Sure sounds like an Opti problem....
Please help! having serious problems
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 46
Likes: 0
From: United States Air Force Academy CO
Please help! having serious problems
so i drove it in some water trying to get home (didn't have a choice) i have had distriputor problems and this doesn't seem like they did. The car starts and drives but it shakes at idle, doesn't want to accelerate, and the power isn't there (feels like a v-6 camaro). its a 93 A4 and i could use some help. I thought i flooded it and figured if i let it dry out for a few days it would be fine but i seem to be wrong
thanks
Mike
thanks
Mike
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 46
Likes: 0
From: United States Air Force Academy CO
i just noticed that the alarm no longer works either, it isn't making noise anymore,
I have had opti spark problems before (on my third one in three years) and the problems I am having now don't seem to be the same thing but I could be wrong. Is there anything else that could be wrong?
Thanks
Mike
I have had opti spark problems before (on my third one in three years) and the problems I am having now don't seem to be the same thing but I could be wrong. Is there anything else that could be wrong?
Thanks
Mike
Pro
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 617
Likes: 14
From: Loudon, TN
There is a very good possibility you got the opti wet. If the water was deep enough it could have pulled some in through the air intake. You could have pulled water into the engine via the intake manifold and caused damage to a valve or piston. If either of these things happened be prepared to spend a bunch of money especially if water was drawn into the engine. Hopefully it is just some wet wiring connectors that may take a few days to dry out.
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 46
Likes: 0
From: United States Air Force Academy CO
Upon further research I think its time for my 4th distributor, what would be a good price range for the dynaspark with installation?
Still don't know why my alarm is no longer making noise. Guess it got wet too.... Sometimes i just hate water......
Still don't know why my alarm is no longer making noise. Guess it got wet too.... Sometimes i just hate water......
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 854
Likes: 1
From: The burbs of Denver CO
Since it doesn't cost anything, and can be easily done, I would also check the coil and output wire for any moisture. And the rough running could be related to a vacuum leak, another check that doesn't cost anything. Is there any chance you sucked some water into the intake? If you drenched the air filter you could have drawn some into the intake.
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Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 46,295
Likes: 2,596
From: Northern, VA
St. Jude Donor '15
"In honor of jpee"
Originally Posted by thebeerman
Since it doesn't cost anything, and can be easily done, I would also check the coil and output wire for any moisture. And the rough running could be related to a vacuum leak, another check that doesn't cost anything. Is there any chance you sucked some water into the intake? If you drenched the air filter you could have drawn some into the intake.
You don't state mileage, but on C4 TEch, there's a thread re LT1 Intakes, and in it CorvKidNC states he changed his original Opti which was working fine at 93K miles while doing other engine work, and put in one that now has 25K on it.
Last edited by AORoads; May 8, 2006 at 10:53 AM.
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 46
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From: United States Air Force Academy CO
Where I live we have a serious problem with flooding, Since the vette is my daily driver i have no choice but to rough it and hope for the best. Ive driven through stuff that i know i shouldn't have and i paid for it, literally. The car just passed 70k miles and I've had 3 optis because of water.
Safety Car
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 4,971
Likes: 9
From: The reason time exists is so everything doesn't happen at once
Originally Posted by Hackesak
Upon further research I think its time for my 4th distributor, what would be a good price range for the dynaspark with installation?
Still don't know why my alarm is no longer making noise. Guess it got wet too.... Sometimes i just hate water......
Still don't know why my alarm is no longer making noise. Guess it got wet too.... Sometimes i just hate water......
http://www.dynaspark.net/
good luck.
"Where I live we have a serious problem with flooding, Since the vette is my daily driver i have no choice but to rough it and hope for the best. Ive driven through stuff that i know i shouldn't have and i paid for it, literally. The car just passed 70k miles and I've had 3 optis because of water."
You might want to look into a 4WD beater for those days when it floods. Might be cheaper in the long run than replacing the Opti every other week.
Last edited by jrzvette; May 8, 2006 at 12:09 PM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 6,564
Likes: 6
From: Woodstock Georgia
Originally Posted by Hackesak
Where I live we have a serious problem with flooding, Since the vette is my daily driver i have no choice but to rough it and hope for the best. Ive driven through stuff that i know i shouldn't have and i paid for it, literally. The car just passed 70k miles and I've had 3 optis because of water.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 854
Likes: 1
From: The burbs of Denver CO
I'm with LT4CompYell, there is more going on than just water. Using any of the updated, vented opti should be solving your problem. And, I can't pass this up, it sounds like you should trade your vette for a boat! Seriously, something is toasting the system you better find before you throw more money at a fourth opti.
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 7,377
Likes: 2,297
From: Central Maryland
If you intend to continue to submerge the engine bay of this car (and I'd really recommend you stop), the DynaSpark is your best hope of avoiding a repeat distributor failure, as it's the best-sealed unit available.
The DynaSpark installs exactly the same as the OEM Gen-1 Opti, except for the additional steps of adding the two vacuum lines for the active venting, and transferring the weatherpack connector shell from the dead Opti to the Dyna. Labor shouldn't be too much more than an OEM Opti install. Last price I heard for the Dyna was ~$600.
Be well,
SJW
The DynaSpark installs exactly the same as the OEM Gen-1 Opti, except for the additional steps of adding the two vacuum lines for the active venting, and transferring the weatherpack connector shell from the dead Opti to the Dyna. Labor shouldn't be too much more than an OEM Opti install. Last price I heard for the Dyna was ~$600.
Be well,
SJW
Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 46,295
Likes: 2,596
From: Northern, VA
St. Jude Donor '15
"In honor of jpee"
Originally Posted by Hackesak
Where I live we have a serious problem with flooding, Since the vette is my daily driver i have no choice but to rough it and hope for the best. Ive driven through stuff that i know i shouldn't have and i paid for it, literally. The car just passed 70k miles and I've had 3 optis because of water.
Regardless, you do need the best possible Opti alternative so that hopefully this is the last time you have to replace it. Don't know (and don't want to) how much you paid for those other three Optis being put in, but if you add it up, it surely wasn't cheap.
Fix it with the better stuff this time and it may just last you through a couple more submergings. But on that item, I'm with SJW: you gotta try to stop submerging the car.
Maybe someone can give you a lift home when it's really pouring out. Or (and there may not be) use an alternate route, longer but getting you and your car home a bit drier.