Purchasing a 94 in Ohio

bunyan · #1 (**permalink**) 04-15-08, 11:26 AM

Hi all,
Im a new poster on here. Ive been lurking for a while but I finally decided to take the plunge and purchase my first FWB. Its a 95, at a dealer in Ohio. Im going to pick it up this Saturday and drive it back to DC. Just wondering if there are any common things that can go wrong on the vehicle that I can check or try to plan for? I know the OptiSpark can be iffy, and the Exhaust Manifold bolts are iffy sometimes. I also was reading about the rear end gasket issue so I def will be pulling both rear tires and checking to see if the seals aare leaking or look like theyve been freshly cleaned.

Anything else anyone thinks I may need for a 6 hour trip down route 70 in a new used car? I was thinking of picking up a tool kit, cheap floor jack, some fuses and maybe a spare fan motor and fuel pump (I can always return them if I dont need them) I read of one gentlemans trials and tribulations driving a new FWB back so thats why I thought of the fuel pump and fan motor...any hints/suggestions are greatly appreciated as well.

bunyan

Faded Crest · #2 (**permalink**) 04-15-08, 03:00 PM

I'd be surprised if anything went wrong on the open road. I bought a '93 FWB a few years ago sight unseen and drove it 10 hours home, no problem.

bunyan · #3 (**permalink**) 04-15-08, 03:14 PM

Thanks for the reply!

bunyan · #4 (**permalink**) 04-15-08, 03:16 PM

All,
Actually its a 95, not a 94. Sorry about that, cant figure out how to Edit on here yet

Faded Crest · #5 (**permalink**) 04-15-08, 03:55 PM

You'll have a lot of fun on the highway with the LT1. Mine didn't have that.

Cadillacboy · #6 (**permalink**) 04-17-08, 06:28 PM

Agreed !

LT1 is just a supreme engine

cadydaddy · #7 (**permalink**) 04-17-08, 06:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bunyan

Hi all,
Im a new poster on here. Ive been lurking for a while but I finally decided to take the plunge and purchase my first FWB. Its a 95, at a dealer in Ohio. Im going to pick it up this Saturday and drive it back to DC. Just wondering if there are any common things that can go wrong on the vehicle that I can check or try to plan for? I know the OptiSpark can be iffy, and the Exhaust Manifold bolts are iffy sometimes. I also was reading about the rear end gasket issue so I def will be pulling both rear tires and checking to see if the seals aare leaking or look like theyve been freshly cleaned.

Anything else anyone thinks I may need for a 6 hour trip down route 70 in a new used car? I was thinking of picking up a tool kit, cheap floor jack, some fuses and maybe a spare fan motor and fuel pump (I can always return them if I dont need them) I read of one gentlemans trials and tribulations driving a new FWB back so thats why I thought of the fuel pump and fan motor...any hints/suggestions are greatly appreciated as well.

bunyan

Sounds like you may have been reading my recent threads lol.

I have done the exhaust bolts and rear bearings and one axle....BUT that is pretty much all I have done to my 94 in the one year and 13,000 miles I have put on it.

I drove it cross country from MN to CA FULLY LOADED, stopped just overnight once half way, but it was a great 2100 mile drive!

**I~LUV~Caddys8792** · #8 (**permalink**) 04-17-08, 10:02 PM

Oh, Cadydaddy, you're the other FWB owner that lives in MN. Are you still here?

cadydaddy · #9 (**permalink**) 04-18-08, 12:56 AM

No, I used to live there, grew up there, bought my blue whale in Edina, but now live in So Calif.

where are you there?

**I~LUV~Caddys8792** · #10 (**permalink**) 04-18-08, 12:55 PM

Eagan.

bunyan · #11 (**permalink**) 04-19-08, 09:44 PM

All,
Got er back home.Nothing went wrong. Ill check her over again in the morning but so far so good. It does run a bit rough when idling but im thinking thats due to plugs, OptiSpark, or something a tune up can cure. I can get fuel pressure gauges, etc to test the side of the house as well. Oh yeah she still smokes the tire too lol...

bunyan

N0DIH · #12 (**permalink**) 04-20-08, 12:54 AM

Honestly the Opti's aren't as bad as people talk. So don't fret over it. They need normal maint like anything else, and honestly people don't take care of them. You do need change the cap/rotor the same as any other distributor. When you do, you need to change the seals on the Opti and the water pump. Check the Opti vacuum harness integrity every 6 months or so. That goes a long way for Opti reliability.

bunyan · #13 (**permalink**) 04-20-08, 04:28 AM

Thanks N0DIH. I plan on changing the plugs, etc in the upcoming week. Ill def check my Opti cap/rotor/seals/etc as well.

N0DIH · #14 (**permalink**) 04-20-08, 10:03 AM

And being you are already in there, and cost isn't bad, you might wanna replace the waterpump anyway.

I was going to try to fashion up a water shield for the opti but I couldn't with the cold weather and there wasn't much room (I was going to use those silicone red mats from rubbermaid that can handle 500F direct heat....)

But look at the Opti carefully for water leaks. Also,take a vacuum pump (handheld like this http://www.mityvac.com/pages/products_hvpo.asp) and diconnect the vent line to the Opti Vacuum harness and then try to pump the line. You should be able to get it to pump down and hold vacuum, if it doesn't hold it, then the one way check valve might be leaking, pinch the line before it. If it doesn't hold then investigate ASAP and fix.

Do this every 3-6 months to be safe. Catch it before a problem shows up.