Hey heres a real quick rundown.
My friend and I installed my opti on my 94 Z28 and now car is running INSANELY rich, stalling, backfiring,trouble starting, and has spark knock. I think we installed the opti wrong.

So my question is how do we install it right? Is all we have to do is align the dowell on the opti with the one in the cam? Do we have to put the car to Top Dead Center or mess with the crank pulley/crankshaft or anything like that? any help would be much appreciated.

 

If its lined up to the opti mark it should be fine. Although it is possible to install it wrong, ie you line it up, but possibly bump the dowel such that its no longer lined up.
I would check your wires first. Ensure each wire is going to the correct location on the Opti, to switched wires, or a wire not properly hooked up to the opti will cause a rich condition (since sparks not gettng to the right cylinder).

Carefully doublecheck your wires, and if its 100% for sure setup right, get right back down there and line that dowel up again

 

Assuming your plug wires are alll on correctly there are two possibilities:

1) More than likely you put the opti on without having the shaft lined up right. There is a keyed section on the shafter that drives the opti, make ABSOLUT sure it's right.
2) You got a bad opti - this is pretty unlikely though, so see #1

 

this is what to look for when lining up your opti on your 94 opti. If you have done this correctly, then it is installed correct. I would plug wires, check everything is plugged back in.


http://shbox.com/1/93-94_opti.jpg

 

Where did you get your new opti? I got the one from auto zone that come with some sort of plate that wasnt in the original. I left out the plate because I figured if everything was the exact same as original, it should be fine. WRONG. I started it and it ran fine at idle. But when i would give it throttle it would ping like a SOB. Well now I have holes in pistons and fried rings. Good luck. Currently looking for forged bottom end.