I was driving my car and all of the suddent it shut off with no hesitation or nothing. It cranks but it doesnt start no puffs or shutters just cranking. I check fuses and plug wires nothing. I sprayed starter fluid into the throttle body and it puffed hesitated and a bunch of black smoke came out of my tail pipe. What do you think it is? the car has 157,000 miles. Its a camaro z28 94. Stock. Thanks!

 

oh ya. could it be the o2 sensors? one is 157,000 miles old. I ordered both of them but they sent me a wrong one so i only installed one in the drivers side. Could this be my problem? Also pushed down on the little valve for the fuel in the back of the engine, and only a little squirt came out and thats it. Does it mean its the fuel pump?

 

My car did exactly the same thing this weekend. So far I haven't found what is wrong. You can turn your key to start and you should hear your fuel pump run for 2 seconds and then shut off. You can get a fuel pressure gauge at any auto parts place. Pressure should be about 41-47 psi when you turn the key but don't crank the engine. There is sticky post on this forum for checking if the problem is your optispark.

So far I have checked fuel pressure, compression, injectors with a noid light, and run the test in the sticky post. All the tests were ok so I tried a new ICM and coil even though I am getting a spark at the plugs. Still no change so I took the ICM and coil back and will be trying a new opti when I get the chance to work on it. The optispark is what I suspected to start with but I didn't want to change it till I checked the other stuff first.

Also check the connections to the ICM, coil, optispark, PCM and all your grounds.

If a new opti fixes mine I'll post the results.

 

Hi,
You say you have checked the plug wires,did you also check the wire from the coil to the opti-spark ?
Regards,Mark.

 

I primed the fuel pump a couple of times by turning key over and back/forth. and i pushed on the valve and a bunch of fuel squirted out. How do i check if i have spark in my wires from the opti? Also i tried a different coil and still no start. Wire from coil to opti is good.

 

As I posted above my car did the same thing as yours. I just changed the optispark and it started as soon as I turned the key. Try the diagnostics in the sticky at the beginning of this topic. If everything checks ok it's probably the opti, coil or icm.

You can buy spark testing gizmos at an auto parts place. They go between the plug and wire and allow you to see the spark. I just used an inductive timing light on a few wires. I also held a plug against the block and turned the engine over. It sparked but looked weak. If you do that be careful not to get shocked.

Anyway as I said a new opti seems to have fixed mine and I had exactly the same symptoms as you.

 

The checked some plug wires and they are dead. No spark what so ever. The ICM cant cause this can it? What does an ICM do? thanks

 

http://www.mainstreamtopics.com/foru...p?showtopic=78
I went to advance auto earlier today and bought a 6 piece noid test kit, a test light, and a ignition spark tester. Came out to @ 40 bucks. If you plan on fixing it yourself, these will definetly help!
Looks like we are almost in the same boat! But you said your wire from the coil to opti was good, mines not.
Im going to go back at it tomorrow, hopefully we can guide or help one another fix this damn LT1! lol.

 

I would try the ICM first. Mine did the same thing last year. It's what tells your coil to spark in laymens term. Since its bolted to the driverside head, it gets heat soaked when the engine gets hot. It's also a lot easier to replace than your opti. They sell them at autozone or OReilly for about 90 bucks.

 

Does oil messup an opti? I have an oil leak coming from the front of my engine i dont know if its leaking in the opti, if it is could it damage the opti? Can Autozone test out ICMs? Auto zone has an ignition module the brand is Duralast, is duralast a goodbrand? Sorry about all the questions

 

AS far as I know, if anything but the hand of god touches the opti its junk its quite possible the oil is the cause, kinda like when water pumps leak on them. At first I thought it was your coil, but then it fired and blowed black smoke.

 

Alright well i went and tested the ICM this morning and the guy says its tested ok. So I just finished taking out the Opti and where the opti seal is it has a small oil leak. Anyways when you shake the opti are you supposed to hear nothing? Cuz i shook it and i heard a bunch of metal or pieces moving?

 

I have mine out right now and shook it as well, didnt hear anything.

 

if you hear pieces shaking around it's a bad opti - get a Delco unit and a new front cover seal, pop that puppy in there and you should be good to go

 

I had this happen to me recently. I check to see if I had fuel, yes. I checked for spark, nothing. I had an extra coil and swapped it out, walla, It started. Id say that a lot easier to replace than the opti. Check it out. Refer to shoebox on checking the opti also. Good luck and keep us informed.