I am done with this... June 20, 2010, 08:36:17 PM piece of shiznit Caprice.A little history:Bought brand new by my grandparents, who only put 40 thou on it in 9 years. After they were unable to drive/passed on, it was given to me to use.Well, it's had transmission issues since it was still under warranty, where if the car idled very long in park, it wouldn't/won't shift out of low until you rev the hell out of it, then it shifts to OD, and won't downshift until you shut off the engine for a few minutes. Sometimes when it's cold, you have to do this 10-15 times. Not kidding.They (and me too for that matter) have had issues with the blower resistor.There is also a relay box on the passenger side, with a large stud that a cable from the battery attaches to.About once a month or so I have to take a socket and tighten the nut up, or the gauges become erratic, the engine runs poorly, and basically all the electrical stuff acts strangely.Another thing, the water pump. Not like a 5.0 water pump, it has a shaft that protrudes through the front cover that drives it.For Ignition, there's a thing called an OptiSpark that basically assumes the job of a distributor as we'd know it on our 5.0's.The bad of this is that the optispark sits below the water pump....follow me? They get wet and fail. Gotta love GM's design...not.Well, my optispark is bad now, from the 4th leaky water pump that's failed after a year or less each.Oh, the cheapest NEW optispark I found was 300 bucks...shag that.Water pumps are close to 100 bucks for these as well.The engine is a 4.3 L99 V8, NOT the V6....the very first time I ordered a w/p for this car (Oreilly's, btw) I got into an argument with the ignorant kid over the fact that the 4.3 was a V6, and they never put those in the last-gen Caprice's.I had to bring him out to look at the car...d'oh.Even more stupid was the fact that I went on ahead and bought their w/p, which, you guessed it, failed in 9 months.I've also gotten a w/p from a Carquest store, and an Advance Auto, all failed.Apparently there's a teflon coated gasket that goes between the w/p, and the shaft/front cover. Just found about it today on an Impala SS/Caprice Classic forum.However, the car will barely start, idles rough, and will not rev up very much. The optispark is saturated, actually, the whole front of the engine is soaked with antifreeze. Needless to say, the car has been parked for some time now...but I'm hesitant to sink the money into it anymore. I found a Crown Vic PI for 1200 bucks...I'd rather buy that than throw more money down a well with no water in it, figuratively. It's just the base model Caprice Classic, if it was the 9C1 (cop car version with an LT1) I'd be more apt to throw the dough...what would y'all do? Quote Selected
I am done with this... Reply #1 – June 20, 2010, 08:40:37 PM Crown Vic :Dor do I need to make the trip up there to put another water pump on for ya? :flip: Quote Selected
I am done with this... Reply #2 – June 20, 2010, 08:43:41 PM Needs more than just a water pump lol Quote Selected
I am done with this... Reply #3 – June 20, 2010, 10:20:58 PM i say crown vic. I know all all bout those probs with the caprice. Had one in auto shop that had drive line issues and then all the gears in the trans welded themselves together! Quote Selected
I am done with this... Reply #4 – June 20, 2010, 11:27:45 PM I'm applying for a loan for a 88 crown vic station wagon on monday, so my opinion is alittle bit jaded. Quote Selected
I am done with this... Reply #5 – June 20, 2010, 11:35:50 PM I've got an LT1, which is the same as what you have, with aluminum heads, and a 350, and hardly have any issues like you do. I'm running a carquest water pump, put 11K on it with no issues. Also, what year is your car? I have the vented opti on my car, which isn't a terrible conversion if yours is non-vented. Swap to the vented setup, loc-tite the rotor screws, and RTV the perimeter of the cam. That typically will solve the Opti problems.If you need some advice, feel free to hit me up. Quote Selected
I am done with this... Reply #6 – June 21, 2010, 12:01:43 AM Mine's a '94, IIRC, '95 and up got the vented Opti.Umm, I'll definitely seek you for some advice...this weekend I may have to go parts hunting for it. Did you use that teflon gasket for the water pump's drive shaft?Not sure if my water pump is leaking from there, or the weephole, I'll have to pull it off to know for sure...Thanks for the help :D Quote Selected
I am done with this... Reply #7 – June 21, 2010, 12:10:59 AM I say ditch the chevy and go p71. That y 4.3 has to be an absolute slug in that big ol car. Quote Selected
I am done with this... Reply #8 – June 21, 2010, 12:35:50 AM It moves pretty well for a family car, but it won't touch the HO-Tbird lol.Not that I've ever lined the 2 up, but the assometer is pretty sure the Tbird would wax it easily. lolThe HP/torque numbers are fairly similar, but there's a huge weight differential.You want to see fast, go for a checkride in an LT1 F-body...those haul balls. lol Quote Selected
I am done with this... Reply #9 – June 21, 2010, 07:04:14 AM My dad has a Caprice wagon with the LT motor. He has some 300,000 miles on it and none of the problems you are having.We also installed an LT-4 in his '56 BelAir and have had zero problems with it.Perhaps it isn't the car per se?Shiny Side Up!Bill Quote Selected
I am done with this... Reply #10 – June 21, 2010, 12:01:58 PM Might not be lol, want to come fix it for me? lmao Quote Selected
I am done with this... Reply #11 – June 21, 2010, 12:25:51 PM Quote from: ThunderbirdSport302;326102It moves pretty well for a family car, but it won't touch the HO-Tbird lol.Youre right, I had my chebby boat anchors mixed up. I was thinking of the 262 from the mid-70's. That was only rated to 110hp/195tq. Quote Selected
I am done with this... Reply #12 – June 22, 2010, 11:06:44 AM I had a caprice, I think it was a 94. It had the wortless 4.6 v8 too. I also remember arguing with everybody over it's fabled existance. I never had any mechanical issues with it, other than the AC pump locking up.The thing I hated about that car was the seats. They killed my back. No lumbar support. It was like sitting on a park bench. I drove it for 6 hours once and couldn't walk for 3 days afterward.Wait until you try to sell it... I had a constant stream of "gangstas" calling all day trying to low-ball me... Thats just the audience you get when selling that type of car. Quote Selected
I am done with this... Reply #13 – June 22, 2010, 01:19:43 PM Oh believe me, I've had attention from some wannabe "shag partyers" with the car....one guy offered me a "fat rock" for it...sheesh!Umm, it's a 4.3, not a 4.6 Guy at the parts store that day just swore my car wasn't offered with a V6, even after I told him it was a V8...he put too much faith in a computer. After I (not literally, but close to it) dragged him out and popped the hood, he looked in a book, and lo and behold, the 4.3 L99 WAS indeed offered for a coupla-three years, he sold me the w/p, which is the same as an LT1 unit.Yeah, they attract attention. lol Quote Selected
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