the other night i had the ses light come on, when i got home i hooked up to datamaster and it was a code 36 which is "Distributor ignition system (faulty high resolution pulse or extra low resolution pulse detected)" the only thing that i can think of is that about a month or so back i hooked up the jacobs ignition that was on the car. anyone have a clue as to what is causing this? the light comes on for about 4-5 min then goes of for usually a day or two

 

This has happened to me twice and both times it turned out to be the Opti going bad. The PCM is expecting a high resolution timing pulse after so many low resolution pulses. The code is telling you that too many low resolution pulses occurred since the last high resolution pulse occurred.

This means either you have an extra low resolution pulse (or several) or a high resolution pulse did not occur when it was supposed to. Check the cleanliness of the connector on the Opti. Look for bent/pushed pins or corrosion.

The car will run with this code but the timing may not be as accurate as it should be. If it is the Opti, you will eventually see drivability problems. Start researching how to replace it now so you are ready!

If you follow the troubleshooting procedure in the service manuals you will see there isn't much else that can cause this issue.

 

dangit thats not what i wanted to hear, why couldnt it have just been the jacobs ignition acting up? how long did it take before the opti went out?

 

The second time I drove it for a week before I replaced it but it had not completely failed yet. This was about 2 weeks ago.

The first time it became undrivable in just a day but I think other things were failing inside the Opti. I wouldn't panick but I would start to research where to buy the part and download the repair procedure.

Check that connector first. It could be a bad connection or a problem with your wire harness. I hope that's all it is

 

well its been several days now and the light has not shown its face again

 

I've had this same problem on an opti that was weeks old.

The light came and went about 3 times. That was 2 years and nearly 80,000 kms ago. Opti is still running strong, not a single burp.

Check your three main ground connections and make sure your positive distribution block is clean (the red flip top one).