After getting everything back together, double checking the timing chain, triple checking the plug wires, and checking for all connections my car still wont start. It backfires through the intake as it tries to turn over, but never actually fires. When we originally got everything back together it ran for a while but very rough. Then once we decided the rockers were too tight we went to adjust them to find a broken pushrod. Also today my brother had a timing light just to see if all the plug wires were getting a spark we couldnt get the #3 plug wire to register anything. So my theory is as follows (let me know if it makes any sense): I'm thinking opti got fried by coolant (I know for a fact that a small amount spilled on it). Also do you think that breaking a pushrod would mess up a valve? Any insight you guys may have is greatly appreciated.

Also are there any plugs/vac lines that may cause this that are possibly hard to see?

 

I have seen a lot of coolant related problems with the optispark. Check the basics first tho. But if you over tightened the pushrod it may have tapped a valve. Run a compression and leak down test to confirm.

 

Yeah, we're gonna do that. I just bought a compressions tester. Is there any easier way to do it than removing the headers? Man thats a PITA!

 

anyone else have any ideas? Could a failed opti cause this?

 

opti's mess up all the time but its definitely not the easiest thing to get to either

 

I've had the opti off about 4 times in the last 2 weeks, so I'm not worried about the difficulty. I'm just wondering if its worth my time and money to replace it.

 

maybe u should try and get a working opti from a salvage yard just to see if that gets you running

 

I'd first lean towards checking out if anything got damaged by the rockers being improperly adjusted initially.

 

I had a similar problem as your and it turned out that we had put the opti in 180 degrees out of time. The dowel pin on the end of the cam had slipped into the wrong keyhole on the opti. Removed the opti and lined it up right and it fired right up.

 

the motor im my car is out of a 94, so the opti only has the gear drive that goes into the back of it.

 

my friend built a H/C LT1 and he didnt connect all the vacume lines, and it would start for a sec or two then die.... Are ALL the vacume lines connected?????

 

I always thought it was easier to install a nonvented opti over the vented because you have to index it and sometimes the splines are off a tooth or more... never worked on them but thats what Ive read on here.

 

I think so, the only thing I'm unsure of is on the passenger side of the intake. There are two vac ports one on top of the other. And I dont have anything hooked to the upper one. Is that something with emissions? I dont have any emissions on the car.

 

I didnt install the opti this time around, my brother did it. I asked him if he remembered it sliding on easily and he said yes, but if its possible to get the splines off then maybe its worth another look.

 

That upper port goes to your HVAC controls, hooks to a line coming out of the wiring harness.

This will definatly cause a vacume leak. Plug it up at the manifold or plug the line into it.