Best way to replace the Opti?
 

Any suggestions? I dont have a lift, just jack stands.

You don't need a lift. I did mine in my garage with nothing more than a few jack stands and a floor jack. Check out http://www.lt1engine.com/tech/93-97-...emove-replace/ it is what I used as a guide when I did mine.

A: locate your teenage son
b: tell him to do it

seriously

it's not bad at all but.......and I mean BUT

have you had the car for a while and know well its' history?

If not

go buy a timing cover gasket kit as it comes with all 3 seals for the timing cover as well as a couple new o rings for the waterpump and opti

if you haven't yet, get some new spark plug wires and a set of plugs. The $40 jegs 8.5mm wires are fine as are NGK tr55's for $2 or so each at adv auto

you'll need 2 gallons of coolant (not pre mixed)

water pump gaskets

get a new accessory belt if it hasn't been replaced

buy a can of brake parts cleaner
buy a can of MAF cleaner

if you don't have long tube headers, plan on the entire day for the job because the spark plug wires are a bear if you have stock exhaust manifolds


drain coolant
jack up car
place on jack stands
remove radiator hoses and continue to drain coolant
disconnect CAI ( you do have a CAI and not the stock air box don't you?)
remove fan assembly
let coolant continue to drip into your eyes
remove accessory belt
let coolant drip on you
remove balancer
remove water pump
remove optispark
check the 3 seals. best case, replace the waterpump and opti drive seals and carefully check the crankshaft seal. Hopefully the crank seal is bone dry so you don't have to remove the hub.

Or, skip replacing the top 2 seals and let them leak all over your new opti in a few months and you get to do this again; the choice is yours.

install new opti

If you have stock exhaust manifolds, please pay attention to the next step. If you have long tube headers, please skip the next step and continue below

go get extremely drunk, absolutely hammered, zonked, ****faced.......


remove and replace spark plug wires and plugs

while under there, clean off all the sludge and muck from the underneath of the engine with brake cleaner. Don't get too nervous about the drip on the flywheel cover, that's just a leaky rear main seal (try a bottle of white shepherd rear main sealer before dropping the tranny to get to that seal. No, not Lucas, White Shepherd, and it must be "rear main sealer")

re-install waterpump
replace balancer
install fans
install hoses( you may want to replace them)
clean MAF
install new belt
reconnect everything


if you have stock exhaust manifolds please pay attention to the next step

go find a friend or close relative to kick you in the butt for being so cheap as to not have long tube headers. After replacing the plugs and wires you now know why the rest of us keep saying to put on long tubes

don't listen to grandpa, my instructions are much more accurate ;-)

Sure wish I would have put them on mine. Got in a hurry and went cheap on that, was afraid of ground clearence too.

I am the teenage son. Only had my car a week so I dont know the history yet. But what I was told is that some lady had it. Its completely stock, except the clutch I put in.

ok tig you just told a teenager to go get wasted and work on a car. lol great writeup though. chip dont drink until your married,,, lol. get your dad to do the drinkin for ya and he may just put the plugs in for ya. 95 is a vented opti so opti is sealed to the front cover instead of the shaft seal like a 93-94

One week!!! and it's still stock!!!!

I assume that you understood the humor about getting hammered. it is to emphasize the point about the plugs and wires. They are an absolute bear to do with stock exhaust manifolds.

But, do go under the car, do clean it up and look for any drips and try white shepherd if you have a slight leak in the rear main seal.

Also, heed my advice about the seals