Alternative to Opti-Spark

[93Rubie]

I know mine will give me problems eventually so I am looking for a good replacement now. I want to get rid of the thing if I can. The cap and rotor seem to give the most problems, the actually sensors seem to be ok for the most part. Fix Your Opti-Spark in an Hour or Two

This company has a kit that would effectively convert it to waste spark ignition. Gets rid of the trouble spot the cap and rotor. Looks like a good set up to me.

Another one I was looking at is way cool it uses LS coils and a LS1 PCM to run it all. Check it out at EFI Connection

Let me know what you guys think, oh and what is the average life of a LT1 Water Pump. Mine was replace about 12000 miles ago. Hope LT4man or GMJunkie chime in they seem to know there stuff. Not that you other guys don't.

On a side note, I was talking to a guy this evening about LT1's as he was buying a water pump at the local parts store. His buddy is running 11.8's on an Impala with a stock bottom end, all NA, and stock displacement. I want his setup on my Vette!!! Like this guy said, "you got a 1000lb weight loss advantage, that thing would fly." Sweet!!!

 

[gmjunkie]

I know mine will give me problems eventually so I am looking for a good replacement now. I want to get rid of the thing if I can. The cap and rotor seem to give the most problems, the actually sensors seem to be ok for the most part. Fix Your Opti-Spark in an Hour or Two

This company has a kit that would effectively convert it to waste spark ignition. Gets rid of the trouble spot the cap and rotor. Looks like a good set up to me.

Another one I was looking at is way cool it uses LS coils and a LS1 PCM to run it all. Check it out at EFI Connection

Let me know what you guys think, oh and what is the average life of a LT1 Water Pump. Mine was replace about 12000 miles ago. Hope LT4man or GMJunkie chime in they seem to know there stuff. Not that you other guys don't.

On a side note, I was talking to a guy this evening about LT1's as he was buying a water pump at the local parts store. His buddy is running 11.8's on an Impala with a stock bottom end, all NA, and stock displacement. I want his setup on my Vette!!! Like this guy said, "you got a 1000lb weight loss advantage, that thing would fly." Sweet!!!

You want my opinion,"If it Ain't Broke,Don't Fix It"!!:L:L:L
On Hundreds of Vehicles, and Hundreds of Thousands of Miles,
I've only had to change 4 Opti Sparks!!

1. Slammed a tree at a high rate of speed after missing a curve and the right frame rail broke it!
2. Was JimmiJams 93 a year ago last spring that had had the water pump leaking for a while and the inside looked like it had been in a Florida Swamp since 1995!!:L:L:L
3.Was a white 94 6sp I had last summer that the W/P went bad and I just couldn't just couldn't leave well enough alone!!
I won't go into the story,But I can tell you that that Opti is somewhere up the side the mountain I live on!!!
4. Was on the same 94,that the new one had 1 of the same type caps on it that Toms01 had got from GM,That started the Longest C4 trouble shooting thread in CAC History!!
http://www.corvetteactioncenter.com/forums/927857-post235.html

http://www.corvetteactioncenter.com/forums/c4-technical-performance/106269-sort-stumble-idle.html

I thought I'd found the problem about 5 times,Only difference I finely found mine when it blew 2 holes through it and was arcing to the balancer pulley!!:L:L:L
It was less that 90 days old so my Chevrolet parts man replaced it!!

 

[92BlackVette]

I have 150,000 miles on my original (OEM) Opti, I won't replace it until it is broken.

 

[Schrade]

You want my opinion,"If it Ain't Broke,Don't Fix It"!!:L:L:L

Obviously, you're not a government employee, cause their opinion is, "Fix it till it's broke".

 

[LT4man]

I know mine will give me problems eventually so I am looking for a good replacement now. I want to get rid of the thing if I can. The cap and rotor seem to give the most problems, the actually sensors seem to be ok for the most part. Fix Your Opti-Spark in an Hour or Two

This company has a kit that would effectively convert it to waste spark ignition. Gets rid of the trouble spot the cap and rotor. Looks like a good set up to me.

Another one I was looking at is way cool it uses LS coils and a LS1 PCM to run it all. Check it out at EFI Connection

Let me know what you guys think, oh and what is the average life of a LT1 Water Pump. Mine was replace about 12000 miles ago. Hope LT4man or GMJunkie chime in they seem to know there stuff. Not that you other guys don't.

On a side note, I was talking to a guy this evening about LT1's as he was buying a water pump at the local parts store. His buddy is running 11.8's on an Impala with a stock bottom end, all NA, and stock displacement. I want his setup on my Vette!!! Like this guy said, "you got a 1000lb weight loss advantage, that thing would fly." Sweet!!!

107,700 miles on my LT4 Optispark. I replaced cap & rotor with Accel units at 90,000 miles.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

They were designed to last between 150,000 and 200,000 miles. The Corvette engineers wanted durability to be inline with a major tear down of the engine.

The other systems which are designed to take the place of the Optispark have connections and parts which also can fail.

Also, the Optispark, with its 360 degree wheel for timing, is accurate in timing the engine within + or - 1 degree at all RPMs and loads. There is not another distributor built which can say that!

BTW, my engine has been pressure washed many times each year. I like a clean looking engine compartment!

My water pump was replaced at about 60,000 miles under an additional warranty package which I purchased before the end of the 36 month / 36,000 mile factory warranty. I had noticed a drop or two of antifreeze on my garage floor. Took the Vette in to my favorite Chevy dealer and had the Vette back within a day or two. The water pump they installed is still working.

AFTER SURVEYING YOUR RESULTS, BE SURE TO SAVE THE !

 

[Curious George]

Obviously, you're not a government employee, cause their opinion is, "Fix it till it's broke".

Every US g-ment agency has a budget for maintenance items. If they do not use the money, they lose it the next year, so in effect, they are always 'maintaining' (fix it 'til it breaks) their items.

CG

 

[Tuna]

I changed the OptiSpark on my old '92 back in 2003 when it had 103K miles - not because it needed to be changed but because I was doing a horsepower upgrade and decided to install a 1996 version of the Opti to go with the LT4 Hot Cam. There wasn't anything wrong with the Opti that was taken off.

Wait until it breaks or actually shows signs of going bad or you're doing other work that requires its removal.

 

[Toms007]

You want my opinion,"If it Ain't Broke,Don't Fix It"!!:L:L:L
On Hundreds of Vehicles, and Hundreds of Thousands of Miles,
I've only had to change 4 Opti Sparks!!

1. Slammed a tree at a high rate of speed after missing a curve and the right frame rail broke it!
2. Was JimmiJams 93 a year ago last spring that had had the water pump leaking for a while and the inside looked like it had been in a Florida Swamp since 1995!!:L:L:L
3.Was a white 94 6sp I had last summer that the W/P went bad and I just couldn't just couldn't leave well enough alone!!
I won't go into the story,But I can tell you that that Opti is somewhere up the side the mountain I live on!!!
4. Was on the same 94,that the new one had 1 of the same type caps on it that Toms01 had got from GM,That started the Longest C4 trouble shooting thread in CAC History!!
http://www.corvetteactioncenter.com/forums/927857-post235.html

http://www.corvetteactioncenter.com/forums/c4-technical-performance/106269-sort-stumble-idle.html

I thought I'd found the problem about 5 times,Only difference I finely found mine when it blew 2 holes through it and was arcing to the balancer pulley!!:L:L:L
It was less that 90 days old so my Chevrolet parts man replaced it!!

Boy wasn't that a long one.......but we finally got it!

 

[navy2kcoupe]

Delteq.................................
Fix Your Opti-Spark in an Hour or Two
Andy

 

[93Rubie]

So other words, unless it gives me problems...don't worry about it. Is changing the cap and rotor a normal maintenance item like the older HEI units or are they good for a while. If so do you have to remove water pump to do this or just have really small hands???
Thanks for the responses.

I need good spark I run her hard every once in a while

 

[gmjunkie]

So other words, unless it gives me problems...don't worry about it. Is changing the cap and rotor a normal maintenance item like the older HEI units or are they good for a while. If so do you have to remove water pump to do this or just have really small hands???
Thanks for the responses.

I need good spark I run her hard every once in a while

Thats what happened on the 3rd one in my post,Like I said I Just couldn't leave well enough alone!! The cap came off easy,but both screws broke off in the degree wheel that holds the rotor button on!!:ugh
So I put the opti up on the bench and drilled them out and ran a tiny tap through them both to clean up the threads and the tap broke off in the second one and so while trying to drill it out the bit broke and skipped across the degree wheel!!
So I slung it up the mountain and went and bought a new one!!!:L:L:L

 

[Schrade]

So other words, unless it gives me problems...don't worry about it. Is changing the cap and rotor a normal maintenance item like the older HEI units or are they good for a while. If so do you have to remove water pump to do this or just have really small hands???
Thanks for the responses.

I need good spark I run her hard every once in a while

I had mine off last year, trackin' some stray codes. If a bolt comes out, it doesn't go back in unless the threads are CLEAN, and the hole is spic n span too like it's going back in with ball bearings.

That bein' said, I did NOT break down the opti. I put the computer vacuum brush attachments to the opti, and sealed it with RTV.

Lots more here.

 

[LT4man]

Is changing the cap and rotor a normal maintenance item like the older HEI units or are they good for a while. If so do you have to remove water pump to do this or just have really small hands???

I diagnosed a high RPM miss to be attributed to the distributor cap and rotor. After removing the cap (you will have to remove the water pump to do this), I found the two (2) rotor screws sitting in the bottom of the Optispark.

My original cap & rotor looked pretty good, considering 90,000 miles of wear and tear.

The Accel cap & rotor comes with two (2) silicone o-ring gaskets that are to be used between the mating surfaces of the Optispark. They are tricky to handle, but eventually will work rather nicely.

The cap & rotor will probably last from 100,000-150,000 miles. Replace them at your discretion.

AFTER BUTTONING EVERYTHING UP, DON'T FORGET TO SAVE THE !

 

[93Rubie]

I think I'll leave it alone unless I have problems with it. The Ruby only has 51K on her so I think I got lots of life left in my unit. New water pump at 39K so that should be good a while too. Don't know why the pump was changed, all I know is I got receipts from previous owner(s) who had this done at that time.

Does it hurt to clean the outside of the opti-spark as my LT1 has a intake manifold oil leak, (needs gaskets and new RTV) as well as I need a new harmonic balancer (the rubber is separating and it is starting to wobble) so figure I can clean my Opti-Spark while I'm down there getting rid of all the greasy mess from the intake oil leak.

 

[eburcher]

Cleaned the engine and now it won't run!

I purchased a 93 torch red Convertible several weeks ago. Yesterday I got ambitious and decided to wash the engine down at a local car wash. I'm guessing everyone knows what happened. It fired right up but when I accelerated to leave the lot, it cut off. I tried to nurse it home (about 10 miles) but I only made it half way. I had it towed to a local dealer. This morning they tell me that if the distributor gets water in it, you're screwed and it must be replaced. They were talking about $700 for an oem replacement or about $300 for a MSD unit plus labor. I told them I'd give it a week to see if it will dry out. I was able to drive it home. It ran rough at low speed but seemed to be running perfectly above about 40 MPH. Any chance it will dry out on its own? Should I try to spray some alcohol on it to encourage evaporation? Should I drive it at Interstate speeds for an hour or so? Thoughts? If it doesn't clear up, I'll do the job myself. I have a shop manual on order. Does anyone have experience with the MSD unit? Are there any mods required to use the MSD. It is a lot cheaper.

 

[Toms007]

See my post above....... I replaced the OEM one with an MSD unit...didn't get one for $300...that's a deal if you can actually get one for that (I paid more like $430 and felt fortunate). It is a good solid unit, made way better than the OEM unit (IMO, GMJunkie will probably disagree with me ).

 

[LT4man]

I told them I'd give it a week to see if it will dry out. I was able to drive it home. It ran rough at low speed but seemed to be running perfectly above about 40 MPH. Any chance it will dry out on its own? Should I try to spray some alcohol on it to encourage evaporation? Should I drive it at Interstate speeds for an hour or so?

Very good chance the Opti will dry out on its own. I would avoid using any chemicals, though.

I would drive it around town making sure the engine was warmed up.

This type of thing happens quite often. The heat of the engine does a good job of drying these out.

WHILE DRYING OUT YOUR OPTI, BE SURE TO SAVE THE !

 

[Curious George]

I think I'll leave it alone unless I have problems with it. The Ruby only has 51K on her so I think I got lots of life left in my unit. New water pump at 39K so that should be good a while too. Don't know why the pump was changed, all I know is I got receipts from previous owner(s) who had this done at that time.

Does it hurt to clean the outside of the opti-spark as my LT1 has a intake manifold oil leak, (needs gaskets and new RTV) as well as I need a new harmonic balancer (the rubber is separating and it is starting to wobble) so figure I can clean my Opti-Spark while I'm down there getting rid of all the greasy mess from the intake oil leak.

If and when you replace your Opti, make sure you take the extra time to vent it like the later Opti's. I bought an Opti from Summit and vented it. Also, make sure you seal it with RTV when you reassembly the Opti because the gasket that comes with it does not seal very well (at least on the Summit brand one). Seems to be working well. I vented mine slightly different than the link you will find on the Internet. I have pictures somewhere... I'll have to dig them up if you are interested.

CG

 

[Schrade]

Does it hurt to clean the outside of the opti-spark ...

See post 12 (text), see pics from a few days before THOSE pics:

Notice that INSIDE the mating surface back of the opti was clean (this is why I didn't dis-assemble opti):

and more 'after':

Notice the dielectric grease added onto the new plug wires' tips Detail at its' finest!

Hope LT4man or GMJunkie chime in they seem to know there stuff.

Hope you don't mind a 'know-nothin'' hack chimin' in a little bit here

 

[eburcher]

Running, but not good.

It's been four days since I cleaned the engine and apparently, the opti-spark still hasn't dried out. I took it out this afternoon and initially it was running perfect. I drove about 10 miles on the interstate and exited. Then it started running rough again. From start to about 25 MPH, it is running very rough. I'm hoping that it will dry out on it's own, but I'm starting to have my doubts. Thanks to everyone that replied to my previous post. This site is full of great information and knowledgeable owners. Thanks!