One-Stop LT1 Preventative Maintenance

[Randy L]

Moving a post from the LT1 Misc Tech board...

I just recently bought my '97 Z and it just turned 70K miles. Now being new to the Z28 family AND muscle cars, I naturally have been having fun with my mid-life crisis toy. Needless to say, I will step on the gas quite often, though not to burn out or street race...just making WOT passes of slower cars on the freeway (speedo has never went past 90MPH yet), etc.
I've learned the hard way that pushing the car WILL wear parts/components down quicker.
Knowing that the Optispark is the achilles heel of the LT1, I recommend you find a good source to buy everything in advance so you DO have everything ready when the Opti DOES crap out.
You now have the luxury of time to plan ahead. To get the most out of an Opti job, here's what many (myself included) recommend changing out at one time...since you're already there:
-- Water pump; use Felco gaskets for a long lasting gasket seal. For the non-vented Opti's even a little leak will ruin it, so don't take the chance...replace with a NEW water pump so you know it will last for quite a while.
-- The entire distributor. It's not JUST the cap & rotor that can go bad. If you have high mileage and the distributor hasn't been changed yet, it may be something to seriously consider. Since the whole NEW (not rebuilt) distributor comes with a new cap & rotor anyways, and isn't THAT much more expensive (Summit Racing seems to be a really good source, I just ordered a complete NEW distributor for just $289), it is a worthy investment. I wouldn't change the distributor EVERY time the cap & rotor is replaced though
-- Seal and O-rings for the distributor and front of camshaft (where the dist mounts to). I've found that the seal can wear and cause oil to leak out. Also, there are 2 little rubber o-rings that should be replaced as well. Your Chevy dealer should have them and they are CHEAP ($9 for the seal & $.79 for the O-rings)
-- Serpentine belt
-- Spark Plug wires if they are original; you're there already so this is a great time to replace them with performance ones.
-- Coil & Ignition module; though these don't typically go bad, if you are planning on upgrading, it's nice to have ready.
-- Spark plugs IF you will be changing the wires
-- Throttle Body Bypass (since the opti will be off, as well as the water pump, you might as well bypass that coolant line hooked to the TB). This will prevent any coolant from dripping onto the Opti if/when you ever do want to do it.

Planning ahead and having all the parts readily available do do all these pretty much makes the (eventually) needed service at the front of the engine a one-time shot. The whole process will take longer since there are so much to do, but you'll save time in the long run.

Hey folks, this is just MY OPINION...not factual data or manufacturer recommendations. Take it for what it's worth.

P.S. SInce the Opti's removed from the engine, it may be a good time to clean the engine with degreaser!


On the original thread, "BomberZ" added the recommendation to seal the opti with silicone, which I (as well as most others here) definitely agree.

[digi7al ph0enix]

Very nicely done. Thank you for crediting the original author as well. This will be added to the site index at the next update.