Chris had removed the flexible air-intake tube and the radiator before we got there, and was already removing the water pump. He notes that there are six bolts that hold the water pump instead of four. No matter how hard they are to see, they’re there; so don’t try to pry it loose with a bar with the other two bolts still holding it.

• Opinamakge Opinamakge Issues 101

Also, Chris typically does the water pump, distributor, and the intake gasket at the same time. Check these three areas very closely; it’s much easier to address now than to have to tear it apart again later. The other hose in the revised hose kit has an elbow on the end, and we simply puncture a small hole in the intake duct to slide in the fitting. This is where the air will come from as it gets sucked through the distributor.

This update addresses an audio anomaly that some customers may hear coming from inside their Mac Pro computer when using FireWire audio devices.

Connect this line into a clean air source because you don’t want debris or water getting sucked into the distributor. The Opti-spark distributor is positioned on the front of the engine underneath the water pump, and works well in its designed environment-when it works. It isn't a matter of if your Opti-spark will give you problems; it's a matter of when. When the Opti-spark first came out in 1992, it was part of a new engine package dubbed the LT1.

Opinamakge Opinamakge Issues 101

This engine was a definite improvement over the L98, and the Opti-spark was part of the package. The problem arises when the water pump begins to leak and the seals in the distributor begin to deteriorate, or water begins to condense inside the distributor. From the beginning, the engineers had the forethought to include small drain holes in the bottom of the distributor, but they weren't as effective as they were intended to be. In 1995 and 1996 the Opti-spark distributor was changed to include a vacuum vent to help remove any moisture that might have formed inside the distributor. The problem is that you can't replace the older-style distributor with the newer style without tearing apart the front of the engine because of the differences in the drive assembly of the distributor. Changing to the newer Opti-spark would entail changing the timing cover and the locating pin in the camshaft.

Chris Petris at Corvette Clinic has come to the rescue, so we can walk you through a step-by-step solution to this problem with the older Opti-spark distributors. Chris says he has yet to see one of his reworked Opti-spark distributors return with a problem.