I recently passed 20 years of continuous LT1 B-body ownership and somehow have never had a water pump or optispark fail on me. Looks like my run has ended finally with the failure of the water pump on my 96 RMW (V08 equipped). I know this is b-body basics, but I wanted to confirm a few things and ask a few questions of the knowledgeable here.
The scenario:
I took the car on an out of town trip and on the way back it started leaking coolant. I had some with me so, I put what I had in (about half a gallon) and kept going. The temp gauge stayed about 3/8 the whole time at highway speeds, which encouraged me to keep going to try to get back into town. When I did get into town, I stopped to buy more coolant and it was leaking but good. Temp still staying under half, but a few miles down the road it was creeping up. A few more miles and it was hitting 3/4. I stopped at a convenient place to see if adding more coolant would help. It hit the red at idle and I shut it down immediately. The coolant had just started to boil. I was still 33 miles from home, but at least I was in town and a tow was feasible and friends could take my family home.
- I know I pushed it, but I really didn't want to be dead on the side of the road out of town. Is it likely I damaged the engine running it that far? Did overheating briefly at idle damage it?
-The car starts and runs fine with the engine cooled off. I drove it off the tow truck and into my garage.
-I've read the stories of failed water pumps taking out the optispark. If the car is running well does that mean the opti is still good?
I am pretty sure the optispark is original, as the car has 112k and I bought it at 78k. I'll be replacing the water pump, and I've heard it said often that you might as well replace the opti while you're there. Do you all think that it would be worth it to replace a functioning 112k mile OEM opti? I've seen references to replacing just the cap and rotor. Is this recommended at the very least? What is the best brand and source for these?
Water pump questions:
-Reading through old posts, it sounds like the Gates water pump is a good way to go. ($60 from Rock Auto, they also have a $96 ACDelco).
-It also sounds like the water pump/optispark shaft seal should be replaced with the FEL-PRO Timing Cover Gasket TCS45956. Is that still the best source?
-Replacing that seal requires a special tool. I found a couple tools on ebay for $17-37, one included the seal also. Would that be the best way to go then? Is there a good way to do it with a homemade tool or common tool? Is that seal the only thing needed with the Felpro gasket kit, or do you still need all the other gaskets?
-Replacing the pump sounds like a big but not gigantic job. Any good tips from those who have done it?
I don't rely on the car for daily transportation (as long as our other 2 cars are working), so I can take the time to get the right parts and prepare for the job. Any help is greatly appreciated!
The scenario:
I took the car on an out of town trip and on the way back it started leaking coolant. I had some with me so, I put what I had in (about half a gallon) and kept going. The temp gauge stayed about 3/8 the whole time at highway speeds, which encouraged me to keep going to try to get back into town. When I did get into town, I stopped to buy more coolant and it was leaking but good. Temp still staying under half, but a few miles down the road it was creeping up. A few more miles and it was hitting 3/4. I stopped at a convenient place to see if adding more coolant would help. It hit the red at idle and I shut it down immediately. The coolant had just started to boil. I was still 33 miles from home, but at least I was in town and a tow was feasible and friends could take my family home.
- I know I pushed it, but I really didn't want to be dead on the side of the road out of town. Is it likely I damaged the engine running it that far? Did overheating briefly at idle damage it?
-The car starts and runs fine with the engine cooled off. I drove it off the tow truck and into my garage.
-I've read the stories of failed water pumps taking out the optispark. If the car is running well does that mean the opti is still good?
I am pretty sure the optispark is original, as the car has 112k and I bought it at 78k. I'll be replacing the water pump, and I've heard it said often that you might as well replace the opti while you're there. Do you all think that it would be worth it to replace a functioning 112k mile OEM opti? I've seen references to replacing just the cap and rotor. Is this recommended at the very least? What is the best brand and source for these?
Water pump questions:
-Reading through old posts, it sounds like the Gates water pump is a good way to go. ($60 from Rock Auto, they also have a $96 ACDelco).
-It also sounds like the water pump/optispark shaft seal should be replaced with the FEL-PRO Timing Cover Gasket TCS45956. Is that still the best source?
-Replacing that seal requires a special tool. I found a couple tools on ebay for $17-37, one included the seal also. Would that be the best way to go then? Is there a good way to do it with a homemade tool or common tool? Is that seal the only thing needed with the Felpro gasket kit, or do you still need all the other gaskets?
-Replacing the pump sounds like a big but not gigantic job. Any good tips from those who have done it?
I don't rely on the car for daily transportation (as long as our other 2 cars are working), so I can take the time to get the right parts and prepare for the job. Any help is greatly appreciated!