I did not replace an Opti that was working fine. I have gone through 4 Optis in this car and have learned a little about them along the way. The OEM unit I pulled out is occasionally throwing a missing Hi Res signal which has been one of the early signs of a failure based on the other 3 I replaced. Give me some credit. The old one works good enough to put back in and verify that this new problem is in fact the MSD Opti.

I'll give you this much, the symptoms are exacly as you describe and do sound like the timing is way off.

I did mark the position of the OEM rotor and it was positioned correctly when the MSD was installed. The keyway was lined up and went on easy. The rotor was also lined up in the same position as the old one confirming the correct position.

When I remove the MSD, I intend to secure the position of the rotor so I can reverify it was in the right place yet again.

I am pulling it out Tuesday night (it is supposed to be 110 degrees) so it should be really fun

Since I last changed the timing chain and gears about 200K miles ago, I am going to change those and find exact TDC so I can make an accurate timing indicator when I reinstall.

I will update this post with what I find after the removal.

Jeff

 

I changed the opti on my '94 twice and I don't remember having any "alighnment" problems. I realize the '95-up is different, but i hope its not rocket science when I go to do it!

P.S. I'm sure you didn't screw it up Jeff, so waiting on to see what you have to say. I like the idea of MSD, but its pretty new....and we all know how new things go.

Anyone else with problems or good stories?

 

i had absolutely no problems with my MSD opti... it installed fine and runs fine and strong... from my experiance it was a very well built unit... i dissasymbled it and took pics... the bearing design is alot sturdier than the OEM unit... but there were some things i didnt like as well.....

 

Like what?

So far, if there are no problems with the opti itself, I don't know if I like the timing adjuster. Seems to cause more greif then good.

 

one thing was the cap screws... they use phillips head screws... so i changed them out for the same size but flat heads... the phillips head strip real easy.... and i had started to mess some up.. and didnt want any problems if i did have to take it back off...and the oring wouldnt allow the top of the cap to seal completely.... i could get my fingernail in it... but i sealed the cap anyways so it was not a worry... i have around 4K miles on mine so far with o problems... i havent messed with the adjustment screw... there is no need to....

 

Mine went on great. I kept the phillips heads in there since I didn't have any problem with them. I also didn't notice any fitment issues with the o-ring, and I sealed it up with some copper RTV as well. I hope the aluminum back doesn't cause it to overheat and destroy it too soon, as that's my only concern. Mine was only 1 turn out when I took it out the box, so I just reset it to two turns out and haven't messed with it since. Runs very strong with no problems whatsoever. I'm very glad I made this investment, for now.

 

Interesting. Mine was 2 3/8 turns out. I wonder if MSD takes the time to individually tune each one or if they are not really setting them to OEM specs at all.

Jeff

 

yea, i sealed mine as well.. but the thickness of the alum housing i hope will keep that from happening and maybe run cooler... lets hope so anyways.... but it is pretty thick so i dont think it will be an issue.... and now that mine is vented now at least there is air flowing through it...

 

Speedy,

1) I did not hijack this post. I responded with my "first impressions" as was requested. Beyond that, I only responded to questions asked.
2) With respect to the issue I am having now, the car did run fine. The intermittent missing hi-res signal is unrelated to the problem I am having since the MSD was installed.
3) Even though your unprovoked comment "Talk about wasting time, how about changing an opti that was running fine. " was intended to insult me, I was not insulted and will respond to your attack with a courteous answer and possibly enlighten you as to why someone might change an Opti that has not completely failed. Here are 10 reasons:

1) I have had 3 OEM units fail with less than 100K miles and wanted try something new before the latest one failed.
2) The latest OEM unit is starting to exhibit missing hi-res codes.
3) The MSD has not been available until now and I have been planning to put one in as soon as available and before the OEM unit leaves my wife broken down on the road again.
4) A little thing called preventive maintenance.
5) The possibility that the MSD will last much longer than the OEM unit.
6) I would rather replace it now at my convenience than in the dead of winter when the old unit decides to fail.
7) If the OEM unit was not throwing codes, maybe I could sell it used.
8) I have more money than I know what to do with .
9) I like red OptiSparks.
10) Just so I can hijack posts and pontificate about my MSD experience .

I apologize to anyone who's time I have just wasted and I will unsubscribe from this post so as not to conitnue this. I apologize to anyone who was sincerely interested in my MSD experience.

Thanks,

Jeff

NOTE FROM MODERATOR - offensive post and insults removed from above quote by Moderator - SweetZ..... you really don't need to defend yourself... everyone else seems to have understood why you posted and what you meant. Not sure why you merited this attack. We appreciated your input - Fred/Moderator

 

Yes this is my post and I want your final verdict!

 

Well it looks like I'm going to have to take it back apart and make sure the MSD opti is indexed correctly.

Most of the time the motor turns but won't start, sometimes it backfires a little through the TB and overruns, sputters, dies like the timing is off.
Then sometimes it will fire right up and run great except for a slight stumble if I give it too much gas from a dead stop.

I can't find any bad wires, loose connections or vaccuum leaks or anything else that might be causing the problem. I might try playing with that timing adjustment but I don't think it's going to make a difference.

I am wondering though, if it is indexed incorrectly will the splines be stripped? I guess I really won't know until I take it apart.

 

I wonder if it has so much adjustment that on one end it won't run and on the other end it won't start? I doubt it. It only moves a few degrees, doesn't it?

 

The MSD website says +/-5 degrees but the instructions that come with it say +/-7 degrees. I'm going to try to give them a call tomorrow while I'm at work and see what the deal is.

I wish they just made it without the adjustment because people have been saying the screw isn't in the position MSD claims to have set it at. I guess I should have checked mine.

I don't know if that's enough to cause my problem but I am going to play with it as soon as I get a chance tomorrow.

 

I didn't check how many turns CW the screw was because MSD said that it was set at factory. When I noticed that I had no low end power I took the screw as far back as I could and the car ran good, so I just screwed it back in about 2 turns. My car still ran great with the screw completly out. Im not sure if its suppose to run like that but whatever it runs.

 

I am missing a little low end power as well, but I don't wanna crank up the timing without having a laptop on it to check KR.

EDIT: Regarding the timing adjustment discrepencies, this is what I recieved in an email:

The proper timing adjustment is Counter-Clockwise for advance and Clockwise for retard. The distributor is advertised at 5 deg. but will go to 7 deg.

Thank you,
MSD tech