can a leaky front main cause opti sparks to fail? i will be putting my 6th one in this week (2nd MSD).. and that small oozing leak is the only thing that has remained the same through all of them. vacuum lines have been put in correctly, fresh air hose, and i am very careful not to get it wet at all.. they go like clockwork.. about every 10-15k miles. thanks for any help, chris

 

Yeah, possible if every single opti isn't liquid-tight. ???

You running a big coil or something that could be killing the optical sensor in them over time???

Seems like there should be some constant that continues to kill these optis. They go out, but every 15k miles is unacceptable.

-Ivan

 

the coil is just an oe setup msd blaster shouldnt be too much for it i wouldnt think... the stock opti went at 70k. went through 2 more stock ones and this will be my 2nd msd. i got the car at 60k and front seal was leaking, but not even enough to see a difference on the dipstick. somethings going on im just wondering if piping hot oil couldnt be the culprit

 

What other components comprise "full MSD"? What is the "St Fire CDI box"?

How do they fail? Does it set the codes for the optical sensor (DTC 16 and 36)? Do the rotors fall off or disintegrate? Does the cap show signs of burnt terminals or carbon tracking? Is there evidence of significant oil when you open up the case? Is it simply a lot of misfiring, without internal evidence of damage? Have you tried running without the CDI box?

The more detailed info you can provide, the better chance you have of getting a good answer.

 

Your CDI box sticks out as a possible culprit, but like injuneer said diagnosing will be impossible without a lot more information.

 

I thought the way to go was the GM Performance Opti or a stock replacment??

Ive heard nothing but fail from the MSD or Accell Opti.

 

Some people have managed to get the MSD to work reliably. Definitely better then the Accel (avoid at all costs). MSD keeps ironing the bugs out, as people find new problems. The current problem seems to be the rotor screws falling out. You have to Loc-Tite them before you install the unit. Still questonable whether the MSD is worth the extra $$$$$$$$.

 

For all of the money you spent on opti's you could have switched over to a LS1 type setup and had some change left over.

 

Moderator's Note:

RZRACE's post and reply moved to its own thread.

 

ok sorry everyone for the veg description, i was in a hurry last nite.. heres whats happening.. the only visual damage on any of these optis were burnt terminals and shaft play on the oem jobs. my first msd was covered under the 1 year deal. they said it was the sensor that went bad, no visual damage. I put the box on when i put the next msd on. ive had it on there since last july. about 2 weeks ago the car started running bad (sputtering, throttle popping, etc) at maybe 10% throttle. if i gave it more or let off it was fine. runs particularly bad in rain. however tonight actually i noticed some problems under full throttle. once it wouldnt rev past 3500 or so, so i let off. a minute later i got into it again. when it got to about 5500 i noticed a little hesitation. almost felt like the wires were arcing. im at a loss here, yes the ignition box sounds like the problem, but ive had it on there for one opti, it has to be something else and i havent taken this one off yet so im unsure of the exact damage.

 

anyway, back to my original question, can the front crank seal leaking have anything to do with this? anyone ever heard of it? thanks, chris

 

I seem to have the same problem as you right now. The front main on my '94 9C1 Caprice has a slight leak and I never had a problem with the Opti until the bottom vacuum line came off. Now there is a constant miss and I have changed the plugs and wires with no improvement. So I would say yes, a front main leak can cause an Opti failure if any of the oil gets past the seals or inside the Opti somehow. Good luck and get that pan gasket changed. (That's what I'm gettin ready to do.)

 

How much does it cost to do that? Where can you find it at?

 

I don't think so myself.....the cam seal....maybe...but even then....

Are you sure you are installing them correct? There are two o-rings on the back shaft of the opti(on the '96's). The second o-ring can be a pain to seat in the cam. I had to use oil and wobble it into the cam. If you don't do this correctly, it will put continuous pressure on the rotor which may cause it to fail early. I went for 70K+ miles on one opti....been on the car since it got it back in '99. I only replaced it(along with water pump, cover seals, etc), because I was doing a cam swap.

btw, I use only a GM opti.

 

Could be talking about this....

http://www.eficonnection.com/eficonnection/default.aspx

http://www.eficonnection.com/coilper...T1_MikeS01.mov