I got my opti spark tested on my 1994 LT1 Camaro and the mechanic said no signal coming from the sensor. Can you just replace the bottom portion of the opti instead of the cap and rotor? Also how would you know if you cap and rotor is still good? I'm from Canada so the cap and rotor only is $500 and I can get the bottom portion for $250 so I don't really want to spend $750 for the whole unit if I don't need too.

 

I would change them both if I were you. Shop around and see if you can't get a better price on one. You could even call Dal or Jason, they'll get you a good price on a new one. You can do a search on here to get their numbers. I don't know if your mechanic will let you bring him the parts or not though, or you may be planning on changing it yourself. The cap and rotor wear out over time, almost like a spark plug or plug wire, and they are basic tune-up items. Oh, and I'm not sure what those figures you gave would be in US dollars, maybe they're not so bad, who knows.

While you're in there you might want to think about doing a vented (95-and newer) opti conversion. It will cost a little more to do the conversion than it would for your non-vented style alone, but the opti will last a lot longer, and vented optis are also much cheaper than the non-vented style. The only downside is the parts required to convert it. I cannot tell you what all they are, but you could probably do a search on here and find that out as well.

Basically do a vented opti conversion if you have the funds to do so. You really need to change your cap and rotor as well probably, depending on how old they are, but you can probably get by without it. When they go out though it'll be a major pain to tear the car all the way back apart to get to them. If it were me I'd change them both at once for the peace of mind if nothing else.

Hope this helps a little. --J.Bird

Oh, sorry I'm so long winded tonight.

 

I know you're talking Canadian $'s (is the exchange currently around C$ 1.00 - US$ 0.82?), but I can't believe they want $500 Canadian (US)$410 for a cap/rotor. Most parts stores in the US are US$125 for the C/R, and even the new MSD replacement C/R (if they ever actual make them) is only in the US$150 range.

You will be much better off getting one from Jason or Dal for US$300 and paying the import duty. That way you will have a complete new, genuine GM replacement.