Just got my Accel optispark in and I wanted to take it apart to ensure there are no surprises inside. I also wanted to post pictures of the internals for all to see.

First off the cap and rotor look to be much better quality than GM, they appear to be made of some kind of stronger composite plastic. The rotating mechanism is very smooth and the bronze bushing look big and robust. The aluminum base appears to be a bit more beefed up too.

I noticed some debris inside the unit which of course can screw up the optic sensor, this was cleaned out.

The one concern that I have is with the thin metal pulse wheel with the 360 segment openings. The wheel is not flat at all, it is warped enough that when you spin it you can see the wheel rise and then inside the optic sensor opening. I removed the wheel to see if I could straighten but failed, it cant be done cause it just pops back to the existing warped shape. The wheel is not making physical contact with the sensor although it comes very close. I think its very plausible that the wheel when being spun by the motor running will flatten out and become more uniform due to centrifugal force so maybe this is not a problem after all. If anyone wants to comment on this please do.

I intend to thoroughly clean the whole unit out and blue loctite the rotor screws in place. I am also going to RTV the cap around the outer edge to ensure no moisture problems.

Below are some photos of the internals:

 

let me know how it works, i got one also, but havent put it on yet because im still doing the 383 stroker.

 

It wont go on for at least a month or two.

 

I dont think mine was warped on my old GM opti...... Even the rebuild I bought from Carquest wasnt warped...

Looks like it would rub on the sensor.....

 

It does not appear to rub the sensor. Also not that when the rotor is bolted down the warpage is not as extreme as shown in the photo.

I did spin the opti with a drill and the disk does flatten out like I suspected it would. I am going to take it to work and have several mechanical engineers comment on it.

Anyone else ever see a warped pulse wheel like this?

 

Does the sensor have any numbers written on it?
I noticed my GM opti sensor had a symbol on it that looked like a mitsubishi emblem. Id be a bit hesitant using that wheel also, do you have a stock one, would it bolt in?

 

Yea my stock opti had a mitsubishi emblem on the sensor

 

how much is that thing? it looks just like the inside of the stock opti.

 

I know I'm a killjoy when it comes to Opti units. I'de rather use a stocker. If there's no gain from it. Why buy. I hope your results are good though, you've got my vote.

 

Mine was at least as nasty as that but I also had some pieces of plastic debris in there. I cleaned it out real good and put it on the car. About 3000 miles later the engine dies consistently at 5000 RPM. It also sets of an SES code (I forgot the exact one) for low resolution signal. Well I removed it and found no moisture, debris or anything that would cause a problem. I also checked the opti wiring visually and with a multimeter and found nothing.
BTW I put a new OEM vacuum harness on and the pin was in the right slot when installed.
So for fun I put the Accel cap and rotor on my old GM opti base plate re-installed etc. and haven't had a single problem with 5000 RPM or above. The sensor on the Accel is not the same one as my OEM one. Also the metal sheild in the Opti was just plain made wrong and wouldn't fit.

Given my experience with the Accel opti I think that I should have sent it back. However, it was the last piece to go on after my winter time mods and it was early May this year so I wasn't thinking clearly at the time.

I think they're junk but since this is the Internet there will be plenty of people with one working correctly who will chime in.

Next, on to a $500 MSD whenever this opti fails. They still seem to be working the bug out of that one but it looks promising.

 

because the sensor is made by Mitsubishi................

 

I dont see any numbers on the sensor, totally blank.

I am considering returning it to Summit due to my concern of the warped optical wheel. I paid $200.00

 

Do not install that opti. I had the same issue with my brand new summit opti. The optical wheel was warped just like yours. After installing it, the car seemed to idle fine but when you raised the rpm it ran like the wires were crossed. Shuddering, popping and all that fun stuff. After replacing that wheel with the one from my old opti, it runs fine. Do a search, I made a post a few weeks ago about this.

 

Your link:
http://web.camaross.com/forums/showt...ptispark+wheel

96turboTA, a few questions.

1. Do you think the summit wheel and the GM wheel are the exact same part from the same maker other than one being warped.

2. Is the one out of the GM opti absolutely dead straight or flat?

3. You are still using the summit opti with the GM pulse wheel?

 

Could the Accel opti and the Summit opti be the same?