What causes the waterpump to leak? My optispark is dead too of course. This will be the second time in just seven months that I have to replace both! (third time in 40K miles) And I actually went in to have a new starter put in because I already had a bad one and the car suddenly refused to start. I am hating the LT1 design. I have replaced one thing after another with this car and most of the parts have been replaced but now I am replacing the same thing over and over. Anyone want to buy this money pit? Seriously....

 

These cars are definately a love & hate relationship. If you bought a GM water pump and installed it correctly it should be years before any problems might come up. There are many who have messed up the install and toasted there opti along with it. The starter problem could be the brand and not a design flaw. Ebay has many for dirt cheap and you get what you pay for. Money pit is a good way to put it. I have been lucky lately and have been spending money on fun items and not replacing broken ones.

 

The LT1 is getting old, and that means parts break. And then owners usually go with cheap parts, then those parts last a few months before breaking again. If you buy decent parts and install them correctly, the LT1 lasts as long as any other engine. Modding also shortens the lifespan of parts. All that performance comes at a price, and if you're not prepared to pay that price then the F-body is the wrong place for you.

 

Yeah I know exactly how you feel FNDRB. I love my LT1 when it purrs like a beast and roars like a bigger beast, but sometimes I really just feel like smackin' it, and that's all too often. I replaced my water pump a few months ago because I found it was leaking just a bit on the opti, causing a bit of hesitation. Instead of paying 600 something bucks that pep-boys wanted, me and my friend (who's actually a mechanic at pep boys) did it ourselves. I got that cheap 65 dollar water pump off ebay and it really feels like a good solid product. Then again I don't know nearly as much as some more experienced members so I could be wrong. I was lucky and the opti didnt seem to get wet and ran like a charm. I probably should've replaced it, but I didnt have the time or money then. I'll prolly do it this summer. So glad I was careful and my opti stayed dry when i did it.

My advice: grab a friend to help when changin it out, it goes faster to have a guy above the car and another underneath. Also makes it fun sort of, we were just playin music and talkin the whole time. Not sayin' id want to take the burden again, but I guess I made the most of a bad situation.

 

Seriously... the optisparks you replace more than likely aren't bad just because they get wet. When is the last time you flushed the coolant system? The starter could be a worn ignition switch. The new starter may be working fine now since new connections yeild a current better than old. What's the quality of parts you've been buying? New? Rebuilt? By whom?
There's always a reason or explanation.

 

Haters often hate because they are doing something wrong (in regards to part choices or expertise). MHO.

 

your OEM parts lasted how long before breaking?


so why go with some autozone reman or cheap *** knock off?


pay the money and replace with ACDELCO

 

What kind of parts did you replace with? I frankly wouldn't bother with a replacement opti unless it was a Delco. As for the water pump, its possible it was poorly installed. The minute that starts to leak and gives the opti a bath, that can very well lead to a no-start issue. Fix the water pump issue and let the opti dry out as it may still be functional.

 

thats for sure alot of these items for the lt1 lasted a very long time and to throw something like an aftermarket piece of junk in their will do that make it a junk engine! now im not saying for all the parts but for main parts like the opti,waterpump,egr the car will not run the same! but thats my two cents!

 

How do you all conclude that I am using crappy parts? Do you see a subliminal message here or something. Every part replaced on this vehicle has been either an ACDelco part or an upgrade, usually from the sponsors on this site. Both the water pump and the optispark were ACDelco purchased from gmpartsdirect.com. The vehicle had a leaking water pump after just seven months. Both the water pump and optispark installs are relatively simple as I have done it once in the distant past so I doubt these certified mechanics are the issue. The design is lame in that the water pump is located right over the opti. If the opti is subject to inoperability when it gets wet then why place it directly under the water pump? I have had to change a water pump and optispark (three times), a starter, a radiator, an alternator, a transmission, a fuel pump, an a/c compressor, and had two head gasket leaks, and don't get my started on the window motors/regulators. Gotta laugh at how some of you think the LT1 does no wrong. Case in point...Look at all the problems people post on this site. You got to admit this car has many flaws. Anyone want to purchase my "perfect" Camaro? No, seriously...

 

Something funny has to be going on. On the other end of the spectrum, some have gotten 300k+ miles out of an original (unvented) opti. I had a water pump leak on my opti for 2k miles and never had a problem with it.

People assumed stuff, because you gave no information for them to go on. Give more details on the front end and that won't happen.

 

Interesting how the assumption was in defense of the vehicle and not the admission that the vehicle has major flaws. I am not surprised though since many are biased and lose objectivity. I should write an article in Psychology Today. Nevertheless, no one answered the question....What causes water pumps to fail? The coolant/water was changed seven months ago obviously and the proper seal was used so I am curious how this thing leaked yet again.

 

Yeah like putting on the cheapest autozone water pump one could find and when it leaks bitching about it.

Buy GM parts and instal them corectly and they should last for years.

As far as selling your "POS" how much are you asking for it?

My 95 Z28 was one of the most reliable cars I have ever owned in my life.

 

There could be several differnt causes.
What did you use to seal the contact points?
WHat brand is it?
When a pump wears out a gap forms where the bearing assembly is around the shaft. As the bearings wear it creates enough space for water to escape.This also happens prematurely when you buy a cheap pump. But the water could also be coming from around the sides of the pump if it was installed poorly.

Is it leaking from the hole on the bottom of the pump?

 

I have seen where the cam shaft is not in the right position causing the opti to be ruined. Maybe there is something going on where the water pumps connects to engine. Just a guess but maybe the water pump is not the problem and its going out because of other factors. I guess every car has its lemons but there are so many things that can cause part failure its hard to point just at the design. I would say you have had more issues than most but most of the things you have replaced i have changed on all the different cars i owned over the years.