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Old 11-07-2021, 09:58 AM
Warren Seale Warren Seale is offline
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Join Date: May 2002
Location: Melbourne Fl.
Posts: 222
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 3tas4me View Post
What is it that typically fails in the Opti? My '93 has 64k miles and I have had no Opti problems, even when the waterpump gaskets started to leak.
There are two areas that can fail. One is the high voltage side and the other is the signal control side. The high voltage side issues are the same as for any distributor and that is carbon tracking and excessive moisture causing the voltage to not make it to the spark plugs. The fix for this is to replace the rotor and distributor cap. The symptoms of failure are hard starting and misfiring just like with any standard distrubutor. The signal control issue is related to the optical sensor that monitors the crank/cam position and tells the ECM when to send the voltage to the distributor coil. Moisture is the killer for these although I've had two of them fail with no moisture issues. However, I believe in my case the issue was that the vacuum line that purges the air in the distributor was clogged and the stagnant air and high humidity year round in Florida caused the failure. If you have a 95 and newer LT1/LT4 it is important to make sure the vacuum line is functioning. There is a filter in the line that clogs over time. In your case there is no purge system so the moisture buildup tends to be more of a problem in these first generation Optisparks.
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