REPLACING OPTI AND WATER PUMP ON 92

[corvetterider84]

Since I bought my 92 it has had a terrible skip while accelerating. Once I get up to say 50 it goes away and seems to run somewhat smooth. After reading about all the problems with the optis, I figured I'd give it a shot and replace mine and the waterpump while I'm at it. Got the opti for 120 with shipping on Ebay and the water pump for 120 from autozone. Now my trouble is getting the last bolt off of the water pump on the driver's side. It appears the pulley is in the way, but I'm not sure how it comes off. Does anyone have any links to procedures for completing this job (pump and opti on a 92). I've been searching the threads on here with no luck. Any input is appreciated.

 

[corvetterider84]

upon closer inspection looks like power steering pump, and alternator need to be removed...someone PLEASE correct me if I'm wrong. Don't wanna do any unneeded work..Plus the heat outside is torture (feels like 100 degrees)....Thank you..;help

 

[gmjunkie]

upon closer inspection looks like power steering pump, and alternator need to be removed...someone PLEASE correct me if I'm wrong. Don't wanna do any unneeded work..Plus the heat outside is torture (feels like 100 degrees)....Thank you..;help

Nope,Just the coil and the bottom bolt on the bracket to the power steering reservoir!!The Crank Balancer pulley can be a real Beach coming Off,and make sure you have the arrows up on the Balancer Pulley and Hub going back on!!

PS you will have to have a wobble socket for the water pump bolt and the belt removed to get clearance from the Idler pulley!!

 

[So Bay Vetter]

Not that I question your enthusiasm but hopefully you scanned for codes first to make sure the opti is your problem. That being said, you got a great deal on it (almost too good . . .Hmmmmm) If you didn't get the ventilation lines with it, I wouldn’t try to use the old ones (they did have opti ventilation in '92, didn't they?). I think a clogged filter on the old vacuum line was at least part of the reason mine went out. Junk is right about the balancer. Make sure you mark it so it goes on in the same position you removed it. I took the P/S pump bolts loose when I did mine (not the hoses, just the bolts). It made access a bit easier. When you take things apart, note that the vacuum line for the opti runs between the water pump and the block so, the new vac lines need to be set in before the water pump goes back on. I ran a bead of high temp. RTV around each of the seams on the opti for a little extra moisture insurance. Also considering how hard it is to get to the plug wires, now would be a good time to do those too. Be patient, it’s not all that difficult to do, just time consuming. If you don’t have the factory service manuals yet, this is a good excuse to get them. Good Luck!!

 

[gmjunkie]

92-94 don't have vacuum vented Opti's!! But they can be with a little ingenuity!! The balancer pulley has a arrow on it as does the Hub!!!

 

[corvetterider84]

I got the pump off using junk's advise to use a swivel socket (the pump fell off in my hand after that last bolt). Thanks JUNK!!! Also, the last bolt was pretty much hand tight which kind of made me think that possibly it was trickling water on the opti without me knowing it because it was loose?? As far as codes, i didn't know the opti had its own separate code? I did run a scanner on it a while back and it did not set off any codes that I could attribute the skipping to. The previous owner had spent way too much at the dealer replacing all sorts of parts, including the computer and the little black box on the upper right hand side of the driver's side under the hood (i believe its the ignition control module). Anyways, now that I already bought the parts and its too late to turn back, whats the issue with taking that bottom pulley off? Do all the bolts need to come off of the pulley or just the one in the center? And when I'm about to pull the opti off, is it possible to start attaching the wires to the new one right away so I don't loose track of where they go (previous owner had put new wires on)? Lastly, is there a gasket that goes between the opti and the block or is RTV sealant sufficent? Thanks a lot for all your help. Given all the problems and posts mentioned about the opti-spark, I was very surprised that I couldn't find a procedure on here (or anywhere on the web for that matter) illustrating its replacement.

 

[corvetterider84]

92-94 don't have vacuum vented Opti's!! But they can be with a little ingenuity!! The balancer pulley has a arrow on it as does the Hub!!!

Kinda glad to hear that because i didn't receive any vacuum lines with the one i purchased. Although i know an upgrade is possible, I just wanna get back on the road again and experience the true power that this vette has to offer. I've been riding with the skip since I purchased it...Side note: the opti i purchased did say it was vented..Does this mean its imperative to have a vacuum line hooked up, or will it be okay without??? Sorry for all the questions.. This stuff is new to me. I'm used to normal caps and rotors and thats it!

 

[gmjunkie]

To remove the balancer you take out the 3 bolts and leave the center one!! The balancer sometimes can be stubborn. Soak it down with PB Blaster from under the front around the hub good!!It'll make it not so hard to get off!! The venting can done easy while your there,there are 3 vent holes on the bottom of the opti,hook 2 small vacuum hoses to the outside ones and plug the middle one!! Just run the hoses up on top the intake somewhere and you can plum them in later or take five more minutes and do it now!!

 

[So Bay Vetter]

92-94 don't have vacuum vented Opti's!! But they can be with a little ingenuity!! The balancer pulley has a arrow on it as does the Hub!!!

It's been a few years since I did mine but for the life of me I don't remember an arrow on my balancer (I marked it with a grease pencil) mine is a 96 so there's probably a bunch of differences. Junk knows way more than I ;worshipso I should probably just butt out on this one except to say if there's vent holes on the opti I would certainly plumb them. I wouldn't want to leave them open down there where contamination could get in. It's not the kind of repair I'd want to do again to soon. hnoes

 

[gmjunkie]

It's been a few years since I did mine but for the life of me I don't remember an arrow on my balancer (I marked it with a grease pencil) mine is a 96 so there's probably a bunch of differences. Junk knows way more than I ;worshipso I should probably just butt out on this one except to say if there's vent holes on the opti I would certainly plumb them. I wouldn't want to leave them open down there where contamination could get in. It's not the kind of repair I'd want to do again to soon. hnoes

If you look in my bottom photo you can see the arrow on top the hub on the crank shaft,Your 96 has it too! on the front of the pulley there is a arrow stamped on the front of it,probly looks more like a little triangle though,you just need them lined up!!Also in the bottom photo you can see the white dot on the opti shaft coming out of the cover,(some have the white dot,some have a white line,some have nothing,but if you look close at the shaft you will the spline I'm talking about !!)at that location on the shaft theres a spline that is only half there and will only go in the Opti 1 way!! If the opti don't slip right over it,Look and see whats going on and don't pull the opti on with the bolts. It will screw the opti up!!

 

[corvetterider84]

If you look in my bottom photo you can see the arrow on top the hub on the crank shaft,Your 96 has it too! on the front of the pulley there is a arrow stamped on the front of it,probly looks more like a little triangle though,you just need them lined up!!Also in the bottom photo you can see the white dot on the opti shaft coming out of the cover,(some have the white dot,some have a white line,some have nothing,but if you look close at the shaft you will the spline I'm talking about !!)at that location on the shaft theres a spline that is only half there and will only go in the Opti 1 way!! If the opti don't slip right over it,Look and see whats going on and don't pull the opti on with the bolts. It will screw the opti up!!

Hi there Junk (or anyone else viewing this), whats the secret to stopping the bottom pulley from moving around in circles when trying to loosen the 3 bolts from it? I tried whacking my rachet with a hammer and no luck. I currently have some wd40 soaking in the bolts, but i plan to tackle and finish the job tomorrow. ;help

 

[gmjunkie]

Hi there Junk (or anyone else viewing this), whats the secret to stopping the bottom pulley from moving around in circles when trying to loosen the 3 bolts from it? I tried whacking my rachet with a hammer and no luck. I currently have some wd40 soaking in the bolts, but i plan to tackle and finish the job tomorrow. ;help

Well,6 sp's I Lock the emergency brake and stick them in reverse!!
Automatics,I raise the front up,Loosen the power steering cooler so it can drop down a little to clear a air wrench and zap them out!!Next major hurdle will be getting the pulley off!! I use a heavy brass 1 1/2 inch Dowel about 18 in. long, pop it from the back from under the car on each side!! It'll usually come right off!!

PS. WD-40 Sucks,find some PB Blaster!! :L

 

[corvetterider84]

Well,6 sp's I Lock the emergency brake and stick them in reverse!!
Automatics,I raise the front up,Loosen the power steering cooler so it can drop down a little to clear a air wrench and zap them out!!Next major hurdle will be getting the pulley off!! I use a heavy brass 1 1/2 inch Dowel about 18 in. long, pop it from the back from under the car on each side!! It'll usually come right off!!

PS. WD-40 Sucks,find some PB Blaster!! :L

Well whats the best way to knock those bolts loose without an air ratchet? Keep whacking like I have been I assume?:bash

 

[gmjunkie]

Well whats the best way to knock those bolts loose without an air ratchet? Keep whacking like I have been I assume?:bash

No you'll just break your ratchet! You might take the shield off the bottom of the torque converter and clamp a pair of Vice Grips on the Starter ring up next to the transmission case on the drivers side so the engine won't turn!!But you'll have to do it more than once,you can't get all the bolts out in 1 position!!

 

[corvetterider84]

No you'll just break your ratchet! You might take the shield off the bottom of the torque converter and clamp a pair of Vice Grips on the Starter ring up next to the transmission case on the drivers side so the engine won't turn!!But you'll have to do it more than once,you can't get all the bolts out in 1 position!!

oh boy..doesn't sound fun..i'll post my progress tomorrow night..thanks for the advise Junk. THIS FORUM IS GREAT!

 

[corvetterider84]

No you'll just break your ratchet! You might take the shield off the bottom of the torque converter and clamp a pair of Vice Grips on the Starter ring up next to the transmission case on the drivers side so the engine won't turn!!But you'll have to do it more than once,you can't get all the bolts out in 1 position!!

I got everything apart and put the new opti and water pump in today. Now when I go to start the car it attempts to start but won't. I don't know what or if I may have done anything wrong, or if I may just have purchased a bad opti. Any advice is appreciated. This doesn't make my day.;help

 

[gmjunkie]

I got everything apart and put the new opti and water pump in today. Now when I go to start the car it attempts to start but won't. I don't know what or if I may have done anything wrong, or if I may just have purchased a bad opti. Any advice is appreciated. This doesn't make my day.;help

Check the plug at the Opti!! Mine did the same thing!!! I had to bend the pins on the opti just a little to get a good connection!!

 

[So Bay Vetter]

Check the plug at the Opti!! Mine did the same thing!!! I had to bend the pins on the opti just a little to get a good connection!!

OOOOOOO . . . what if it was only the plug all along?

 

[gmjunkie]

OOOOOOO . . . what if it was only the plug all along?

Mine was full of rust particles!!Clean it you say?? I started to,till the screws broke off in the disk that holds the rotor!! I tried to drill them out (There really Hard Steel) and broke about 3 bits and finely got them drilled and got 1 taped and broke the tap off in the other!!Messed with that for about a hour and then Beat it with a 8 lb hammer,slung it half way up the Mountain and bought a new one!!

 

[corvetterider84]

Check the plug at the Opti!! Mine did the same thing!!! I had to bend the pins on the opti just a little to get a good connection!!

I just tried bending the pins but accidentally bent them a little too much and now I don't think they are going into the harness correctly.:bash I'm getting worried that by the time I get the pins in the right place I might break one and it appears that piece on the opti with the pins doesn't come off? Since its so dark out now, I'll have to mess around with it in the morning. I'll let you know how I make out. I hope to be cruisin by tomorrow, assuming the pins are the problem.