Got about 2 mile from my house today and my car started backfiring horribly, every time i tapped the gas. Wasnt even drivable, its was extremely rapid and shook the whole car violently. I didnt try to accelerate because i didnt want to hurt anything further so I let it crusied back home. As long as I dont hit the gas it idles fine, but once I hiot the gas its like someone shooting a fully auto M-4. At first i thought my rear went, any clue what it could be? Could a bad opti cause this? Here's some info on my car

95 z28. All bolt on mods, no internals touched

mac headers to slp exhaust, no cat

small timing cover leak.

Water pump went about 8k miles ago and was replaced
but the opti hasnt been replaced since i bought the car with about 20k miles ago

 

Sounds like the same problem I was having when mine went.

There are O rings, on the rotor that could be causing your oil leak as well. Read the post about diagnosing an opti. It isn't that hard to do, just make sure you have the right tools. You need torx socket, a 4 I believe, but you need this in a deep well socket.

I spent more time locating the socket than changing out the opti. I visited a local mechanic I know, and he found one for me to borrow for 15 minutes.

 

ended up being the opti. Mechanic said the gear was destroyed and was suprised my car was even starting. While everything was apart I replaced the timing cover, water pump, plugs and wires as well as the opti. one week in the shop and $1850 later the Z is running like brand new. Hated to put that money out though. I had planned to do a cam swap and RR in about a month. Would have been nice to do it all at once and not have to remove the opti timing cover and water pump again. oh well

 

What "gear" was destroyed? There is no gear in the Opti.

 

well im glad you fixed the issue but was destroyed ? the opti ?

 

Not sure he said gear. He said tthe part that spins wouldnt spin. Said it was all chewed up.

 

The "part that spins" (aka "rotor" along with the optical aperture wheel) is driven by the dowel pin on your camshaft (95-97 vented Opti). That would indicate you either sheered the dowel pin, or had the rotor fall off.

 

My engine is out of a 94, its an unvented opti, i forgot to mention that