throwing it over the fence for multiple times that cost and 'praying for the best'. But I find peace in doing stuff myself first for the enjoyment of learning something new, but also as important is paying a fraction doing it myself and KNOWING it's right (even if making 10 mistakes along the way) v. I always appreciate peace of mind as much as anyone. Your detailed background and train of thought commands insights that may cinch your decisions one way or 'tother. Will be taking pix of everything and tracking the turn around time for the Opti rebuild, ASSUMING I manage to get it pulled and in the mail next week.

Are there any other tools, tips or tricks for my 95 SS I should know about? I plan on draining my coolant before starting (and bleed when done), so I was considering that this might be a good time to replace the dreaded weak T connector with the replacement brass part I put together but haven't installed. I already have a puller for the balancer.

I watched the 4 videos on Youtube from Goldmaster/michiganshooter, and didn't see any other specialty tools I'd need besides the seal installer. Also the drive seal installer tool and gasket On the parts list will be the marking pen to mark the wires on each side, as well as the harmonic balancer position. I will be replacing the water pump and required seals. But looking at all the videos of people performing an Opti R&R I think breaking up the job into 2 parts is the better way to go for me. The downside is your vehicle is down for a week or 2 during the turn around. Without any more information I'm inclined to use the Ebay service for the simple peace of mind of getting YOUR unit rebuilt and then confirmed video of it bench tested. To date I haven't seen any confirmation about the sensor in the reman ACD unit, is it the beloved Mitsubishi component or some cheaper alternative? Also planning on doing the vacuum/harness testing as well, as I've read too many threads here of people doing this R&R and STILL have a CEL related to the Opti. The ebay service lists for 310 - 70 core charge = 240.00 Price for this ACD is 327.79 - 75 core charge = 252.79 This Petris was mentioned in my previous thread on Opti replacement I considered the Petris part, but didn't see any mention of core credit, so at 350$ I figured I'd rather put that extra coin in the replacement ACD water pump.

So the time has arrived to take the plunge and replace my Opti, and thought a new thread for this part would be a good idea as it doesn't belong in the Cheap Opti thread - either for price or quality of components.

Delco vacuum pump in big cam 350