We picked up a '97 Trans Am last Fall with 89K miles on it, and it was a 3 owner all original car other than the Corvette ZR1 rims. I discovered on the first cold day that the heat didn't work. So of course I did a simple heater core flush and walla heat works!
Then I noticed on the next drive the water pump was puking orange Dex Cool all over the place, so flushing the heater core must have pushed some crap through that the original pump didn't like. The pump had a lot of evidence that it had been weeping for awhile, so with my shoulder finally at about 80% I decided to tackle the replacement over the weekend.
One thing about F bodies is to expect a LOT of reaching over the fenders and 2.5 ft long front end of the car with the engine set back so far.
Anyway, after removing all the air intake stuff, air pump/brackets/coil (the worst part of the whole job), and the water pump, the old one was out. The new one went in without much trouble since I had figured out the disassembly of what felt like half the engine.
Looking at the old cam driven pump, it was clear the seal had blown out of it. I guess 89K miles and a lot of sitting in 23 years will do that.
I'm gambling the Opti-Spark distributor is going to live awhile since I didn't replace it ($350-500 depending on where you buy it), so may regret that later but thought I'd give it a shot.
Doing the work yourself, it's not a huge gamble to reuse the optispark.
If you were paying the labor, it would be foolish not to do it all at once.
67ss said
Jan 4, 2021
You can replace the cap and rotor on the optispark without having to do the whole distributor.
Lost in the 60s said
Jan 4, 2021
Wow, if you got a rebuilt water pump that didn't leak on the first try, you are living a charmed life. From reading many other's experience with them, they all leak for a while on initial install and then seal up for a while before leaking again in a short time.
May the force be with you on longevity.
SShink said
Jan 6, 2021
Lost in the 60s wrote:
Wow, if you got a rebuilt water pump that didn't leak on the first try, you are living a charmed life. From reading many other's experience with them, they all leak for a while on initial install and then seal up for a while before leaking again in a short time. May the force be with you on longevity.
I installed a new AC Delco pump, so hopefully that helps. Although, of course it was Made In China so we'll see.
Yes, I hope the force is with me so that the Opti distributor lives longer. But I guess I can now do the R&R in about half the time since now I know how it all comes apart.
dashboard said
Jan 6, 2021
I took one look at your water pump project and thought.....dealer job. Mines the same deal, the engine is about three feet back from the bumper.
SShink said
Jan 6, 2021
dashboard wrote:
I took one look at your water pump project and thought.....dealer job. Mines the same deal, the engine is about three feet back from the bumper.
I had that thought a few times the deeper I got into it. But then it became a personal challenge that I pushed myself to finish it. I guess that's when being a stubborn old goat kicks in.
Lost in the 60s said
Jan 7, 2021
SShink wrote:
dashboard wrote:
I took one look at your water pump project and thought.....dealer job. Mines the same deal, the engine is about three feet back from the bumper.
I had that thought a few times the deeper I got into it. But then it became a personal challenge that I pushed myself to finish it. I guess that's when being a stubborn old goat kicks in.
We picked up a '97 Trans Am last Fall with 89K miles on it, and it was a 3 owner all original car other than the Corvette ZR1 rims. I discovered on the first cold day that the heat didn't work. So of course I did a simple heater core flush and walla heat works!
Then I noticed on the next drive the water pump was puking orange Dex Cool all over the place, so flushing the heater core must have pushed some crap through that the original pump didn't like. The pump had a lot of evidence that it had been weeping for awhile, so with my shoulder finally at about 80% I decided to tackle the replacement over the weekend.
One thing about F bodies is to expect a LOT of reaching over the fenders and 2.5 ft long front end of the car with the engine set back so far.
Anyway, after removing all the air intake stuff, air pump/brackets/coil (the worst part of the whole job), and the water pump, the old one was out. The new one went in without much trouble since I had figured out the disassembly of what felt like half the engine.
Looking at the old cam driven pump, it was clear the seal had blown out of it. I guess 89K miles and a lot of sitting in 23 years will do that.
I'm gambling the Opti-Spark distributor is going to live awhile since I didn't replace it ($350-500 depending on where you buy it), so may regret that later but thought I'd give it a shot.
It has both heat and No leaks now.
If you were paying the labor, it would be foolish not to do it all at once.
You can replace the cap and rotor on the optispark without having to do the whole distributor.
May the force be with you on longevity.
I installed a new AC Delco pump, so hopefully that helps. Although, of course it was Made In China so we'll see.
Yes, I hope the force is with me so that the Opti distributor lives longer. But I guess I can now do the R&R in about half the time since now I know how it all comes apart.
I had that thought a few times the deeper I got into it. But then it became a personal challenge that I pushed myself to finish it. I guess that's when being a stubborn old goat kicks in.
We are NOT STUBBORN !!!!
We're Persistent...