Living dangerously? Opti question

A good friend wants to use my wagon to drive to Tuscon Arizona for Christmas to see his family. His car is worn out. I'm inclined to let him take the wagon, he's a safe driver, I've known him since we were kids, and I trust him, but I don't want him to have any issues out in the middle of nowhere.

SO despite the fact that my car runs like a watch, do you folks think it would be wise to do the Optispark....just to be safe? I've already done the water pump. I keep reading all these stories about how these fail with no warning, and I sure don't wnat him to have car trouble in the middle of nowhere. BUT I've also heard about some bad aftermarket Opti's out there, and if I'm better off just leaving well enough alone...then fine.

My car has 87K on it now, and I have no idea if the Opti has ever been replaced.

Will welcome all comments!

-Mike

I would not worry about the opti. Just figure out what to do ahead of time if the car breaks down. Have it repaired where it's at, have it transported back to your place, etc. I say this having experienced a transmission failure 350 miles from home, and since then I would just have a transporter's phone number available to ship it home and rent a car to get the rest of the way.

BTW, why doesn't your friend just rent a car?

Thanks for the reply.

I'm trying to help him out. He's had a rough year and money is tight.

Not sure is a rental bill on a Kia and gas would be cheaper than just gas in my Roady. I know the Roadmaster would be a lot more comfy.

Mike as much as your wagon means to you why not just rent him a mini van and send him on his way.All of this depends
on his driving record and his credit rating.But in case something did happen your wagon wont be affected.Any and
all problems will be on the rental company and their responsibility.
My 2 Cents
Jim Gordon

That's a great point. Trust me, when our minivan's transmission warranty runs out, we'll be renting from that point on for big trips. You avoid so much risk that way.

Ok let me re-phrase this. At what mileage are most people seeing Opti's fail? Does it vary a lot?

Just curious since the Roadmaster is my travel car of choice as well, and this is the first LT1-powered car I've had. I never worried about taking a trip in my gutless 307 Olds wagon. As long as you kept oil in it, it'd run forever. ; )

My first RMW, a 95, that I had for 12 years had 240K when I got rid of it. It had original OPTI, starter, alternator, tranny and the list goes on. Don't worry about it, but I would change the "T" and reducer in the heater lines.

Tom C.

Good to hear, thanks!

And I've never even looked at the heater lines....but will do that now.

-Mike

Changed the Opti in my 96 Caprice a few months back. 144K and the one I took out actually doesn't look bad. New cap/rotor and I'll probably install it on the next LT1 tuneup car.

As long as the seal is ok, the opti should be fine. You can easily check it by pulling the vac line off the intake and the manifold, cover the one off the intake with your finger and suck on the one from the manifold. It should hold a vacuum, if not then theres a leak. And if its as bad as my caprice's, it will taste like motor oil! Thanks Joel for that tip!

81X11 wrote:

Good to hear, thanks!

And I've never even looked at the heater lines....but will do that now.

-Mike

Have you ever even used your heater?

Cadet57 wrote:

Have you ever even used your heater?

It does get cold in Texas................

January 27,28 and 29.

Well it's almost 9pm and it's still 78-degrees here.....but we've got a "blue norther" blowing in tomorrow. It's supposed to be 70 at 6am, then the north wind will start blowing, and it'll be 50 at 12-noon, and then drop into the 30's Thanksgiving night. Crazy weather, but good for watching football on TV in a turkey coma.

I'll report if my heater turns on tomorrow.

Will be back in the 70's this weekend though....and for that, I'm thankful!!

-Mike

I should leave it alone. As long as it runs strong, don't mess with it. (IMO)