There's a 97 Z28 for sale locally that has a running issue. The car will start up with a few revolutions of the starter but then will die out after about 20 seconds. starts up smooth, then gets rough and will not respond to throttle input. after the engine died there was a cloud of smoke that blew past us that looked light colored but we could smell fuel as a rich condition.

the parts that have been replaced are
Fuel pump
fuel filter
opti and wire connections

there was also a list of parts that had been upgraded prior to the current owner picking it up. new clutch, new power steering pump, hoses, tires, etc.

I'm thinking it is maybe a maf or 02 sensor issue, but i didn't get around to see if the check engine light was on. the seller said that codes were pulled, but it was all related to prior opti spark issues. could be that the Opti is bad already. it was replaced and ran for 2 days, then nothing.


Thanks for all the help!!

James

 

A faulty coolant temp sensor (the one in the water pump housing) would cause that condition. You might also want to check the fuel pressure.

 

Been there ,done that,I had two ebay optis in a row act just like that.

 

If the opti was install wrong or the plug wires installed on the wrong plugs it might be your problem. Maybe a burnt plug wire even if they are newer espically if it has headers.

 

good tips.
The LT1 still has the stock manifolds.
I noticed that the engine was rocking around quite a bit when it was running rough.
The guy selling it said it would start up again after it dies, but would run less each time.

James