Hey guys... Update here:

My 94' was starting to misfire and sputter after warming up and did this for months. It would just run horribly when it was warm. Finally, a month ago it left my brother stranded and I had to push the car into a parking lot at 5 in the morning with our van. Came back 4 hours later and it started right back up and we drove it home. Question: how do I know this is the opti and not the ignition control module?

Question number 2: I have the whole front end of the car off and I have run into a brick wall. I need the seal that goes in between the distributor and the spacer and the seal that goes between the spacer and the distibutor cap. I went to 3 different dealers today and no one has these little seals. If I don't get these parts, I can't get this car back together. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Thanks!

 

What are your Revs/RPMS when it sputters ?

 

When the problem starts, it only sputters if you try to get on it, but give it 15 more minutes and it doesn't have enough power to get out of it's own way and it will eventually die.

So basically, all rpms.

 

my first thought was maybee bad coil or even injectors, the key here is that build up of time, that 15 min from bad to terrible. Thats probly the key in finding the probelm here

 

Well I forgot to add that the car no longer starts. Does the time table indicate it's not the opti?

 

I could be totaly wrong but from my knowledge the opti controls spark fire. I dont understand why the engine would slowsy get worse and worse as it ran and then not start at all. Unless for some reason as your engine warms up the spark retards more and more, but i dont know why that would happen. I think you should hook a diagnoser up to your OBDII port and see if ur PCM is throwing any codes at you.

 

94' OBD I ...

Anyone? This is getting really frustrating.

 

Hope this helps, Just put new opti on mine and did not change the seal between the opti and timing cover and it ran just like yours and it turned out I had oil soaked the opti and yes mine left me stranded. Fixed that and cleaned the opti and good as new.

 

If you mean the gaskets in the opti,[I think you do] forget it.. they aren't available...
Timing cover seals, and the driveshaft 'Orings' are...

 

mothef*ck! Why do people sell the cap/ rotor and opti seperate if they don't give you gaskets? And GM wants $700 f*cking dollars for the whole assembly when I need a 30 cent gasket? No wonder this Sh*tbox isn't made any more. I'm going to go run this car into a wall. This type of sh*t makes Ford look good.

Sorry, just a little venting.

Can I use some type of RTV in between the cap and opti?

I have the engine block seal. For the whopping $1.79 it costs I can't see why anyone wouldn't replace it with the opti off.

 

$700 for what??? you can get a new opti for about $200-$300 depending on which one you need. as far as the opti driveshaft seal. if you have the opti off, you can replace the seal on the timing cover. be sure to put some high temp grease on the shaft when you put it back together to keep the seal from getting hot on startup. i don't know much about the opti rebuild kits. i do think that the opti is your problem though.

 

I can't imagine that a new cap would not have a seal on it. I have not heard anyone else complain about that. If there is no seal on it, they might as well not even sell the part. You can get a complete non-vented opti for ~$270 wholesale.
You just happen to be running into on of the most sore spots on the LT1. If your opti is bad, you just replace the whole thing and be done with it. Don't waste your time trying to rebuild it or replace individual parts. In the end it is not so bad.

 

To clarify, I meant the gaskets for the opti aren't available seperately..
His post asked for them seperately..
One would HOPE that a $125 Cap and rotor WOULD have at least the cap gasket yes...[not the 'other ' one though]
I have taken them apart, carefully saving the gaskets, and a little bit of RTV works fine[especially around the plug area]
Buying a 'cap and rotor kit' for $125 or so, to me, is poor economy, when it's 190 for a new GM opti [95-7.. 93-4 is about 270..]
Also, the early opti's [93-4] in my experience have bad/weak bearings in them, so it's better to replace the whole thing really..
[With a GM one though, not a 'rebuilt' one, as most of those don't COME with cap and rotor either..]