the location of the unit usually makes it a good idea to change both at the same time anyway.
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Old Mar 27, 2009 | 06:17 PM
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I know exactly what you're talking about. I said the same thing when I cracked my stock opti open. Wait until you have to crack open a MSD opti that you only ran for two months before it **** the bed. Haha. That's heartbreak. Luckily I got a replacement for free.
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Old Mar 27, 2009 | 07:11 PM
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GM decided to try and run off of the good idea that they had been using for years on alot of their cars and never having any problem. They just made a bad decision on where to put it (right under the weap hole of the WP)and it has been haunting all of us since then.
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Old Mar 27, 2009 | 07:18 PM
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I dont understand all these opti stories, Mine has 146,000 miles on it and is still going strong
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Old Mar 27, 2009 | 07:26 PM
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Originally Posted by pyro719
I dont understand all these opti stories, Mine has 146,000 miles on it and is still going strong
That's not uncommon. Most just don't realize they have a leaky WP until it's too late and they cap seal wasn't enough to stop the moisture from rusting inside the opti. Others like me had the rotor pointer rivet break from age (mine lasted 144k miles). Some have the rotor screws back out and the rotor detached.

BUT...if you notice when the WP is weaping or leaking, you prolong the life of the opti. Also, when it comes time for a replacement, using a genuine AC Delco/Delphi replacement and thread locking the rotor screws and sealing the cap with RTV will more than likely ensure opti-related-problem-free driving experience for at least 100k miles.
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Old Mar 27, 2009 | 08:02 PM
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Well it started to hit me i should of bought a gm replacement an not a jegs, all the classic symptons are back. Went to my friends house an the car didn't want to start when i was leaving, this ******* sucks cause i go to work in a couple hours. So whats that website that sells direct gm replacement optis, just give me the address. Heres the scenarioi work friday night till sunday afternoon an am off till friday. Tell me is replacing the opti going to be to hard, I'll have 4 complete days to do it. Tell me everything im going to need guys
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Old Mar 27, 2009 | 08:23 PM
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Originally Posted by Kmaroman
Well it started to hit me i should of bought a gm replacement an not a jegs, all the classic symptons are back. Went to my friends house an the car didn't want to start when i was leaving, this ******* sucks cause i go to work in a couple hours. So whats that website that sells direct gm replacement optis, just give me the address. Heres the scenarioi work friday night till sunday afternoon an am off till friday. Tell me is replacing the opti going to be to hard, I'll have 4 complete days to do it. Tell me everything im going to need guys
The Jegs opti is a POS. I had it on my car and it failed after two weeks.

Get a new AC Delco or Delphi opti from "thepartsladi" on Ebay.

Worst case scenario, taking your time, and with a few trips to AZ, an opti replacement shouldn't take you more than 6 hours to complete. I can get it done in about 2 (but I've had a lot of practice).

You will need new WP gaskets (2), coolant, razor blade or gasket scraper, 3 jaw puller to remove the crank balancer, standard tools (sockets and wrenches), torque wrench...that's about it.

Procedure:
*Before you start, remove the cap of the new opti and remove each rotor screw carefully and replace it with a dab of thread locker on the threads. Do it one at a time. You will need a E4 socket (you can get one from autozone).

-drain rad
-undo hoses to WP
-remove radiator shroud and fans
-unbolt WP from block
-unbolt and use jaw puller (puller not always necessary, but you'll likely have to use it) to pull off crank balancer.
-rotate crank hub so that the opti can be removed. You'll see what I mean.
-unbolt the old opti
-install new opti
*be sure that it is indexed correctly!
-reverse of removal
*install WP with new seal and connect all hoses. Undo the thermostat housing, pull out the thermostat and fill up at the water pump before you put the thermostat back in and bolt the housing back on. This will prevent creating an air pocket at the thermostat. Open both bleeder screws as you fill up the radiator.

Some helpful links:
http://shbox.com/1/93-94_opti.jpg
http://shbox.com/1/93-94_hoses.jpg
http://shbox.com/1/heater_hoses_93-94.jpg
http://shbox.com/ci/water_pump.jpg
http://shbox.com/ci/opti_mounting.jpg (that is a '95-'97 opti in the diagram, but that will give you an idea as to how it mounts to the timing cover).
http://shbox.com/ci/balancer_hub.jpg

Last edited by ss.slp.ls1; Mar 27, 2009 at 08:29 PM.
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Old Mar 27, 2009 | 08:34 PM
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well whats the url for the partsladi i can find them on ebay, i just hope to good this fix's the problem, caus ei can't figure it out. It wouldn't start for a minute at my friends house an i have to work tonight
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Old Mar 27, 2009 | 08:56 PM
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Originally Posted by litch2004
GM decided to try and run off of the good idea that they had been using for years on alot of their cars and never having any problem. They just made a bad decision on where to put it (right under the weap hole of the WP)and it has been haunting all of us since then.
Yes, that's a bad spot for it, but I'm willing to bet that the majority of failures are due to years and years of driving in moist conditions (from rain or melted snow) which condenses inside the cap and promotes corrosion. The water pump failing is more than likely then the final nail in the coffin. Though I'm sure that the pump failing could still take out a new opti as well
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Old Mar 27, 2009 | 09:09 PM
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befor i jump into a new opti, will the computer throw a code. Cause it won't throw any codes lately even with it acting the way it has been
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Old Mar 27, 2009 | 09:11 PM
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Originally Posted by Kmaroman
befor i jump into a new opti, will the computer throw a code. Cause it won't throw any codes lately even with it acting the way it has been
Generally it seems it's a 50/50 toss up on it throwing a code.
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Old Mar 27, 2009 | 09:16 PM
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Well here let me throw all the symptons its having. Probably started about a month ago, it would just stutter, seemed like it would just freeze on 3k rpm, as it progressed, i bought new plugs wires an coil pack. It seemed better, then idid the icm cooling mod not problem for a couple days. Then bam the car completly cut out an died. It's died 2 or 3 times now luckily i can throw it back in gear an let out of the clutch. Overall it just seems to break up in the high rpms now. Sometimes it'll just backfire when you take off hard then let off the gas
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Old Mar 27, 2009 | 11:11 PM
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Here is what you want.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/92-93...mZ390039547176
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Old Mar 28, 2009 | 06:36 AM
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use my write up

http://www.lt1engine.com/tech/93-97-...emove-replace/
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Old Mar 28, 2009 | 02:11 PM
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i sent you a pm....
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