My optispark recently died with no warning and no water leaks. My first thought riding home in the tow truck was dead fuel pump. Nope, fuel pump tested good. Checked spark out of coil, also tested good. Checked for spark at 2 of the 8 cylinders, no spark.
I completed my conversion 10 years ago (1993 Corvette LT1 in a 1977 XJ6) and have never touched the opti.
I am going to try replacing the optical sensor in the opti first.
Patrick
Patrick:
Gee, sorry about your issue! Knock on handy wood, mine fired right up. almost instant fire.
I do have some questions:
I took a peek at mine. Well, almost. Access aināt easy, Major understatement!!
Good luckā¦
Cal
Oh, me. I replaced mine with the engine in the car, but before I installed the radiator and bonnet. Even then, a formidable task. Included removal of the water pump. Careful there, the drive off the cam is brittle, donāt askā¦
I was lucky, one of my āpullersā fit the dampener and it came off smoothly. Odd no woodruff tyoe key??
My Opti has a āpinā drive. A bit quizical on my part as to the fit to the cam nose. I got it right as it ran!!!
Odd that the coil would fire sans a āmake and breakā. of the 12v !!! Only a working Opti and an engine. crank seems to be the only way to fire a plug.
Son and I diagnosed āsparkā as the issue by taking off a plug wire and putting it on my ātest plugā. I have one in my ātune boxā.
Merely clamped on a wire with an alligator on itās end.
First crank. No spark!!! Swapped in spare coil and module and cleaned the corroded coil wire. Test again, engine fired on 7!!!
Quandry??? Bad coil wire and/or coil/module !!
Solution. New coil wire and leave the swapped in coil/module in place. label the original. toss the old coil wire.
So far, it fires perfectly.
My guess would be that your OPTI served for just over 100K.
Were I you, and I am clearly not, Iād look hard for a NOS OPTI. Just too much work to swap in a āfixedā one. And hope it lasts a long time.
Just thought. It can be tested in situ, before all the other stuff is replaced, WP, damper, belt, bonnet, radiator, etc!!!
An odd thought. A VIzio You Tube piece depicted an LT1 sans OPTI. Older tech HEI distributor providing the fire. The installment in a battered early Corvette. Up for auction in a ājunk yardā.
Keep the few of us that still read here postedā¦
Good luckā¦
Carl
STATUS OF MY LUMP!
Neat light out warning came on. Which one not shown!!!
Son was by. surprised that the key had to be on to energize the brake light ! fired it up, applied th4e brakes.
Left out!! Checked tail and turn. OK. My back up lights are disabled. In to the console for the switch on the shift tower. Perhaps.
Drove on errands. fueled up. Purred like a good cat shouldā¦ Hissy fixed !!! New coil wireā¦
Carlā¦
Ugh, old āhissyā returns !!! Fired immediately yesterday AM. Went to market. Ran greatā¦
Came out. Turned key, āclunkā! No crank. Used my 'emergencyā crank wire. In the engine bay. A wire from the solenoid. Touch to battery +. Circumvents relay and switch. Same clunk.
Came home on the flat bed. Cell issues making contact with my road service provider. Overcame those. Noisy market, loud music not a help.
Son dropped over. He was āboredā!!! Took opportunity to exercise his āblack beautyā.
A mostly 'stock" 64 Chrysler āKā carā¦
We, mostly he, messed with the car. Jumpers, battery charger, starter thump, etc.
Battery was a bit low at 70 % per Schumacher āsmartā charger. Ands confirmed as volts with my VOM. Got battery up to 100% per Smart charger. Volts? 12+ or 13 ? No change. Clunk and no crank.
Son: Still could be battery. To come by with āload testerā.
Me" perhaps the battery is ā?ā. But, the starter is ācookedā again. Been there, did that. Heat or back feed? I thought I solved the back feed. But, it may be back!!!
Carl
Fixed. Another starter in place. Original is fine .
Fault far more basic. Multi talented so and I missed it til the last.
Checked again a bit ago. Back in the garage and fired immediately !
Any guesses as to the fault and the fix ???
Side bar: postponed til one gets it !!
Carl
Power to the solenoid, but not to the starter? Or battery cable loose. Not enough amps.
David
Tight, but detiorated contact. Cleaned and tightened. Enough to āclunkā the solenoid but not kick it in and crank!
Son critical of the ground path. Battery ground to the engine is fat better and is that way in USA critters. I just might seek a ground point using the present cable. There might be an unused tapped hole in the back of the head? But, that would be periously close to the + post on the fire wall
Explore.
find another connection point on the engine.
Leave it be.
At present # 3 leads !!
Reminded me big time. BASICS!!!
Carl
Car fires immediately. On hold per wrapping the down pipe. Son says heat killing starters .
Side bar: I have a spare Malysian built !!!
Carl
Devise a heat shield for starter. Replace solenoid.
Phillip
Thanks.
It was not the starter, although it might have been āon the way outā. I am embarrassed to say, it was the ground at the wing wall.
Starter replaced with the same brand Maaysian made PM GR ālittleā starter. But, this one at half the price although a rebuild. Cranks greatā¦ Fires right up.
Shield, aye. Plan a "header wrapā stuff on the down pipe.
Fixed? Not quite sure. Failed to fire on three cranks. Very unusual, a newer hissy? Monkeyed in the area of the coil module. All in place and snug. Tried it again. immediate fire??/
Carl
Another hiccup, yesterday. Iād not attended to it for a few days. Light duty. new lens in my left eye. Much better, but still flawed by macular damage.
No instant fire, healthy crank . Then it āhiccupedā A bit of smoke from the partly open bonnet. Cranked again, a couple of times. fired up and sounded great at fast cold idle of 1000. Warmed and settled down to its proper 500 warm idle. OP great. As got warm, the E fans kicked in.
Nice V8 purr quite pleasingā¦
Not to drive yet. At least for a few more days til my :light duty" period expiresā¦
Carl
Cranked again today. Twice. Each time no issue. Immediate fire. Purred happilyā¦
So far so good.
Carl
Then a not so good. Came home on a flat bed. A no crank, no start issue, Two weeks ago or so.
Partly fixed yesterday by son, his wayā¦ Added a ground cable from the one on the wing wall to the alternator mounting bolt. Fired immediately and purredā¦
Next. In the Garage awaiting a preventative measure.
Wrap the down pipe with insulation. Header wrap. Protect the starter from heat. + and -. The steel decarbonizes with contained heat and failsā¦
Carl
GM and Jaguar got along OK. And Jaguar sure did OK with Ford.
Son came over yesterday. treats for Billy.
Installed the header wrap on the passenger side down pipe. also gave the cat a bath. Friendly single lady next door helped?? Attracted to him, not me is my surmisalā¦
Carl
Donāt sell yourself short Carl. Maybe she is a reverse Cougar!
Thanks .
No, It is son that attracts her. No doubt about it!!!
Carl
The added ground seems to have cured it of āhissy fitsā.
Cranks right up and purrs. Even itās past AM richness seems to have abated!!
Ugh Smog check coming up!!!
Carl