Final word on best opti spark to buy
 

It died..need to replace..what is the final word on the best one to buy??

Jegs and summit have one..
MSD
Dynaspark
somehow finding a real one..
What to do?????
92 vert...

I think one of the best things to do is venting it. They sell the kit for the non vented ones.

have had good luck with the chandler motorsports one,134$ for a lifetime warranty one.have been through all the others,summitt,autozone ,ac delco,msd,dynaspark.just whatever unit you decide on take the cap off and loctite the rotor screws.

OEM ACDELCO (not some made in china) optispark.


Add a vented cap and a vacuum vent to the base (in one of the 3 weep holes, block off the other two) and you are good to go.

DOnt mess with the MSD or dynspark crap. Its junk.

but where to find a real one...these sites that sell these are very tricky..how do you know its oem???

good point.

someone used a seller on ebay (thepartsladi?) or something like that and said they got a good part.

the issue I have (not sure if this is case w/ optispark) is you can get something that says 'ACDELCO' but in reality is made in CHINA for ACDELCO.

Not the same.

Last time I got AC Delco relays, they were made in china.:ack::ack:

Using an MSD on mine . 3 and half years no problems. My last Opti lasted 9 months.:(

I haveseen both the Summit and the Chandler units and I can honestly say they are from the same source. take the cap off and loctite the rotor screws and you should be fine.
I have the chandler one and I have used him before. any issues he will back up his parts
I can attest to that. The post office messed up the box that was shipped and he sent me another one. Good vendor great price

Early Dynaspark unit with no high voltage. Delteq (or LTCC) setup for the that. http://images1.snapfish.com/23232323...%3B59%3Anu0mrj

corvette america has one retrofitted with the vaccuum system for $489.00.....wonder who makes that...might go with it as I wouldn't have to fab it up myself..

Pretty small sample size but I have 3 MSD Opti's running at the moment. None of them have shown a hint of problems. One is the baddest LTX daily driver most of you will ever see, the second is what most LTX people hope to build one day and the last is what most LTX owners actually own and drive.

One is in my personal 92 6spd.... well over 7000RPM, low 11's at 127MPH on street tires and I drive it to the track. Over 5000 miles on it this year already and I race it once a week (35 passes on the car this year alone).

I have another in a 420+RWHP 96 LT4 383 I built. 7000RPM capable engine that now has over 25,000 miles on it over the past 3yrs - with no Opti Problems.

Lastly the stock 67,000 mile LT1 out of my 92.... I sold it to a friend with a 94 Z28. Stock engine with 1.6 rockers and some bolt on's. It's a daily driver for his wife and they are not having any problems with the MSD Opti, since I sold it to them last year.

Either I'm the luckiest SOB on the earth with these MSD Opti's or the people tearing them up are doing something wrong.

I'm going to tell you to buy the MSD (it comes with a vaccum hose system), take the cap off of it and locktite the rotor screw, then make sure the cap seal/o-ring is installed properly before you install it on the car and put the cap back on.
Will

Optis are a sensitive subject.
My advice is get an OEM(New AC DELCO made in USA) or MSD.
What is very important is installation also. Make sure you take your time and do it right, Dont rush it.

I was thinking about the MSD but read so many bad reports on them. Maybe they hae cured it? They used to be the go to guys for ignitions way back when...

In my 92 I have a later engine that uses the pin drive.
I needed an opti for it real quick and took my chances on a Summit Racing opti.
So far that Opti has seen a good 4 or 5 hours over 4k RPM with no issues.
The 92 sees all its time on road courses so I don't keep track of miles.

On my original engine I had an original Dynaspark. It had no issues, however I wouldn't buy one anymore. Do a search here and other sites, the manuf has become cheap while still demanding a premium and not standing behind it.

Think I'll spring for the MSD as its pretty much the same price as the other ones, might as well get the 8.5 wires..prolly an MSD coil too..
Which plugs are the best??

I run NGK plugs. TR55 is the correct PN plug for your car.

I have MSD 8.5 wires (custom fit so they come up from the bottom) but still use the stock coil on my 92.
Will

Now I've read that Taylor wires are better...ooookkkkay...

I've been running the same set of Taylor Spiro Pro 8mm wires for ~9 years without problems. Also running NGK TR55's.

Its funny but the more I read about which opti to buy..the worse it gets..I want the vented option but don't want to hack it up...Summit sells a vented one, and MSD...read the msd does not hook up to the harness without modifying??? oy..my head hurts and I haven't even started...:willy:

No hacking up anything.

The "modifying" is poking a hole in the air cleaner duct (so you can install a plastic vaccum fitting) and "T" ing into a vaccum line off the intake manifold. Instructions are included with MSD.
Will

What about hooking up the wiring harness..does MSD plug in or need modifying?

Doubt it, if anything its worse.

The orig. Founder of msd sold the company sometime in the past decade.

Someone bought it just for the name (which is rapidly fading ).

Too much risk.

OK, I edited my post because I was trying to find a bunch of the bad posts about msd optispark I seem to remember.

I couldnt find them. Id try looking for them.


So take my comments with a grain of salt. I wouldnt trust an MSD optispark.

I have an MSD also. I believe their issues are in the past.The warranty is one year and they stand behind it. Cheap Optis on E-bay and elseware are just junk. Tim

I replaced mine with a Delphi from Specialty Parts (uses same source as thepartsladi) and MSD makes a cap kit that converts it to be vented (MSD-8481).

No problems at all.

I will say that I had to call MSD to ask their tech support a question and it was very scary. I would never purchase a MSD Opti based on their knowledge level.

CMS Chandler motorsports eBay with lifetime warranty

Read this one is 50/50 on the reliability scale.
The prob is that I don't want to have to do this job again..as its a bitch to do..so even if they warranty the part for life..its the install thats killer..
ok..enough people have said the MSD is junk.
Seems the delphi is the way to go..just have to convert it to vented..msd cap..have to look that up. i want the best one possible and am willing to spend the money.
The shop next door..well once they diagnosed it as an opti issue (broke down right in front of their door so I figured I'd let them check it out) didn't want to do the job! had to have it flatbedded..to my GF's driveway where all my tools are..NEVER had a shop turn down a job before!
Damn I miss my 72 GTO...

It will require a small amount of re-wire.

MSD actually did a good thing when the built their opti by incorporating the Opti pig tail lead (harness) all the way up to the engine harness under the fuel rail cover.... GM uses a 2 peice Opti pig tail harness (connects at the Opti and again under the fuel rail ocver) and it often gets damaged. So MSD thought it would be a good idea to make the harness only have 1 connection (the one under the fuel rail cover).

Problem with the 92 Corvette is that as a first year car some things are different and that connector has 5 wires instead of 4 wires like the 93-97.

2 ways to fix it.

1. Cut the wires and solder them as per the included MSD instructions.
2. Buy the 93-97 4 wire harness weather pac connector and re-pin your harness to the 4 wire set up. I did it this way. The 5th wire is just an unused shielded ground wire you tape up in the harness. You can get the weather pac connector at efi connection for about $10.00
Will

I replaced my water pump as well and added a drain for the weep hole. One of those while you have it apart and never want to do it again things.

I would have replaced plug wires as well if I had not already done them recently.

It also is no fun to do it again and have to pay again...lol

OK..need sleep..but:
I'm going with a real ac delco from summit..yeah its expensive but has the best reviews about reliability..but: I want to vent it but don't want to cobble that together. i know there is a real kit to do it but can't find it..does the MSD cap for the 93-94 fit, that seems the best one?

You need PN 8481 (as xole already stated).

Here are the install instructions.

http://www.jegs.com/InstallationInst...1/121-8481.pdf
Will

Hmm.found a new acdelco with the vent kit installed at Corvette central..they claim its an oem unit..going to call them...weird how they sell a vented and nonvented one for the same price...
And they say its the same one just modified....guess I'll roll the dice...

Well I think I'm done buying all the crap I need:
moded/vented opti
water ,opti seals
plugs, wires,gaskets
most important..or so I found out. A water pump seal tool, custom made just for the job from ebay.
top radiator hose, need one, new air filter..what the hell..
so far I've spent $680.00...shops want almost $1500.00 for the job..figure I can pay myself the grand in labor...:cheers:

Do lower radiator hose also.
I also use Permatex, The Right Stuff. Excellent RTV

I was going to suggest something like this.:hide::hide:

http://i957.photobucket.com/albums/a...gnition008.jpg

:rofl: funny thing is thats probably more reliable.
Taking the dist. out of the LTx was a stupid idea.

If that an sx650..been there...used to build all kinds of bikes..much easier to deal with than this thing...

Someone on here has converted to a regular distributor on their LT1.
Optis are hit and miss. More miss for me. I use DELTEQ and just the optical sensor with a rotor shaved/cut down just to hold the plate in there for referencing the Optical sensor.

do not go dynaspark, there not dynaspark (from back in the day) anymore, just put a dynaspark in my 93 vette and it looks nothing like the one i put in my lt1 monte carlo a few years ago. I think they are using chinese optical pickups and not the japanese ones that lasted 100k miles like delco uses.

If i had to do it again id go MSD or mod an ACDelco OEM unit

It would be nice if you could buy just the Japanese Mitsubishi Optical sensors.

you sir, would be a hero if you can find the mitsu optical pickup GM uses, and buy a boat load becasue your going to sell alot of them.

that little optical pickup's origins of where its made have plegued opti users for years, no one can find where you can buy JUST the sensor. I have searched high and low and can't find it for the life of me!

Dodge used them years ago in there little V6 cars in the distributor. I think it was a Daytona. I got tired of researching.
I did find the opti bearing. The NTN bearing was only allowed to be bought by GM. But, there was a bearing that had a lip on it that could have been cut off and would end up being the same bearing.
Opti, not my favorite.

This one from Corvette Central is supposed to be a modded Delphi..guess I'll know when I get it. Going to loctite the rotor..and pray for the best..if it craps out on me down the road..well that may be it for her ..cause I don't have time to do major surgery all the time..might go back to a 72 GTO..real easy to work on...

The factory delco did not give me good service, so the 1st time was the Accel. Not a good choice. 2nd opti was a summit. Not a good
choice. 2nd opti was a summit. Not a good choice, though better than the Accel. Thursday I put in a Cardone from Rockauto. It has a one year/18,000 mile warranty. And its $70 less the the 2 previous units and has a better warranty.

I honestly believe anyone, except a genuine GM from the dealership is a rebuilt Opti with Cap and Rotor.
You cant buy the bearing, unless you are GM
You cant by the Optical Sensor, unless you are GM (OEM Mitsubishi ones, not China crap Sensors)
You cant get new aluminum housing, Unless you are GM or are willing to make your own like MSD.
But you can buy, in bulk, cap and rotors.
Rebuilts are Summits/Accels/Cardone/etc etc. Junk.
If you are a waxer who drives to and from work or car shows, they are fine. Anyone who drives it to enjoy with spirited driving, auto cross, HPDEs, then you are dancing with the Devil unless you buy Genuine GM, as they are more than likely new old stock thats just waiting for the stock to run out.

Cardone has a new and rebuilt. The one I bought is advertised as new.

Take it apart and see what the Optical sensor and cap and rotor are made by. Yes, they may be new (but not the Mitsubishi sensor, for example), but I seriously doubt they have new housing.
Cardone is an average company. I have used their New water pumps too. One of them leaked. It was a warped housing.
Regardless, Good luck.

The delco lasted just 43,000 miles. Now granted, thats a lot more than the replacements I've been using, but it still doesnt give me alot of confidence. I think GM should have did a distributorless ignition, and we LT1 owners would be a lot better off.

The cardone says new, but without module. Wonder what that module is?
No one else advertises their Opti "without module"

I dont know, but its in and running. Just 100 miles on it so far.

Wonder if the Deltech or that other coil pack conversion is worth it...prolly can't hurt to get the high voltage out of there...

Since a lot of people are replacing the optispark who has the best write up on the Internet to replace one. If my mechanical skills are pretty basic is this a task I can take on. Also having a 95 any different then the 92 mostly talked about in this thread?

The hard part is getting off the balancer but also basic shop practices such as cleaning gasket surfaces, removing and replacing seals..this stuff is hard to learn off the web..not that you can't but if you get it wrong..its a mess and you could wreck the opti..again...but if you want to try it..we can walk you through it..it is a mother of a job..and I've been doing this stuff for 30 years..just let us know..what I can't..or it seems no one can..is what is the best opti to buy..

Modify for vented Optispark and install Chandler Motor Sports Vented Optispark with lifetime warranty for $135. This has been a better solution on my 95 then any other expensive products $300 or more.

The one I'm getting from Corvette central is modded with vents..469.00 though..they claim its a modded Delphi..we'll see when I take it apart to locktite the rotor..

:iagree:

This has been my experience too with 2 different LT1 cars. Get the vented version and make sure the plug wires are high quality. It will last for 200,000 miles.

Bought the stock oem wires..they lasted 100,00..figure I don't need bigger ones as the motor is stock and prolly will always be...

Well a vented opti seems like a good way to go. I think I am able to figure out the importance of removing old gaskets and puting new ones on correctly. If I can change a gasket on a lower unit outboard and rebuild a small outboard carb. I should be able to figure this out.

So yes mfi I would like to try this task. If you have a good write up I would like to read it.

Thank you for your help.

If you have a good set of general mechanic's tools, and decent mechanical skills, you can tackle the Opti swap yourself. No special tools are required. Here are a few tech tips I wrote up some time ago about doing an Opti swap with new plug wires (HIGHLY recommended while you're doing the Opti, as it's a hideous job to replace the wires with everything fully assembled):

--------

Get a Factory Service Manual, and follow the procedure it lays out.

A few tips (I'm going from memory here, so I'll probably forget a few things):

Drain the cooling system.

Disconnect the MAF sensor and IAT sensor and remove the air intake duct with the MAF and IAT as an assembly.

Disconnect the ECT sensor and remove it from the water pump.

Remove the serpentine belt and tensioner.

You may find that you’ll need to unbolt the coil/ICM bracket from the front of the right cylinder head. I can’t recall for sure whether or not I did.

Unbolt (but don't remove) the power steering pump. This will help you to sneak the new plug wires in/out behind the pump, but may also be somewhat helpful when working on the water pump/Opti.

If you want more room to work, you can remove the radiator, but it isn't strictly necessary, and it involves considerably more work to remove it (I left mine in place).

The FSM will tell you that you need a special Kent-Moore puller to remove the crank pulley/damper. You don't. Here's how to get it off:

1. Raise the front of the vehicle enough that you can get under the car (it's also helpful to have it at a more comfortable height while you're working from above).

2. Remove the three bolts that secure the pulley/damper to the hub.

3. Mark the damper and hub so that you can easily see how to realign them to each other later.

4. Slide under the car with a long pry bar or hardwood dowel (I use a jumbo Snap-On screwdriver that's around two feet long) and a mallet.

5. Place the tip of the pry bar against the rear face of the damper, as close to the hub as possible (Ideally rest the tip alongside of the hub).

6 Give the pry bar a few whacks with the mallet, and with any luck the damper will pop off without too much of a fight.

You may find it helpful to apply a few whacks, then rotate the crankshaft in 120* increments, whacking it a few times at each interval (I haven't needed to do this).

It's also helpful to, if possible, shoot a bit of penetrating oil where the damper meets the hub, a day or more in advance of doing the job.

After you get the damper off, clean the damper/hub mating surfaces to remove all corrosion, etc, and apply a very thin coating of anti-seize compound to these surfaces before you reassemble the damper to the hub. This should make it a lot easier to get the damper off next time.

Once the damper is removed, rotate the crankshaft so that one wing of the damper hub is at the six-o'clock position. This will position the other two wings at around the ten- and two-o'clock positions. In this orientation, the Opti will clear the hub as it is being removed/installed.

The Opti basically unbolts and pulls off as you'd expect, once you have the water pump and damper out of the way.

Once the Opti is out of the way, inspect the shaft seals for the Opti, water pump, and crankshaft. If they show any signs of leakage, replace them now.

When you install the new Opti, be sure to align it correctly with the cam gear, and don't force it into place against the timing cover (do NOT use the bolts to draw it into place). At most, give it a gentle bump with the heel of your hand to encourage it to pop into place.

Reassemble everything else.

Follow the cooling system refill procedure in the FSM carefully, and you'll have no problems with this. In particular, be sure to bleed the air out of the system as it's being refilled. I recommend re-bleeding the system after each of the first three temperature cycles. I usually get a bit more air out by doing this. Be sure to pack rags under the bleeder screws before you open them, to catch the small amount of coolant that will leak out. You do NOT want coolant getting onto the brand new Opti!!! A cooling system pressure tester can dramatically speed up the bleeding process, if you own or can borrow one.

Hope this helps. Best of luck with it.

Live well,

SJW

Wow that was awsome.

I am going to look into getting a factory book. I have the hayes book and I find it to be very disappointing. They skip out on a lot of key items to complete the jobs.

Thank you for all the great tips. It means a lot!!!

And there you have it..I removed the front wheels which made working on it way easier..also jack it up high enough to really get under there for the damper removal.
As for putting the damper back on..I'm still researching the best way..DO NOT wack it back on, it must be pulled on..wacking it can damage the crank..
If you change the wires, I'm going to pull the wheel well covers on the drivers side as thats the hard one..hell anything you can pull to make things easier is a plus...

Always happy to help out when I can. Hope it proves to be useful to you. The factory service manual is worth the purchase price if you use it only once. The torque specs alone make it worthwhile, and it is invaluable if you'll be doing most of your own work.

An opti swap is a nuisance job, but nothing to be frightened of if you've done much wrenching and have a decent set of tools. It's just a bunch of bolts.

Live well,

SJW

If you clean up the damper and the hub that it mounts on (remove all corrosion - sandpaper works pretty well for this task), and apply a thin layer of anti-seize compound, you shouldn't have any trouble getting the damper back on. It should push on pretty easily by hand if the hub and damper are smooth and free of rust. Rotating it back and forth as you push it on will help, if necessary.

Changing the plug wires is not a fun job on LTx C4s, but it's a lot easier to do when you've already got the front end opened up to replace the opti. You'll never have better access. Here's a list of tips I wrote up some time ago about swapping the spark plugs and plug wires:

1. Raise the front end of the vehicle to a more comfortable working height.

2. Remove the inner fenderwell center panel on the driver's side. This will allow you to both see and do the job much more easily on the driver's side. You may also find it helpful to remove the wheel.

3. Unbolt the ASR bracketry from the frame, so that you can slide the ASR unit around to get it out of your way.

4. Remove the serpentine belt and tensioner.

5. Unbolt the power steering pump so that you can move it forward around a half inch. This will make it much easier to sneak the plug wires in/out behind the pump.

6. Use dielectric grease in the boots at both ends of the wires. Be sure to "burp" the air out of the boots after you get each of them pushed firmly into place, so that the trapped air doesn't try to push the wires off later.

Some guys report that they've had decent success accessing the Opti-end of the plug wires from underneath of the car, and that this saved them the trouble of removing the belt and tensioner. I haven't tried this, so I can't comment.

Take your time, work with care, and pay attention to what you're doing. The OEM replacement plug wires from your Chevy dealer are high quality parts, and will route (and fit into the wire looms) correctly. Run the new wires properly, and make sure they stay away from anything that moves, is sharp, or gets hot.

The passenger's side is not such a bad job. The driver's side is a Queen Royal Bitch (mostly because all of the belt-driven accessories are hanging on the driver’s side of the front of LT1/LT4 engines, and they leave little room for you to work or see what you’re doing). With plenty of patience, beer and Band-Aids, you'll get it done.

The spark plugs on the driver's side aren't so bad, when you've got things apart to do the wires. The passenger's side, however, is not so easy. The number 8 plug in particular can be a real headache, but with good tools and enough patience, you can get it done. Because there isn’t room for a ratchet on top of the spark plug socket, I use a plug socket that has a hex head on it so that it can be turned with an open end or box end wrench. It's useful to have more than one plug socket to choose from, as some will work better than others due to differences in length, wall thickness, etc.

Be sure to apply a small amount of anti-sieze compound to the threads of the new plugs before you install them so that they won’t seize in the cylinder heads in the future (this is especially important with aluminum heads). Just make sure none of the compound gets onto the electrodes or insulators of the plugs. I apply a very thin stripe of compound across the threads in one spot, and it spreads itself around the threads as I screw the plug into the hole. Also be careful that you don’t pick up any of the grunge that may have accumulated over the years around the spark plug hole in the cylinder head on the new plugs’ electrodes/insulators/threads while you’re installing them – try your best to get the tip of the plug straight into the hole on the first shot.

Live well,

SJW

Any one heard of these guys?

http://petrisenterprises.com/index.p...d=20&Itemid=26

I had the same prop. talked to lots of old school C-4 Corvetts racers and they said the same thing .Buy GM put an MSD cap seal the thing up with good sealer Ect. Not cheep but what is .. My 96 LT-4 is on the Dyno alot and sees 7,000rpm at times no big deal.. I wiil not put after market on mine or anybody else.. Good luck.. $135.. TOOOOO Cheep... Some things can be just too cheep... and the lifetime thing you'll be changing them for a lifetime...

The one from Petris is 399.00 and they claim its a real one.

Do what you like but GM is the only people that make THE REAL ONE.. It's the EYE that makes the thing work and GM has the best one they are the ones thet cane up with the thing.. If you buy cheep gona get cheep.. On some parts you just can't go cheep and if you evey change the thing out you will not want to go back and do it over ..We who have changed the thing out know PAIN IN THE A^& and water pump wires plugs ..Put on the best you can have the money for and hope for the best.. I changed mine out on my 95 yes A GM 5,000 miles cracked cap water inside DO OVER ..If you going to play with a Vett with an OPTI SPARK ask anybody need good luck ..They do PMS...

Well its arrived..but I won't see it until Sunday..problem is if I take it apart..I can't send it back...they claim its a real one...guess I'll find out when I do open it up to loctite the screws.....weirdest repair job I've EVER done...

:iagree: Plus 1 for DELTEQ

If you have the water pump off anyways, I always drill and tap the weep hole for a barb fitting. I then run a piece of clear aquarium hose from the fitting, away from the opti and end it at the frame and attach it there. That way if your water pump ever leaks the water will fall harmlessly to the ground and not on the expensive high voltage electrical thingys. It's real cheap insurance and virtually invisible.:thumbs:

Don't go cheap. If you do you won't leave home!

Yup...amazing how this thing is designed!

The OEM's have a Mitsubishi Sensor.Check out Item# 400216692869 on Fleebay.New OEM GM Performance Part Direct from AC Delco
$360.00 Shipped.

Very Wierd Job...Especially the Older I Get...Can't see as well or move around like I used to.Very tight quarters .My problem is I don't have a nearby Vette Savy shop I can trust.So,Me and my good friend tackles all this crap.Don't know what I'd do without Him.I don't know....just getting old I guess.My AC Delco is due in today.I'll post after we install it within the next week.Thank God I have a back up C4.

A good site for OPTI install including pics and making the needed tool !

http://www.impalasuperstore.com/nais...lace,with,pics

Just finished replacement of opti on my 92 C4. Used a NEW Cardone. Worked with Extreme care not wanting to do it again but guess what - the NEW Cardone (not supposed to be a reman) is defective and now the car does not run at all. This time a GM or MSD. Anyone else doing this job take my word for it don't go cheap on the opti and while the Cardone unit is not that cheap it is crap - new out of the box and supposedly fully tested - B.S. While the job was not terribly hard it is very time consuming and I really don't like the idea of doing it all over again. Thanks for nothing Cardone. The worst part is the car only has 26K miles on it and is always garage kept - the old opti internals looked like it was 100 years old - rusted and green.

was the old opti bad, no start condition?

active1951 - with the old opti the car idled rough and ran but no power under load and it had popping in exhaust. With the new opti it turns over and sputters but does not run. the old unit was badly rusted inside and all the cap plug wire pins inside the cap were badly corroded.
I took great care in reassembling the engine even put in a new water pump, gaskets, plugs and wires. Checked the plug wire placement 4 times thinking i might have crossed a few but everything is as it should be. the only thing i can think of is the cardone unit is bad. the car went from running lousy to not running at all. Any thoughts would be appreciated before i tear it all down again. the car has 26,000 miles and is never out in wet weather.

active1951 - with the old opti the car idled rough and ran but no power under load and it had popping in exhaust. With the new opti it turns over and sputters but does not run. the old unit was badly rusted inside and all the cap plug wire pins inside the cap were badly corroded.
I took great care in reassembling the engine even put in a new water pump, gaskets, plugs and wires. Checked the plug wire placement 4 times thinking i might have crossed a few but everything is as it should be. the only thing i can think of is the cardone unit is bad. the car went from running lousy to not running at all. Any thoughts would be appreciated before i tear it all down again. the car has 26,000 miles and is never out in wet weather.

tjnjr, Don't forget you can start and run the engine briefly before putting the water pump back on to ensure the next opti you install isn't DOA.

ruu - Thanks for the info! I was going to ask about that - starting the engine for a minute to make sure the opti isn't dead would save lots of potential grief. I'll post the results hopefully next week after I get the new unit.

It sounds like the opti is not installed correctly. If it was DOA, you'd get probably get some codes. Rent a noid light set from Autozone to make sure your injectors are firing. If they are firing, and you've got spark at the plugs, the opti is installed misaligned.

Did the opti seat completely flat, or was there an 1/8" or so between the base and the timing cover?

I've done the opti several times, and the last time I tried to get it done a little too quick and had the exact issues you're having because I installed it incorrectly- the cam dowel pin was in one of the cylindrical pockets.

You have a low miler, that can be good and bad, they can have different problems. Heck, I have a van with over 300k.
Please do not jump to conclusions, frustration can be overcome with a lil time and thought.
First, it might have been better to start your own thread for future problems.
As RUU said you can start car without water pump, just attach sensors and set pump on top of engine. Do not run the engine to long, but you can see if it starts.
You may not have had a opti problem to begin with. Were any codes stored or did the engine light come on? Did the car start acting up all of a sudden or did it gradually get worse. Was anything done to car before it started acting up?
When you put opti on did you align it and did it slide on easily without having to tighten the bolts to snug it down?

ninetyfivevette - Thanks for the advice. I can tell you i was extremely careful putting it back together - took pains to make sure the drive gear was in and the unit sat flat all the way in without any force. On the 92 the gear goes in only one way and if it is not aligned properly the unit will not fully seat without forcing it. I wish it was as simple as an alignment issue. FYI the injectors were tested prior to pulling the original opti - i tried everything i could think of before tearing down the front of that engine - its a bear to work on. I'd just like to know what the designers were drinking when they decided to put the opti between the block and the H2O pump - must have been good cause they obviously got stoned on it. It's a miracle they didn't put the plugs under the intake or the radio in the muffler. I love the car but......

active1951 - Thanks - sorry if I should have started a new thread - was looking for opti topic that had recent posts in the hopes of getting some current info given the situation with the cardone unit. Oh I should have mentioned in the first post - no codes - no engine light - just started running poor after sitting in the garage for about a month - gas wasn't the problem - high test that was only about a month old. Believe me I did about everything but change the air in the tires before pulling the opti. Thanks again the help is very much appreciated!

just put this new petris unit in a few weeks ago and so far so good, after my dynaspark failed me.

was popping noise in exhaust more of a backfire or sputter or miss?
did you try any additive to the gas in case you have water in your gas?

With the old opti popping was like a small firecracker in the tailpipe. It only popped when the accelarator was released or the engine was under load. No popping while sitting on idle. I did add gas treatment just in case even though I couldn't believe the gas would have water with it sitting for only a month on a full tank. If the cardone unit was ok I would have expected it to be no worse than when i started but it do not run only sputters and spits. Damn you guys are awfully helpful - I should have joined this forum 2 weeks ago when this all started. Trying the replacement opti before putting the pump back would have saved me hours of knuckle busting. Gotta buy more bandaides tomorrow before starting over. Regards to all!

I know you checked the plug wires 4 times, but maybe one more time. I used small tie wraps on end of wires to mark wires so it would not smear off etc.

Will recheck wiring tomorrow before going for bandaides. I'd be so happy if it were crossed wires :)
Good tip for marking wires - going to do it to mine - Thanks.

take it slow, mark one wire at a time, finish marking all wires, then slowly plug into optifart.

you might like to read a previous post of mine below:
Here is a quote from PO:
Sorry to hear that. If it is the Optispark, I would be a shocked.
The Opti in the car now is an AC/Delco unit.
I originally tried one from Chandler Motorsports. When my no-start condition remained and I exhausted all my diagnostic skills, I took it to a local garage.
Based on their experience, they insisted that after market engine electronic parts are incompatible with these cars. Regardless of what the aftermarket manufactures say.
So they swapped out the Chandler unit with the AC/Delco unit and the problem was fixed.
The part that was most perplexing was all those endorsements from users on the corvette forum. If it worked for them, why not for me? I don't know. All I know is that it didn't work for me and after the garage installed the AC/Delco unit the car ran."

When I disassembled opti it looked fine, cleaned it up, installed it without water pump(for a test) and same 36 code popped up and it was hard to start.
I knew about opti problems before i bought the car, but I figured the new one would last a lil while. BTW while taking opti out, the work the PO mechanics did loooked top notch.
Sheet Fire, this is a bummer.....


I then installed new cardone from auto parts store down the street(at least i will not have to pay for shipment if I return it). If you think other optis are not returned, just read other posts. Anyway, engine fired right up with cardone, idles better and revs better, not that this 60yo needs more revs.
Mine was a different problem in the beginning that yours, but thought you might like to read this anyway......

BTW, medicated powder works great on scrapes and nu-skin works great on slice wounds. My fav bandaids are the round ones .....

Well Advanced Auto said they will order me a replacement cardone no charge - the reason i went with it was the "lifetime warranty" glad I didn't go cheaper - so we'll see what happens ....
This time I'll test it before putting the pump back on.

To all those that offered advice on my 92 C4 opti problem, active1951,RUU and ninetyfivevette - The new Cardone opti came in this morning (Advance Auto got it for me overnight - I guess they felt sorry for me). First one last check of my wire placement hoping it was my goof not a bad opti out of the box but no luck. This time a test before putting the pump back - as soon as i hit the key the thing fired right up - never heard it start so fast and run so smooth. Ran the engine no more than a minute but wow did it sound sweet! Now to put the rest back together and take it around the block a few times before hitting the highway. Guys - Thanks So Much!!!
TJ.

Ain't that a sweet sound when it fires up like that???
Be sure and get the coolant level good, check it after a few heat cycles.
That is a pain of a job, but now you more about your vette.

Congratulations. :thumbs:

It fired as soon as the key was turned and it sounded so good! And what a relief. I learned a ton about the car too bad it had to be so painful. I'll be sure to watch the coolent and get the air out. It took me 3 hours to tear it down the first time today it took 30 minutes. Maybe some day I'll be able to help someone else.
And again thanks for all the help!

I would like to un-hijack this thread:

There is a lot of bad words for the MSD opti but no proof. Who out there has had one fail and how many miles did you have on it in what conditions?

A few folks mentioned specific problems with the Dynaspark that seem credible. I am going to avoid them.

As far as the "real" Delco piece goes where can I find one..... really?

I need to do my opti again (I bought the Jegs house brand a few months ago) and I do not want to do it again! I don't want to have to redesign one before I put it on either with seals and vacuum lines. My 92 coupe has 200k miles, I drive it in ALL WEATHER, and I do not want to do this ever again! One of these manufacturers must make one that lasts without making a project out of it.

Matt

Here you go:

http://www.jegs.com/p/GM-Performance...54883/10002/-1