I've been having some starting/stalling problems with the Z after taking it out of Winter storage last week. After scanning, the PCM shows a DTC Code 36 (High Resolution Pulse) is set. Haven't had the car scanned in a long while and don't really know if the 36 code is recent or old??? Will an LT1 even run with a set code 36???

This problem began right after buying fresh gas, (after Winter storage), and I'm sorta suspecting fuel pump/fuel quality issues. I'll begin checking out the fuel issues, and I did "clear" the code 36, (and recently the car has been starting and running okay), but the question still remains.......could setting DTC code 36 stop the engine from running and/or starting???

Edit: Actually, I asked that wrong.......what I really want to know is if the LT1 can start and run okay with a hard set DTC 36 code??? TIA for all replies!

 

36 Hi res is a opti failure, I am currently throwing the same code. It will run, but once it warms up it will start to miss and might stall while sitting at a stop light. Once it throws the code it will run off low res.

This is the thread I created acouple weeks ago SES Light/ Bad Miss and also look at this thread describes the same thing Acceo Opti Failure

 

94_PatriotRed_Z, Thanks! for the "heads up".....those threads made for some very interesting reading.

 

Okay, it's now been two(2) months since I first made this post, and here's where I'm at.

After sitting overnight the car will start right up in the morning and run perfectly for about three(3) to five(5) minutes.........until it stalls. After stalling it will not restart, and pulling the coil wire from the Opti end yields absolutely NO spark when grounded. The "funny" part of all of this is that the car is currently showing NO DTC codes at all, despite the earlier DTC code 36 reported two(2) months ago???

This doesn't sound like the "classic" Opti failure, but what do you guys think? Since I have no current set codes.....is the Opti the first part I should throw at this problem? Can an Opti failure behave this way? Just so you know my Opti now has approximately 77,000 miles on it, and, of course, prior to two(2) months ago the car ran just fine!

Let me know what you guys think?

Thanks!

 

Replace your opti. Sounds exactly like the problem I had.

http://web.camaross.com/forums/showthread.php?t=520249

All my symptoms right there.

 

Sounds like a very similar problem i had with my BRAND NEW MSD opti, the car would run for 15 to 20 mins or less according to the weather or how i ran it and it would die and not start until it cooled back down. I sent the opti back to MSD and they replaced the sensor within the opti. Very similar problem to yours!

 

it is certainly your opti.

 

It may also be a fault due to corrosion on the opti harness connectors.

 

Today's update.

I removed the Opti from the car and opened it up on my kitchen table to visually examine it. The optical portion of the Opti (behind that thin round metal shield under the rotor) was packed with about 2-3 tablespoons of what I can only describe as "rust dust"??? It appears that GM in their infinite wisdom forgot to stamp that thin metal shield out of stainless steel, (like the slotted rotor wheel is made of), and that shield rusted soooooooooo badly.......that it partially filled the optical portion of the Opti with all that "rust dust".

I can easily envision a scenario where, after prolonged sitting, all the "rust dust" settles to the bottom of the Opti, and the engine will run for a few minutes until all that crap gets "stirred up" and then prevents the optical sensor from seeing anything.

Now that I've done all this work to remove the Opti, I'm not taking any more chances with the entire optical portion...........I'm off to Murray's for a rebuilt unit with a new sensor and lifetime warranty that they have for $122 plus tax. The rotor and cap look just fine, and besides, the rotor and cap will not make the engine just quit like that. Remember this motor runs GREAT..........when it runs!

I'll keep you posted if this solves the problem, when I get this all back together sometime over the weekend?

Thanks for all the replies!

 

I'm not sure that you can say that getting a remanufactured unit qualifies as "... not taking any more chances ".

 

Well, I've waited a couple of extra days to post this just so I can be absolutely sure I've fixed this problem. The "re-built" Opti went on last Saturday, and.........the car has been running flawlessly now for three(3) whole days! It truly does look like the optical part of the Opti was the culprit.

Injuneer, I know buying a "re-built" Opti may not be the most "elegant" solution to this problem, but, at $122 + Tax, it certainly must be in the running for the most "cost effective" one. Believe me, I examined that "re-built" Opti thoroughly and the only recycled parts in it are the cast aluminum base housing, and the cam mounting/rotor shaft. The optical sensor was brand new, as was the thin stamped shield, and the shaft bearing. I know some people will insist that you "get what you pay for" but so far it is working GREAT..................and it does come with that LIFETIME warranty.

Thanks (again) to all who replied!