I've got a 97 m6 car with 157000 miles it runs ok but engine is old so i have machine shop building new one(very mild 355,stock heads,stock exhaust,mild cam) the opti in car now seems fine but I don't want to put in another opti after engine is back in.I guess question is "WOULD YOU GUYS USE OPTI WITH 157k miles and if not is one replacement opti more bullit proof than another?Man some of the opti stories on here are scary!

 

Well, I definitely would not recommend that you reuse an opti with 157k miles on it. That was an easy question to answer.

As to what replacment brand opti is the best choice, is not as easy. If you are on a budget get an oem replacement from reliable and lower cost vendors such as Dal V or Jason C.

If you want (perhaps) a slightly better product and have more money to spent, you might want to consider the DynaSpark Opti. If you love billet machine work, this one is a beauty. Too bad nobody will ever see it installed. I believe it is better than the oem, but for the price may not be worth it.

Another option to consider is the MSD version.

 

I have read some of those scary stories myself and I have had to ask myself how many of these opti issues were from it not being installed properly and how many were changed when all one needed was a new cap and rotor. I know that very few would leave their distributor cap on a distributor for 150000 miles and would most likely change it with every other tune up ( regular distributor ). they also would not change the distributor for a cap and rotor problem.

 

1 vote for Dal.

Bought my last 2 optis from him, always cheap, ships as quickly as he says they will.

1 opti lasted 25k miles, 5 years, and a LOT of track passes, the other I think is still good, but switched out because of a high rpm miss.

 

The Opti bearing would be the part I would be concerned about on a unit with 157K miles on it. They are not very well made in that respect, and as the bearing wears, it will cause the spark to become erratic.... but gradually so you might not even notice it until its well on its way to destruction.

 

Use it again....hell mine had 267,000 on it when the engine blew up. I plan on using it again, but I do admit that I am scared to open it up and look inside. It'll probably fall apart in my hands!

 

With the rotor screws upgraded and some red thread-locker, I believe the MSD is still the best Opti option!

I would not reinstall the old high-mileage Opti, it could go at any moment and cause you some additional work and expense.

WD

 

Get an OEM optispark.

There is no advantage to a dynaspark, or an MSD distributor. The best way to go is to get a brand new OEM distributor that will last you another 157k.

I called jason cromer yesterday and hes got the opti for 240 + 30 core. Never talked to Dal so I don't know what he charges.