mixalive

This is a log of mileage and performance of the MSD 8381 Optispark and MSD 8226 Coil in my 92 Z07 base model Corvette. I am not affiliated with MSD in any way. Just a consumer willing to air the good and the bad. I will let you know if it fails.

I currently have 4000 miles on the products and so far neither product has failed and both are performing as designed. And that is a good thing..

I did put a timing light on my ignition system recently and can note that the timing is dead on as compared with a factory opti and consistent.

overdrawn

Thanks, I have the same set up on my 92 and runs strong with about 1000 k on it, keep us posted.

toptechx6

Call me a cynic, but how did you check timing on a 92 since the factory provided no indicator or timing marks on the damper? What did you use to verify the "factory setting" , GM does not specify a base timing specification since timing is controlled by the ECM and varies considerably at idle by design

dizwiz24

Nice to hear you are having good luck with msd. It seems that the msd failures occur within first 1000 miles. I think you are over the hump.

All the msd failures and no one documents wwhat broke in it...

Nice to hear a datapoint of it working.

mixalive

Just wanted to report I have just over 8000 miles on my MSD Optispark and Coil. All is good so far.

Silver96ce

Good to hear. Keep the reports coming. I have an MSD opti on my '96. It was installed by the PO.

mixalive

Well the 8381 is still working at about 10000 miles. But I would like to report a situation I had with it recently. I had been having issues in the wet weather when hitting small puddles of water, that the engine would die. After letting it set for 30 min or so, it would reluctantly start back up. After talking to the technicians at MSD. They informed me that the unit should maintain a vacuum if a vacuum is pulled on both vents at the same time. I tested this and determined mine did not maintain a vacuum. They sent me a new cap and seal. Upon install, I applied silicone sealant to the seal, let set overnight and retested for vacuum. I found vacuum being lost at the connector pigtail pass through. I silicone sealed that area, let set overnight and retested. It now maintains a vacuum. The old seal showed signs of fluid being drawn into the optispark from the bottom. It seems to be doing the job now.

I did not find in our forum where a vacuum test should precede re-assembly during an Opti installation procedure. Nor did I find it in MSD's installation instruction manual. So I would suggest in any Optispark Installation, verifying for a maintained vacuum before putting your car back together.

STEVEN13

Good thread! Thanks for the information!!

mixalive

15000 miles on the MSD Opti and it is still working.

Tom400CFI

20,000 miles/3 years on my NAPA unit. Hasn't been open since I put it on.

mixalive

Failure at around 30000 miles on the MSD 8381. I lose the Hi Resolution voltage and SES light comes on after the engine warms to past 154*F water temp. This verified today with an oscilloscope. My MSD 8226 coil failed at 20000 miles.

STEVEN13

Sorry to hear this. Thanks for the update.

Which direction are you considering now?

Steve

ddahlgren

The opti is the reason I set my cut off date at '91 when looking to buy as seemed like a very bad idea early on looking.

cardo0

Man that hurts to read that. I had hopes for the MSD as they advertise 10,000 RPM limit and =/-4 degrees advance adjustments. Must be the sensor but why only after warm up? A tiny lead in the tiny IC opens up as the IC base material heats up? We can only speculate. 30,000 miles is such a peculiar time to fail. It needs to outlive the shaft bearings - over 100,000mi.. Its a real pain just to R&R the opti to regardless of cost.

But it reads like you made a objective report here and I can see you have the skills to do it correctly. Thx for the report and all your efforts here - valuable to us all.

My second thought here is I wonder if a positive pressure air supply system just for the opti could help most of them live longer than the rotor bearings? Just a small flow of clean air flow but above atmospheric pressure to keep pushing air, heat and particles out any leaks instead of inward to the intake system. Something like a little aquarium tank air pump could do the job. Problem is we dont really know if its contamination or just plain heat thats killing the opti sensors.

Barchetta

MSD-8381. Installed 2014. About 5K miles. All is good. 👍.

Tom400CFI

My NAPA unit that I installed 4/12 is still working great.



Who knows, but mine did the SAME THING, only mine had to get up to over 200* for it to fail.

mixalive

I sent it in to MSD for repair. We will see what happens.

twichy2011

I must be really unlucky. I have been through two MSD Optis before I returned the last one for a full refund. The first one lasted 9 months (put about 10K miles on the first MSD Opti) and the replace meant for that wouldn't idle correctly and died when I tried to back the car off the lift. I'm currently deciding on if I want to spend the money and try out the LTCC conversion.

mixalive

I sent the MSD 8381 back to MSD over the holidays for repair. Oil had migrated into the unit. They cleaned and replaced the optical sensor with an updated unit for $150 to include return shipping. Finished reinstalling yesterday with a new water pump. It runs good so far.
I did a pressure check before install and found it to leak at the 3 screw ends on the back side of the unit as well as the timing adjust screw, wire inlet passage and the caps o-ring. I silicon'd and was able to get the unit to seal. I also installed a barbed spigot and rubber hose to the water pump drain hole to divert fluid in case of coolant blowout.

STEVEN13

Did you have an oil leak out of the timing cover/seal or intake?

Thanks for the update.

Steve