OK guys I really need your help. All the local mechanics here are not real LT1 oriented. This write up was done today hours before I bought it. I cant take it back so lets see if we can solve the problem(s). Please read it and help me. I will forever be in your debt!

Diagnosis Consultation: Runs Poorly and customer was told the #4 plug wire was worn through. Also that there was oil in the distributor cap.
Road tested the car and verified it runs poorly. It skips all the time but more so under load. Scanned computer for codes, none found. Visually inspected the engine and found the front to be oil soaked. Pulled injector wires and found cylinders 1,4, and 7 to be very weak or not working. Tested injector pulse all appear OK. Removed #4 plug wire and insped it, OK. Did not find it worn. Due to the way it is running the next step is to perform smoke test to inpect for vacuum leaks and also to shampoo and dye engine to determine cause of oil leak.

What do you guys think? Could any of this be opti related? Please help a fellow Z owner in distress! Thanks, Gregg

 

if there is oil in the distributor cap, you will have to replace the opti..

 

someones full of cr~p. Lets get this right, The person (or company) that checked this out found oil in the distributor cap. So I guess the mechanic just felt like pulling the water pump and all the other stuff just to check the cap? Yeah right, Wanna buy a bridge?

 

b/t/w change the opti, throw a set of plugs in it, change the wires (and it probably needs a egr valve too) then fix the oil leak. How many miles on this thing anyway?

 

So that is the only way to tell if there is oil in the dist cap? By pulling the water pump? I dont know but I really trust the mechanic that originally told me there was a bad plug wire and oil in the dist cap. Can someone explain how the cap and opti are related? Or maybe a link and I can do my own reading? I have searched for "opti" but I just get a lot of "replaced my opti, still running like crap" posts. Any more help guys?

 

Opti and cap are related, in that the opti is the distributor, and the cap is the distributor cap..
I doubt the mechanic pulled the cap to inspect, he may have 'assumed' if it's bathed in oil, that there is oil seeping into it..
it would account for bad running..
I'd swap the plugs and wires first, then go into the opti..
Fix that oil leak also.. if it's front seals,[water pump drive, opti, front main] you're almost there anyway, if you swap the opti.. Could be an intake oil leak also dripping down..

 

Thanks for the enlightening reply. That clears up a little for me. So even though the plug wires are only 5 months old I should change them anyway?

 

Check for coolant leaks.Are you using up coolant?Check the coolant resivoir every day,and if the amount of coolant seems to go down,then you might just need a new water pump.When this waterpump drips down,it drips onto the distributor,causing the car to run like crap,and sometimes the car will run ok,then,run like crap,till it finally blows.The oil you see is most likely from the front oil seal from the crank.It's normal(60,000 mi with my leak),but does not interfear with anything on my car.Hope this helps.(don't forget to check the hoses as well,tighten the clamps a little,as they can leak onto the distributor as well.)My02

 

You bought it as is? if they handed you the paper after you bought it and they said nothing early I think you are under the 72 hr law and they have to take it back.

 

Well I bought it from a "friend". I knew it had some problems and I had my mechanic look at it and he is the one that said the #4 plug wire was worn and that the front of the engine was oil soaked. But the day I bought it my friend took it back to the place that did a lot of work on the car and my first post was the results. The thing is 5 months ago he had $2300 worth of work done. Coolant leak repaired, water pump, new cat, 2 new tires, thermostat, serpentine belt, plugs/wires/cap&rotor, rear pads/rotors, and the #7 fuel injector.

 

replace your opti, ill put money on the opti is bad!! thats one thing the lt1 and a harley have in common, they both leak!!

 

well it sounds like the shop screwed the seals up when doing the repairs, that would cause oil all over the front.

 

That depends on the state he bought it in. Some states don't have laws like that. In fact some states have laws against that. Like Wisconsin.

 

its is almost defintely your opti. But, I would go ahead and completely wash the engine and determine exactly where the leak is at before replacing the opti. Fix the leak and then the opti (could probably do them at the same time, of course). DO IT YOURSELF! Don't half *** the job and you should get much more life out of the new opti. Just make sure that all the seals get replaced at the same time.

Once its running right you will love the car...

 

Thanks Scooby! Its not that I "cant" take the car back. I bought it from a friend so I dont want to take the car back. I knew it had some probs but we didnt know exactly what it was. This actually is my 4th LT1. I had a 94 vette, 93 Formula, 94 Trans Am and now this. Just the other cars were lower mileage and didnt have probs so I know I will LOVE this car. M6 rules! The car is at my mechanics right now and he will be looking into the oil leak this week. I will tell him to change the opti for sure! I did not know the other garage that did the original work but I trust my mechanic for sure!! Any other ideas? You guys are really great!