sorry i thought that had to do with timing cause it sounds like its off timing when you start it up, would taking off the hoses on the air pump and haivng it shut off from the madz28 tune effect any of this? what should i look for if i redo this whole thing? when i redo it do i have to worry about #1 cylinder in tdc so i wont mess up the timing or anything? what should i look for?
thanks

p.s. how can i tell if the optis bad? i got a new one from gm

 

also, do i open the cap and move the rotor to a certain spot like for the cylinder one and make cylinder one in TDC too? is this what you have to do before you start it up? please help and if it is, how can you tell if the rotor is pointing on cylinder one, does anyone have any pictures?
thanks

 

It's nothing like an old SBC. No need to open the cap. You merely line up the special slot to fit over the dowel pin. It does not matter if the engine is at any particular TDC at all.

Pic from my website:

 

if you do a search on this forum you'll find all the info you need to know to answer all your questions.

 

ok, so as long as i put that in the right slot i should be all set right? is it hard to really mess up like i did? cause im 16 years old and its alot of work for me especially cause i never have enough time, and i need this car done! is there anything i can do to make sure i put it in perfectly without worrying?
thank you

 

Next time around remember you can fire the motor with the waterpump off to check if the opti is installed right... just dont run it more than a few seconds.

 

doesnt the serpentine belt go through it? and dont i need my intake on too?

 

leave the belt off, it will fire, and by intake, you mean the plastic duct? if you do, either push it on, or just crank it, it will start a little harder with it off

 

are you sure this wont mess up anything by doing this? cause i thought it you dont have the belt on itll mess up even more? and how will the harmonic balancer move without a belt? and by intake i mean: elbow, maf, and cai

 

It is ok to run the engine for a short time without a water pump, just to see if it will run. The balancer pulley will turn with the crank. It is what turns the belt-not the other way around. Connect all your wires and sensors and hook up the intake plumbing to eliminate any variables that might not make it start.

 

The harmonic balancer is connected to the crank. It turns the belt....

Sooooo that means that as you turn the engine over, the crank turns, and therefore the crank pulley/balancer does as well.

The Pulley just wont turn anything else since you don't have the belt on.