Pulled an all nighter replacing Optispark. It was at 85,000 and I felt a loss of power so I gave it a try and replaced it.
Results.........
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WOW it is like a whole new beast now and I can feel it running much stronger; exhaust tone fuller, pulls harder and doesnt let off in the higher rpm's, and I have to give it less gas for it to move now. I think this has given me the equalent to my gears, computer and converter combined. I guess that stuff doesn't help that much with an old misfiring optispark.

I am going to replace the coil as soon as Jason Cromer send me the right coil this time.
I reccomend to everyone in the higher mileage to replace theirs. Took me all night long 10 hour approximatly and this is the first major project I have tackled on my car, I installed LCA's and Changed Brake Pads. I had problems getting the opti to fit on the dowel(Had to use the screws to pop it on) and problems getting the crank pulley off with it rotating, finally figured out how to do them.

Everybody with high mileage I reccomend replacing your OPTI's.

 

Wow, thats amazing! I have 985XX on my T/A and I want to replace my opti. I also have the typical slight miss under 2k rpms. I also wanted to do it myself, it being my 1st big project. (breaks/oil are basics) What tools did you use??

That's awesome results for just changing your opti.

 

Doh! You're never supposed to use the bolts to pull the Optispark on!

Glad it worked out though.

Greg

 

Yeah I read that I am NEVER suppsed to do that but I had spend 2 hours trying to get it to go on and it wouldn't. Something needed to be nudged in just a little.

Oh, and I was 100% positive it was lined up correctly, the hole on the opti shaft points to where the dowel should be.

This guide helped me and is all you need for instructions.
http://www.streetillusionsracing.com.../opti/opti.htm

 

You said you replaced it because you were experiencing a loss of power, but were you also having any other troubles as well? Did you have a low or high rpm miss-fire, or have the SES light come on at all? I ask because I'm having those above probs, and was thinking about changing out the opti whenever I do a full tune-up sometime this month. I'm planning on doing plugs/wires, opti, and coil all at once since I'm sure it needs it anyway. Mine's got about the same mileage as yours, so it makes you wonder how much power it's lost since it was new.

Excellent site for a step-by-step, it found a new home in my Favorites folder.

 

Yep in my favorites too.

Well my car just didn't feel to have to same power as it did when I bougt it at 60,000 miles. The loss of power was very gradual and not really an all at once kind of thing. I started getting a misfire coming up a couple weeks ago, the misfire would come and go and was bearly noticable to others but myself. I am a really picky person that notices everything. My car would also take a bit longer to crank up than usuall.

You DEFINATLY need to change your plugs and wires and if you have the money I would DEFEINATLY change your opti and coil as well.

I cannot every begin to expalin how much better it runs though now.

1.)No misfires
2.)smoother Idle
3.)smoother throughout the RPM's
4.)Starts up on 1st crank
5.)Regained Lost HP

 

I have a miss-fire every now and then as well, and had attributed it to a few different things, (ignition components being part of it). One thing that always seems to be a common factor with opti probs, is the time it takes to crank the engine. That's why I had always dismissed my opti being bad, since mine starts in a little under one second. I really wish I had a scanner, because I'm getting a SES light every now and then, usually right when it's miss-firing.

On a side note, an old man that I know with a 1989 S-10 Blazer with the 4.3L was having the exact same problems as me. I jumped the pins on his diagnostic port, and it flashed a code "22", which is the throttle position sensor. Now I'm wondering if that couldn't be the cause all my probs

 

I am curious why people replace the entire opti if only the cap and rotor goes bad.Seems that would be cheaper and not much harder if any.

I still figure will buy that delteq system if my opti goes and maybe it already has...car seem to somtimes pull really strong and other times just sort of sits there and feels gutless.I am wondering if a guy can find those coils the delteq system uses cheap from somewhere like gm parts direct .I should email them and ask them what the coils are.Its only 350 for the basic kit without coils.It don't replace the optical part but they say that part rarely goes out.And they are coming out with replacement for that to.They also say their system doesnt even involve removal of the existing opti.just plug and play and mount the coils and run the wires..sounds great to me..the opti is an idea right from satan himself..

 

I like my DELTEQ

 

What kit do you need to buy for the delteq?

I'd need new wires cause my MSD's wont work right? The $387 dollar one? Cause my opti is shot.

-Dustin-

 

Sup man how you doing? I haven't seen you over on the other board in awhile......

How much was the Delteq all said and done?

 

I bought the $670.00 kit ( don't know how muchfor shipping and all B/c I haven't got the bill yet ) I love it, the car Idles better than it ever has ( I had an opti from Cromer that has only about 700 miles on it) runs smoother, and i believe I have a slight increase in gas mileage(still pending on that).

Hey matt, I haven't been on there in a while, I will post something on there sometime soon. I have been modifying with just about every penny I can get. Remeber when I had them LT4 heads, Well to make a long story short I got screwed over on that deal, So no LT4 heads and 230/236 cam kit

Since then I have added alot of suspension, and Done The LS1 Front Clip ( My car looks like a Carl black Blackbird with 17X11 TT in the back on Nitto 555r .) My next mod I want to do (this summer hopefully) is AFR LT4 heads and a camshaft to match.
Then I am going to refresh my shortblock with a Forged 355 and spray the crap out of it .

Man I hope everything is going ok, BTW is Tripintaz still over there, I am 19 now and when I was about 17 he used to give me a pretty hard time, lol, tell him I said hey.

Later I am going to bed

 

Nice, got any new pics? I told Taz you said hey

TTYL
Matt

 

QUICK QUESTION....
HOW dod you get the crank pulley off without it rotating......I tried to take the crank pulley off once....but it kept rotating everytime I tried to loosen a bolt. How did you take them off without it rotating????

Im curious....sorry but ive never figured it out. And before I change the opti i wanna know how everything comes off so i wont be there forever..hehehehehe when i did the water pump I was gonna change t he opti too even though it wasnt bad ...but the freaking pulley kept moving! and can I move the crank wehn the car is not running.....will it cause a problem if i put everything back on and the pulley is in another position.....i ask this because I know the pylley has to line up a certain way for the opti to come off.

Thanks in advance.

 

I had the same problem removing the pulley. I had to use an air ratchet. Also once you get the bolts out, use some kinda prier to get the thing off, cause mine was rusted on really solid.

-Dustin-