bought a 1994 Z-28 with only 66K miles on it, has sat most of it's life in a garage with a car cover over it from what I can tell. The bad is, I believe it has the original auto trans fluid and coolant. I've already changed oil and intend to try to flush entire cooling system, but I've been reading on here over a week (before I joined) and I'm scared about this opti spark thing. I'm scared to wash the engine and scared to flush coolant for fear of screwing that distributor up from water. Your thoughts? Will be daily driver and hope to give it to my son somewhere later on down the road when I think he will be responsible enough.

 

Welcome to CamaroZ28.com!!

"New Member Intro" isn't the best place to post technical questions. I'll move this post to "LT1 Based Engine Tech" where it will get the attention it deserves.

 

I would not spray then engine, However flush the coolant system would be good. Just try to keep it dry. The optispark is behined the water pump so i try especially to keep taht area dry. If you were to pull the water pump to flush the block you could remove the opti, just 3 more bolts. Id change the trans fluid and filter as well and add some automatic trans additive such as lucas.

 

I advise against "washing" the engine. I spray Brak-leen brake cleaner on my engine cuz I can direct the spray more precisely to the grime, oil, etc. without sprayin' the opti itself. Some guys use Simple Green in a squirt bottle to spray the sides of the block, front of the block (around the opti, without sprayin' it directly), then rinse with water in a squirt bottle. With flushing the block, I'd reconsider for now unless ya see something ya don't like under the radiator cap. Changing the coolant and running it a few hundred miles may do it all the good.

 

This is what I had done to my 93 z28 with 38900 miles on it that I bought 3 months ago.Took it to Goodyear and had the radiator and cooling system power flushed completely new hoses,power flushed the brake lines,new radiator cap and new thermostat (180).The trans I'm doing myself with a pump from harbor frieght and tools pumping three to four quarts out at a time through the inlet pipe and then putting new trans fluid in(did this twice),one more time and I'll take it somewhere to have the trans drained and new filter put in.When you get the trans fluid changed they only take out 4 quarts unless you have the trans power flushed but can get expensive,and I've heard bad things about this.something to do with a rubber gasket inside the trans that can collapse or something.Anyway this gives me something to do .I pump the old trans fluid into a gallon plastic bottle and replace the fluid with the same amount from a clean plastic bottle(windshield washer bottle).Call me crazy but it works for me.Happy fun with the new ride.My02.

 

"...later on down the road when I think he will be responsible enough."

Good luck with that. At 66, I am still waiting to hit that milestone for myself ;-)