rremesal

Team,

I just cracked open my Opti and was really amazed at its condition. I'm not the original owner, but based on the built up gunk on the outside of the Opti, I'm fairly certain it's the original 84K mile unit. Further, the car had a Carfax report done on it...it listed a water pump replacement shortly after original purchase. No mention of Opti replacement.

96 LT4

Ric




There was a very light coating of oil inside the cap...notice where I ran my finger. Perhaps oil fumes are making their way via the vent inlet at the intake bellow.

I am extremely surprised at how good the contacts look. There is hardly any wear and no gunk buildup.

The center contact is virtually brand new. Zero defect, corrosion or wear. Notice there is no oil inside the Opti.

The rotor has very little wear. Also, unlike other mebers, the screws look brand new and the rotor was firmly in place. Despite heavy oil seepage on the outside of the block, no oil made it's way inside the Opti. I can see under the white cover and the metal is virtually new...no corrosion. Notice the yellowish rubber gasket on the outer diameter. It had a nice tight seal against the cap. This is a testament to the many improvements of the later Optis. They were effective!

rremesal

May 24, 1995... If I read that right.

Whaleman

That is in unbelievable condition. The rotor and cap look like maybe 1000 miles. Dan

rremesal

To be honest... It's almost bittersweet. I have a slight chop to my idle. It can be felt in the car as a tiny "stumble". It's visible if I have the car idling with a door open.
I was hoping a tune up to the Opti would resolve that since plugs and wires are new. I guess not!

Then again, it may be a completely normal idle.

lt1-xjs

That thing looks to be pristine. Even the rotor screws look snug. The consensus over the years has been to remove the screws and put a dab of Loctite on them.

rremesal

I got the new parts in. Take a look... Some oil did make it's way in. Looks like mainly through the pin drive.
Ric

Oily shield.


Notice how oil was going flung out at the disc by the centrifugal force.

I removed the sensor and ran a paper towel through the slit. I cleaned up everything else before assembly.

Replaced with this. Black cap with brass points. Stocker was aluminum.

Whaleman

Did you clean any oil from the optical reader? Dan

rremesal

Yes...where the 2 screws hold down the sensor. See pics above. However, The rest of the sensor was dry. The sensor itself wasn't event dusty.

rremesal

Team,

I put the new parts back (cap and rotor) in the stock Opti. However, before replacing it, I gave the front of the engine and frame as good a cleaning as I could. The oil/dirt mix was absolutely caked on, especially on the K member.

I did jump the gun a bit and replaced the new water pump back before the damper. The latter is out to Damper Doctor for rebuilding.


Yikes!


I'm hoping I can slide the damper in without removing the water pump.