1992 distributor problems

[josephcook]

I just bought a 1992 corvette LT1. Ran great for about 2 months, developed a skip in the engine. Chevrolet looked at it for about 15 minutes and told me the distributor had moisture in the cap. Said it was labor intensive to change it and I should change the whole distributor while the rest of the job was being done. Cost about 750.00 total. Is this a common problem and is there a permanent solution if it is a common problem. Im not a mechanic and I am at the mercy of these guys. HELP !! Thanks, Joe Cook

 

[Tuna]

Getting moisture in the OptiSpark seems to be common - depends on how much humidity you have where you live and whether you try to wash the motor or not.

Try heating the Opti with a hair dryer for about an hour - if there's no permanent damage to the Opti, they can recover normal performance.

Working on the Opti is expensive and a PITA. The Opti ain't cheap to start with and it's under the waterpump. You have to loosen the steering rack and remove the crank pulley in order to get the Opti off.

Then the mechanic needs to make sure the when he bleeds the coolant system, he doesn't get the new Opti wet - one of the bleed valves is on the thermostat housing just above the Opti.

The 95/96 Opti's have better seals and a vacuum vent that helps keep moisture out. You can upgrade but that ain't cheap either as it require a new front cover and some additional parts.

If the hair dryer trick doesn't work, plan on spending some money.

 

[eccm]

As Tuna said it : the mechanic doesn't get the new Opti wet .I had a 92 Lt1 before and i had 100000 miles on. I preferred to change the water pump at the same time rather to have to change it when Opti was new. if your waterpump is old take care. have one opti to change is better than two.

 

[Tuna]

As long as I'm here I might as well add another comment.

I've got 105K+ on my 92 now. The original Opti was replaced twice under warranty in the first 6 months - once because it died and the second time because it was recalled for the Opti and my first replacement was a first generation bad Opti. That all happened back in 1992.

I've had to do the dryer trick a couple of times on my car - once when it cold soaked in high humidity for several days and everything under the hood was wet. I knew right away when it didn't start and bucked back that the Opti was wet. After 45 minutes under the dryer, it started and ran fine. That was 4 years ago.

I just replaced that Opti with the latest 96 version but only because I was updating the whole motor to LT4 standards any way, so why not. I'll have to see how long the new Opti lasts - the clock is ticking.

I also take care when cleaning the motor and I keep a look out for tale-tale coolant leaks from the water pump (none in 12 years and 100+k miles). Maybe it helps that I drive the car nearly everyday!

 

[josephcook]

1992 corvette optispark

Thanks to all who replied to my questions !! Also, does anyone know how much the upgrade to the better unit with the drain in it costs and is it or is it not a one time repair bill?? I have put my car away for the long cold winter but will try the hair dryer trick in the spring. Maybe I will get lucky and it will only cost a few kilowatts of electricity to fix my car. Thanks again, joe

 

[fhturner]

Don't know about that myself, but I'd suggest you post the same question in the C4 Technical Discussion forum (or would a moderator like to teleport this thread there? ). You're more likely to find an answer there, I would imagine.

Good luck,
Fred