I am replacing a bad optispark. Any suggestions on who has best prices. The best I have found is at GMpartsdirect.com $321.41 but I have heard of prices as low as $270.00 . Please help as I am married with children and hot rodding budget is limited.

 

uhm, there's a guy on the board who works at a GM dealership, and he'll get you a much better price. but, by-golly, i cant remember his friggin name!!

hopefully, someone else can give you his name. he works somewhere in florida.

 

The guy you are thinking of is Jason Cromer. You will find him if you search for his name. Also try www.sdpc2000.com. They both sell them for around $280. I have replaced mine twice now. I was in Advanced Auto yesterday and they told me they sell them for $180. That's where I am going next time. Hope this helps.

 

Man I looked at a vented opti from GMpartsdirect.com and it was only 249.99. If the vented one is cheaper, i`d say go with that! It`d be in your best interest to go with the vented opti anyways. You`ll have to change your intake elbo though.

 

If you change to the vented Opti, I think you also need to change the cam and the timing gears because the vented Otpi is driven by a longer pin sticking out of the Cam shaft. There is a complete list of all the part needed to do this on this board but it is a lot more work and a lot more parts. It is supposed to be more reliable though.

 

A vented opti is ~$200 from Jason Cromer.

 

Whatever you do, always buy new Opti's, not refurbished ones! And while you're at it, get a new waterpump as well, if you're paying someone to do the work then the labor will be the same whether you replace the waterpump or not.

 

Whats wrong with buying a referb opti? Im going to be replaceing my opti and water pump here shortly. Whats the disavantage of buying the referbed opti over a brand spanken new one?

 

I don't know for a fact but I would bet that they don't replace the optical pickup in a rebult unit. This is responsible for generating the high and low res signals needed by the computer. THey probably only replace the cap and rotor and maybe bearing (bushing). I wouldn't take the chance.

 

Mitsubishi manufactures the optical mechanism whis is a non-wearing part. A Q-tip and alcohol on an optical unit sensor would make it work like new, it's the other moving components that are questionable. One of the worst designed parts on an OPTI is the bearing housing which the bearing by design is a great bearing one of the best around, but the housing is not that good of a design.

OPTI SPARK SOURCE

$200.00

Call Or Email Us For
Your GM Parts & GM
Performance Parts Needs

Call Toll Free at 1-877-726-8295 or
Email us at gmparts@samtaylor.com

Ask For Jason Cromer
Quality Service, Quality Parts
And Low Shipping Costs

 

jason Cromer!
Good Deals & Rockn Service!

 

Theoretically you are right that the optical pickup is a non wear item how ever it is electronic and subject to thermal deteriation, especially in an abusive engine compartment. If electronic parts never broke down from heat you would never need to repair a television. I have replace my opti twice and personally I wouldn't do that amount of work without replacing the entire unit. I guess it is a trade-off of time versus money. Right now I have more money than time so I don't want to do the job again.

 

Everyone says that the 94 year is really bad with the opti, keeps quiting out. Never had a problem with mine!

 

That's nice.

So, what is your point? All the problems that people experience with opti's are mistaken?!

Your comment reminds me of the occassional story I hear from people in denial that smoking is bad for your health. They generally mention somebody's grandmother that has been smoking since they were 5 yrs old and lived to 95 or something.

I'm not saying the opti is a piece of junk, but it tends to be one of the weaker links in the Lt1/4's design as many of us have experienced. Some lucky individuals such as yourself have much better experience, but yours is the exception and definitely not the norm.

 

I used to say that until my wife heard a sudden horrific backfire at 2:00AM on the turnpike and the engine just quit without warning. It took the dealer a week and $1500 to find the cause. This happened around 100,000 miles. The second time was around 200,000 miles but the engine just ran really bad with a lot of misfiring. This time I was prepared and did it myself for a few hundred. It appears that Chevy took some perfectly servicable parts, the rotor and cap, and sealed them in a new and improved disposable distributor that only last about 100,000.

By the way, the first time it was the bushing that failed and the second time it was the optical pickup.