If this had happened to my car, a 92 with optispark, and the distributor had been working OK before the coolant leak, what I would do, would be to remove the water pump, then remove the distributor cap, (mark the position of all the plug wires first) then spray the cap & rotor down with WD40 to remove all the water (WD= water displacement) then wipe it all down with a clean cloth, and put it back together. I would also replace thecoil wire, because it is the weak link in this chain.If the only problem with the optispark is that it got wet, it should not have to be replaced.

 

If it got coolant in the opti even wiping down after a dose of WD40 is probably not going to help. The coolant will corrode and breakdown the grease in the sealed bearings which in turn will cause the common shaft to wobble leading to carbon tracing promoting the death of the opti.

 

[sm=jawdrop.gif]

 

Back in the day I serviced a lot of LT1 engines in county police cars, and I really did not see much relationship between a leaking water pump and a wiped out distributor, and the county definately did not put in a $400 distributor if they didn't reallly need it.

 

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Then you were extremely and lotteryesque lucky. 99% of the time if the water pump takes a dump on an LT1, you WILL lose the opti in the near future.

http://www.vetteweb.com/features/vem...d_distributor/
The environment in which the OptiSpark is asked to perform sets it up for failure. Mounting it low on the front of the engine practically guarantees that it will be constantly assaulted by heat, water, and debris. While heat and debris should not be dismissed completely, it is moisture that has proved to be the number-one killer of OptiSpark distributors. Further exacerbating matters is the fact that the '92-'94 model year OptiSpark distributors are not even sealed from outside elements. Later versions were given a seal and a vacuum-drawn venting arrangement, but this was a stopgap measure that proved only marginally effective.

Moisture from an outside source or even condensation inside the OptiSpark corrodes the optical components or causes shorts within the cap-and-rotor assembly. Moisture inside the OptiSpark can originate from several sources. One common cause of OptiSpark irrigation is water-pump failure. Even if the pump does not fail completely, higher-mileage units often exhibit leaky seals, which allow coolant to escape from the pump-body weep hole and directly onto (and into) the distributor underneath. Care must be taken when driving through high water, as the unit can easily be submerged. Automatic car washes with undercarriage wash can also soak the unit. The simple act of rinsing the engine with a garden hose has killed many OptiSpark distributors as well. Never, ever spray your EFI engine with water.

 

Maybe I don't yet understand the idiosyncrasies of 'vettes but why on earth would you replace the water pump simply because a radiator hose let go?

 

You wouldn't but you would probably be replacing the optispark soon if a radiator hose blew. If you have to do an opti you must remove the water pump so you should replace it while your in there.

Something else I notice in the original post is that the OP said "everything looked like rustunder the hood". That leads me to belive he is using Dexcool in his car and he shouldn't be. His car is a 93 and came with conventional coolant (green), changing to Dexcool is bad news. That stuff turns into a gelatinous mess inside the engine especially when it comes in contactwith ethylene glycol. Never use water from the tap or hose to fill your rad with, only distilled water.

 

Someone is getting mad.

 

Check out this article on putting Dexcool in an older engine:

http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/D...7/dexcool.html