might be gettin a z28 soon with a lt1 but it has a bad optispark? what is this and how hard is it to replace?

-Tim

 

http://www.carcraft.com/howto/ccrp_0.../photo_11.html

^^This is an optispark and they are very expensive. Its the LTx's spark distributor and its located on the front of the motor behind the balancer and water pump. Have fun

 

thanks, looks like I can get one from summit for $250 v the $375 from gmp and its more other places

 

its really not that hard.. u can get to it with out removing the rad if ur good.. but removing that will make it easyier.. check out ltxtech.com lotta good help there

 

I have never had to replace mine it's a GM one, and from what I've read thats the best way to go.

 

the earlier versions weren't vented and were more prone to failure than the later revisions. depending on what you're doing, you may want to look into upgrading to later style

 

Some on LTXTECH.com would recommend the Chandler motorsports optispark for about 100 or less off eBay. CMS is trying to get off of eBay and last I heard they are working on a website.

Other recommendations are the Dynaspark, which is supposedly the best optispark and most expensive at $600. Also the GM unit, or the GM unit with a MSD cap/rotor.

I would look into if its actually the optispark though. Could be just the cap and rotor. Could be something else like a fuel pump. People tend to jump to conclusion right away that the optispark is bad, replace it, and then find they still have a problem because they didn't check on other things first.

 

100% with firebat^^^^^^^^^
If you have some cash its also a great idea to go OPTILESS by using the Ls1 pcm conversion from www.eficonnection.com thanks Mike......

 

The aftermarket ones are junk, and are most of the reason that people think the Opti is junk. My '97 Z28 has only had two in its whole life (210k on it right now). The original one lasted to about 170k, till it failed when the water pump started to leak all over it. I replaced it with a new one from GM and haven't had any problem with it. The optispark is actually a very GOOD ignition system - its much more precise than anything the Gen 1 motors came with, and is far more accurate at high RPMs too.

Its located on the timing chain cover, just behind/below the water pump. You can get it out and the new one in without removing the balancer, but you will have to take out the water pump for sure. Before you put your new opti in, if its the vented style ('95-97) then use a thin bead of gasket silicone to seal up between the plastic 'distributor cap' and the distributor body, just as extra insurance agaist water damage. I did this and it helped - I even clean the engine with the wand at the carwash and don't worry about it at all. I never had a problem.

 

Is there any way that I can check to see if its the cap and rotor vs the opti? also i dont think its a fuel problem. I was told that is the optispark from my friend who has the car currently. Either way I'll be getting the car I'm just trying to figure out what to buy first, appreciate the help everyone.

Tim

 

This is a way to test the optispark in the car or with 12 volts. It requires a $10 or so voltmeter:

http://shbox.com/1/4th_gen_tech2.html#opti_test

 

thanks for the link