My 1994 camaro just threw a code 36(ignition system problem loss of high resolution pulse signal). Car starts fine when cold but after you drive it and then let it set for about an hour it take about 10 cranks before it starts and there is a strong smell of unburnt fuel. I have never replaced the opti and the car has about 60,000 miles on it. Is the opti a good place to start looking?

 

Yes. I recently had the same code thrown after a H/C swap, and it turned out to be the optical sensor in the Opti. Just swapped the Opti out last night and so far so good

 

Doe's anyone know the best place to get a new opti? I have seen them on ebay and was wondering if anyone has bought one there and what kind of luck they had with them?

 

the partsladi on ebay. I got one 3000+ miles and counting

 

Your hard start problem could be caused by a faulty coolant temp sensor, or dripping injectors. That would explain the rich smell when trying to start it warm.

DTC 36 is a problem with the signal from the Opti optical sensor, but that problem could also be caused by a corroded harness connector or damaged pins in the connector. If you clear DTC 36, how long does it take to reappear?

 

I picked mine up from Summit, a GM unit

 

I did notice that my temp gauge was jumping around some and it seemed to be reading a lot higher temp than normal for a day where the air temp was in the low 70's. Could that be from a bad connection or do temp sensors just go bad? Thanks for the input!!!

 

Also, I did clear the code and I drove it for about a half hour and then stopped and restarted about a hour later. Car had a hard start(10 or so cranks) got the same gas smell and then the code came back after a couple of minutes of driving.

 

The guage and the PCM are fed by different temperature sensors. You need to be concerned with the temp sensor in the water pump housing.

When you try to start it hot, will it start any faster if you hold the accel pedal to the floor, putting the PCM in "clear flood" mode?

 

I haven't tried to start with my foot to the floor yet. Next time I have it out I'll give it a try and get back with results.

 

Today I replaced coolant sensor on water pump. Still getting a bit of a hard start and fairly strong scent of gas when restarting after about an hour or so after running.

 

So I went out to start car again and after about 4-5 cranks I pushed pedal to the floor and it started right up. Also, I have not got any codes since I cleared them. Don't know if pushing pedal helped or if it was just about to start anyway.

 

Try starting it AFTER you put the pedal to the floor. That will tell you if putting it in "clear flood" mode helps. Sound like you may have leaking fuel injectors. Pull the rails up, pressure the fuel system, and look for drips.

 

If my injectors are leaking wouldn't I get a hard start with the same gas smell even when its cold. The reason I ask is I just had the injectors serviced and leak tested last year. The car did sit for about 5 months this winter(convertible). Could that be causing my issues. I did start it every once and a while, but did not drive it. I just started driving it about two weeks ago.

 

If you had leaky injectors that bad, your oil would smell from fuel in it.