optispark/distributor

[69FLASH]

My 1994 coupe with 31600 suddenly developed engine trouble & was diagnosed with a bad distributor. I'm the original owner & you can see I only put about 4,000 miles on it a year & keep in in mint condition. I was disappointed in hearing the news & cost to repair which was completed a few days ago. I would like more information on how common this failure has been for others. The only bright spot is I filed an immediate complaint to the Chevy Customer Assistance Center & it appears they will consider reimbursing me for some of the expense. When the distributor failed, this caused severe fouling of the plugs, particularly on the left bank & oxygen sensors. Of course, I authorized replacement of ignition wires considering the car is 8 years old & pulling them off the plugs usually breaks down the shielding. Total cost for the repair, plugs, wires & other such items was just under $2,000. GM is considering sharing half the cost & reimbursing me $1,000. Aside from their assistance, does the $2 big sound about right for the complete job performed at the dealer? They suspected moisture contaminated the electronics & shorted the system.

 

[6 Shooter]

:eek Ouch, that does sound a bit steep!

There is a lot of bad feedback/comments here @ CAC about the weakness of the optispark. I'm gald I haven't have that misfortune on my 96 (yet).

By the way Welcome to

Later . . . . . .
6 Shooter

 

[compyelc4]

I have 95. At 15K, out goes the Opti-Spark. Local GM dealer replace Opti and new harness from Opti to ECM for $900, including towing.

$2000? - your dealer, or whomever, ripped you good! I'm sorry to hear about that. What state are you in?

Ted

 

[compyelc4]

Oops. I see that you are in Baltimore. I was think Hawaii or some other out of the way tourist area. I'll bet you can find other dealers in the area that would have done that much cheaper.

Ted

 

[c4cruiser]

The Opti-spark can easily be damaged by moisture. People who wash their engine with degreaser and a hose run the risk of soaking the Opti unit. Other failures can be from a leaky water pump. At your mileage, I would not suspect that the water pump failed.

Replacement Opti's over the counter should only run about $450 or so. Much less if you try on-line GM parts vendors. Replacing plugs on the one side should only be an hour or two labor. New AC-Delco plug wires can be high priced at the dealer. The $2K price does sound high. I would have expected a $1000 figure as the total cost of the work.

The 95-96 style Opti has a vacuum line that helps keep moisture out and they are sealed better. These units require a change in the front of the cam and the shaft that turns the Opti. Did they upgrade yours to the 95 style?

 

[JRMaroon]

I Feel Your Pain

I just had the Opti replaced in my 94 (10,500 miles) last month at a Chevy dealer. The unit was $642, labor $361, gasket and coolant $20. Discouraging since I've never washed the engine or driven it in the rain. It was spotless when I bought it so I wouldn't be surprised if the previous owner got it pretty wet. I knew this was a weak spot on these cars when I bought it. Hopefully it's the last one I have to replace.