Oil Leaks 96 LT1 Engine

Hard to be live a 96 is almost 20 years old in my mind it is a 10 year old car, . Had a oil leak in the front ,hard to tell where it comes from due to the water pump/distributor configuration. Has 3 seals in the front cover after doing some research it seems the water pump drive seal usually leaks and that was the major leak. . Since I was in there I replaced all 3 seals and the cap and rotor and water pump. Reminds me of a old Ford flat head with the distributor down in the front.

better you then me . I get lost just changing a water pump on a small block chevy

What would the labor for a job like this cost at a Cadillac dealership? thanks

96

better you then me . I get lost just changing a water pump on a small block chevy

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I can do this , but body work I can barely hang a fender or door without getting ****ed at it.

What would the labor for a job like this cost at a Cadillac dealership? thanks

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I was curious about that also , I never called the local dealer to ask but saw some quotes online anywhere from $350-$800 labor plus parts.

At least you were proactive. That's one of the biggest, if not the biggest, problems with those cars, the water pump leaking all over and eventually ruining the Optispark distributor.

Back when the 94, 95 and 96 Caprice 9c1 cars were current cars we would send them into the Chevrolet dealer for the same repairs. I remember bills coming in of 1300 to 1600 depending on whether the oil seals were replaced or not. At that time the dealer charged the police department 600+ alone for the Opti-spark (distributor) unit. The new water pump was close to 400. By the time you added labor, parts, and incidentals it was not cheap. Now days the parts cost has come down and the remanufactured/aftermarket parts now exist so it is not as costly.

Parts

When ,These first came out you could only get the distributor as a whole assembly . Another suggestion I found was to replace the air bleed screw on top of the thermostat housing. When you bleed the system it almost always runs down on the distributor. You install a tee with a line and shutoff and you can bleed it into a bucket away from the cap and recover the coolant.

Todd Merrifield said:

At least you were proactive. That's one of the biggest, if not the biggest, problems with those cars, the water pump leaking all over and eventually ruining the Optispark distributor.

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Would anyone recommend doing this on a non-leaking water pump at a certain mileage before it happens? Isn't the timing chain recommended to be changed at a certain mileage before it gives you problems?

I have had many LT-1 Cars mostly Caprice cop cars as I pointed out in an earlier post the weakest links in these cars are the water pump it goes bad and drips water on the Opti-Spark (distributer) and the Opti Spark is trash along with the water pump. The best PM we found was replace the water pump at about 80k or if any seapage is found at the weep hole in the pump. Also a good antifreeze (not coolant) and distilled water not tap or well water as the minerals present cause corrosion. Coolant is like light beer you are paying for water added to the strait product. Another issue popping up lately is fuel pump failure brought on by a failure to change the fuel filter at the proper intervals.

Paul Steinberg said:

What would the labor for a job like this cost at a Cadillac dealership? thanks

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I can have you an exact number on Saturday. The distributor went out on mine today. Had to have it towed to the Cadillac dealer in Keene, NH just this evening. Long story.

I think I'll stay with the throttle body 350 I had in the 92 superior. I can with time do about anything to that one. at 18 to 22 mpg it was all I needed.

Just got a call on my hearse. The Optispark is $748. With a few other things that need to be done, I'm in it $1375 so far.

I know you are stuck they gotcha but Ebay optispark start around $50.00 and don't get past $200.00. Makes me think I am going to buy a couple and carry in the six door and the Masterpiece. Like the Boy Scouts be prepared. Just like the AC compressor last I checked GM were over $775.00 you can find for about $250.00. The General is making us pay to drive this old stuff.

Parts

Rock Auto ,Gives you ,lots of choices.The cap,rotor and water pump for my 96 was less than $200.00 shipped.

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All Vehicles > CADILLAC > 1994 > FLEETWOOD > 5.7L V8 > Ignition > Distributor
1994 CADILLAC FLEETWOOD 5.7L V8 : Ignition : Distributor Subscribe to RSS feed to be notified when new parts are added for this car Price Core Total Add to Cart
WORLD POWER SYSTEMS Part # DST1803 More Info Includes Cap and Rotor
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$79.99 $0.00 $79.99
CARDONE SELECT Part # 841833 More Info {#1103916, 1104032} (Electronic); Ignition Control Module Not Included; With Wiring Harness One of our most popular parts
Harness w/2 guides (tabs) inside the connector.; Supplied w/Cap, Rotor and Harness

$113.79 $0.00 $113.79
CARDONE SELECT Part # 841833H More Info (Electronic)
Harness w/1 guide (tab) inside the connector; Supplied w/Cap, Rotor and Harness
$124.79 $0.00 $124.79
AUTOLINE Part # D2123N Supplied w/ Cap and Rotor
Delco Remy Type
$143.79 $0.00 $143.79
A-1 CARDONE Part # 301803 More Info {#1103916} Reman. Distributor (Electronic)
Contains Cap & Rotor

$91.79 $75.00 $166.79
A-1 CARDONE Part # 301803H More Info {#1103916} Reman. Distributor (Electronic)
Supplied w/Cap, Rotor and Harness

$104.79 $67.50 $172.29
AUTOLINE Part # D2123 More Info SUPPLIED W/O CAP & ROTOR; Reman
Delco-Remy; w/Distributor
* Stocked in outlying warehouse--shipping delayed up to 3 business days
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$145.79 $50.00 $195.79
DELPHI Part # CZ20003 More Info Supplied w/Cap & Rotor One of our most popular parts
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$292.79 $0.00 $292.79
ACDELCO Part # 19212300 {#01104032, 1103916, 1104032} GM Original Equipment||Remanufactured
$312.79 $75.00 $387.79

Yes they do. All I know is, this car better run flawlessly. I mean like new. You could put a glass of water on the dash and not get a ripple while it idles.

94

I would assume they are going to replace the water pump drive seal and the distributor seal? The harmonic balancer seal you can change without pulling anything other than the balancer ,the others of course you can only change with the water pump and distributor out.

They are doing the whole shabang.

Peter Grave said:

Also a good antifreeze (not coolant) and distilled water

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Antifreeze and Coolant are the same thing. It's one fluid that provides two functions - it raises the boiling point of water when added to it, thus allowing it to continue to transfer heat and not boil and standard automotive operating temperatures (thus, coolant.) It also lowers the freezing point of water so that it doesn't become ice and therein ruin your motor, radiator, hoses, etc (thus, antifreeze.)

You are not correct on this. Antifreeze is usually (pardon the spelling) Ethyline Glycol with rust inhibitors and anti corosives for aluminum added. No water. Coolant is the same with water added. When I had my 87 Grand National other owners found using antifreeze with distilled water eliminated issues with the aluminum cooling system parts. I have used the antifreeze distilled water combination with good results on my keeper vehicles.

If you are worried about the aluminum parts in your engine, then spring for one of the most expensive antifreeze products on the market today. It is the "white" antifreeze that Mercedes Benz has been using in there aluminum engines for years. More recently, it is also packaged under the BMW and Audi brands. I know that CARQUEST carries the Mercedes branded product in there stores. I believe that you can also purchase it at NAPA. It is about 50% more than what the "green" stuff costs, but when you consider the average car is only going to require between 2 and 3 gallons, it is a bargain for the protection that it offers. Why skimp a few dollars on such an expensive engine.