So i took my 94 Firehawk in because it was dripping oil and throwing a SES light. Dealer tells me I need a new opti-spark, the water pump is leaking and so is the intake.

Also says there is a "pigtail" wired into my MAF that is throwing the code. Has anyone heard of this?

The dealer wants a little over $2000 to fix all this.

Here is what he says I need:
10457702 Opti-Spark $642.82
12527741 Water Pump Kit $273.33
10128316 Engine Front Cover and Crankshaft Seal $11.77
10217886 Engine Coolant Pump Seal $6.98
12553792 Water Pump Seal $1.12
10128317 Ignition Seal $4.97
12553792 Water Pump Seal $1.12
12524653 Manifold Gasket $31.03
17113074 Throttle Body Seal $12.18
14087586 Gasket $14.79
10046089 Gasket $16.08
12378560 Coolant $13.86

I can get all these parts way cheaper through GM Parts Direct, but I'm not sure if the dealer will install them.

Is any of this something I can fix by myself? I'm not overly mechanically inclined--i chnage my own oil--and I dont want to bite off more than I can chew, but this seems like a total rip off.

So, LT1 experts, does this seem right or am i getting bent over? Any suggestions on what to do??

Thanks in advance for any help you guys can provide.
Chris

 

that is waaaay too much. i like the dealers price of the optispark lol
i thought u can get the optisparks for like $200 some places. if you do it yourself you will save lots of money.

 

way too expensive!!!! Mine cost me 1100$ for opti+wires+plugs at a gm dealer.

 

GM Parts Direct wants $321.41 for the Opti-Spark, where else could I go to get a cheaper one??

I talked to the guy at the dealer and he said as long as they are genuine GM parts, they will install them for me.

 

i hear people say you can get OEM opti for $200 from Jason Cromer

not sure his contact info
but do a search maybe
he works for a dealership and gets great prices

 

Intake leak/water pump is cake... don't waste your time with the dealership. The monkey doing it there will probably do it in a hurry and mess more **** up anyway. Opti is not something I have done yet but I'm sure it can't be too hard after some of the **** I've done on this car, just make sure you follow instructions to the teeth the the opti and you will be fine. Here is my parts list:

-Tube of Ultra Copper RTV $5
-CSI Electric Water Pump $130
-Opti $200

For the money that you are saving you could even try to get your hands on a dynaspark or an LTCC conversion and not even use the Opti. Other than a good wrench/ratchet set, the RTV is all you to fix the intake leak and it is done all from the engine bay. Once you do the CSI pump and WP problems in the future will be so simple. The opti is the opti, just put it in and pray it is not defective or installed wrong. Good luck.

 

OK, so I guess I could upgrade to an electric water pump.

Is there a how to somewhere out there for all this stuff?

What about the intake leak and the throttle body leak?

I guess in talking to him the valve covers are leaking also.

Is all this stuff something I do from above or below the engine?

 

Before I started doing my own work, I had an intake leak fixed at a dealership for about $500. A couple of months ago, when my WP started leaking, I did the job myself and replaced all of the wear items on the front of the engine (WP, opti, timing set and all timing cover seals). I chose to do the timing set because the engine had 105K on it and I did not want to have to take everything off again any time soon. Plus I had a small oil leak from the timing cover somewhere. It was a pretty good size job and took me about 2 full days (10hrs each) to do by myself. You don't have to take the timing cover off, so that will save you a lot of time! I'd guess you could replace the WP and opti in about 10hrs if you haven't done it before and you take your time like I did.

To get the parts, there 's nothing better than Jason Cromer!! Call Sam Taylor in Florida and ask for him in the Parts Dept. I got all the parts I needed (WP, opti, timing set all the seals and knick knacks) for $435 shipped to my door and it was FAST. He told me it was gonna be there on a Monday and it actually got delivered on Friday! A++++ for the service!!! For just the opti and WP and gsakets and seals, it will be around $350 shipped is my guess.

 

i think a good idea would be to go out and buy a chiltons or haynes manual and read over the stuff you need fixed. you should be able to do it all from the top and shouldnt have any probs, but it might take a couple days. also if you do decide to do it you may want to invest in a torque wrench.

 

I wouldn't have a dealer do repairs on a car, unless I had no other choice. Their parts prices are outrageous and their labor prices are high.

I paid $200 for the Opti, but that was for a 95+ version, which is cheaper. They redesigned the Opti in '95 to make them more reliable (so they must have been REALLY crappy before, because the reliability still sucks). The new design is cheaper, so I would expect about $300-$350 from what I've seen.

If I read the post right, they want about $1,000 for labor. As a comparison, I am getting heads, cam, headers, new Opti, electric WP, etc. installed for $1400, including dyno tuning.

BRAD

 

Thanks for the advice guys, this doesn't seem too bad, especially if I can do most of the work from the top of the engine.

It's not a daily driver so I'll have time to wrench on it. And I've already got a torque wrench.

How about the difficulty of the valve cover gaskets? Is it a straight forward repair?

 

Jason Cromer: 1-877-726-8295
email: gmparts@samtaylor.com
Sam Taylor Buick/Cadillac Ft. Walton Beach, FL

94 opti is about 280 shipped..
GM water pump about 150..
Genuine GM parts, from a GM dealer..
You won't beat these prices..

 

Order all the parts you need from Jason and then you can decide if you want to do it yourself or have someone else do it.

You can probably save a few more bucks if you just get what gaskets you need from your local auto supply.

The intake is not hard to do, you just need to take your time and be methodical. The water pump is pretty much the same and once you have it off, the opti is easy. I would recommend you get a pair of Rhino Ramps (Walmart or most local auto supply places). You will want to be able to get under the front of the car.

 

That is such a rip off. You can get a new waterpump from autozone for $50. I don't think I would get the electric one if I was you, because I don't think they are worth the money. And plus, if the electric one dies, you have a way bigger risk or doing damage to your engine.

 

yep this is your best advice! also dont get the electric waterpump.. just put on a new stock unit. it will save you time, money and its more dependable IMO.