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Old 08-18-2022, 04:07 PM   #15
MIKZ28
 
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I've owned 3 LT1 engines in my life. Never had an optispark failure. I replaced the one in my 1994 9C1 Caprice because it had 120,000 miles on it. The replacement was time consuming but not hard. I also had a 1994 and 1996 Impala SS. Great cars.
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Old 08-18-2022, 07:37 PM   #16
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I had 180,000 miles on my 97 LT1 before it got rear ended. They were great motors for their time.

Early optisparks were problematic, in either 95 or 96 they added a small vacuum hose from the intake to the opti to suck out moisture and helped a lot. Spark plugs are an absolute bitch, see if they’ve already been done. The rear passenger side plugs are especially bad. The 4L60 is whatever, at stock power levels it will probably hold up for a while.
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Old 08-19-2022, 05:23 PM   #17
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I had a 97 Trans Am and it was a great car for the most part. Never had an issue with the opti spark. Some of the auto cars from that era had awful rear end gears so they were dogs off the line. One issue to watch for is the intake manifold can develop a leak at the back where it is sealed to the block. It's not overly difficult to fix, but because those motors sit so far back under the cowl, it can be tricky getting the manifold back on without messing up the sealant.

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Old 08-22-2022, 10:52 PM   #18
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I had a 1995 Pontiac Trans Am M6 with of course the LT1 with a lot of mods that I did myself - comp cam, long tube headers, 3" catback, intake, ported TB, tune, electric water pump, 1.6 high ratio aluminum roller rockers, upgraded comp cam valve springs and ARP pushrods, etc. I had it from 2001-2011 and never had any issues with the Optispark. 95 and newer LT1s had an upgraded optispark that I believe turned out more reliable than the 94 and older LT1s.

I loved that car - it was a huge upgrade over my 1987 Z28 with 350 TPI that I had before it (I replaced the 305 TPI with a 350 TPI engine).
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Old 08-23-2022, 12:52 AM   #19
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The 2nd gen LT1 is a great motor. LT1's also came in the B-body. Even in that 4 door sled it would out run the fox body cars. There were a lot of shocked and saddened little boys on Saturday night back in the day as they watched the taillights on that land schooner disappear...

Gen 2's are basically a SBC, although there are differences and some parts won't interchange.

The 95 got the vented opti which helped longevity. It also has OBD1. (Last year)
No need for a catch can, The SFI cleans the valves. Also, it has an electric smog pump that can be legally removed. There used to be a under hood sticker to make it 50 state legal.

What you need to watch out for is the 4L60E. That tranny is glass and if you start adding power, 3rd and 4th clutch packs with toast on you if you (or they) did much modding beyond bolt ons.

One other oddity, they made a "baby LT1". 4.3L and looked exactly like the 5.7L.
They were used in the B-bodies exclusively. You can't tell by the exterior (maybe iron heads? -the 5.7 B-body definitely had iron- the F bodies had aluminum) you'll need the engine code or match the VIN to the car if you suspect that.

Chances are slim that the iron head LT1 is in a Camaro, someone would have to swap it
(knowingly or unknowingly) with a junkyard motor.
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Old 08-23-2022, 12:45 PM   #20
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I'll be sure to check that!
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Old 08-23-2022, 06:37 PM   #21
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they're decent engines. do the new to me car thing and service every serviceable part and change all the fluids you can. if youre good with car stuff id convert the engine management to something that uses coils ie lsx. i had a 94 car that was a lot of fun. the opti woes were real for me, honestly not sure if the supercharger had anything to do with it or not.
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Old 08-24-2022, 10:13 AM   #22
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My old 96 4th gen. Sold it to my brother about 13years ago. Now I am just the tooner.

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Old 08-24-2022, 02:24 PM   #23
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I love my 6th Gen, but there are times I miss my old 02’ Z28. It was more of a drag car, big cam, TSP dumps, loud as hell lol. Hell I even thought about buying my first car before I picked up this 19’ which was a 92’ 3rd Gen RS. Boat anchor 305 TBI but I always liked the looks. Changed my mind when I saw what a clean 91-92’ third gen goes for these days.
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