opti reliability on daily driver?
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 1,329
Likes: 17
From: woodbury new jersey
opti reliability on daily driver?
buying my first vette in a few months, and itll most likely be a 92-96 c4, 6 speed. it will be my daily driver year round. how much do i have to worry about the opti while driving in rain or snow? and is there anything i can do to help prevent it from getting wet? i love the car but the opti is one thing that worries me cause i always hear you guys saying how bad they are. thanks! 
Drifting
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 1,336
Likes: 12
From: Chicago Executive Airport, formerly known as Palwaukee
No-IL Events Coordinator
St. Jude Donor '12-'13-'14-'15-'16-'17
I have owned a 92, 94 & a 96 Collector Edition w/ LT4 engine. 51,000 miles on the 92. 33,000 miles on the 94. 106,000 miles on the 96.
I have NEVER had a problem with the Optispark Distributor. I live in Chicago and I drove the 92 & 94 year round. I drive the 96 nine months out of the year. At 90,000 miles I installed an Accel distributor cap and rotor on the Collector Edition.
I have driven through rain storms all over this country. Driven the first two Vettes all through the winter and Chicago gets a lot of snow.
I think the Optispark Distributor is one of the best features on the LTx engines. Mitsubishi designed and built the Opti. Mitsubishi is known for reliable electronics. The Optispark controls the timing to a variance of plus or minus 1 degree. It uses a 360 degree trigger wheel. There is no distributor out there that is that accurate.
Hope this helps you!
Save the Wave!
I have NEVER had a problem with the Optispark Distributor. I live in Chicago and I drove the 92 & 94 year round. I drive the 96 nine months out of the year. At 90,000 miles I installed an Accel distributor cap and rotor on the Collector Edition.
I have driven through rain storms all over this country. Driven the first two Vettes all through the winter and Chicago gets a lot of snow.
I think the Optispark Distributor is one of the best features on the LTx engines. Mitsubishi designed and built the Opti. Mitsubishi is known for reliable electronics. The Optispark controls the timing to a variance of plus or minus 1 degree. It uses a 360 degree trigger wheel. There is no distributor out there that is that accurate.
Hope this helps you!
Save the Wave!
Race Director
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 18,346
Likes: 1
From: D / FW
I have owned a 92, 94 & a 96 Collector Edition w/ LT4 engine. 51,000 miles on the 92. 33,000 miles on the 94. 106,000 miles on the 96.
I have NEVER had a problem with the Optispark Distributor. I live in Chicago and I drove the 92 & 94 year round. I drive the 96 nine months out of the year. At 90,000 miles I installed an Accel distributor cap and rotor on the Collector Edition.
I have driven through rain storms all over this country. Driven the first two Vettes all through the winter and Chicago gets a lot of snow.
I think the Optispark Distributor is one of the best features on the LTx engines. Mitsubishi designed and built the Opti. Mitsubishi is known for reliable electronics. The Optispark controls the timing to a variance of plus or minus 1 degree. It uses a 360 degree trigger wheel. There is no distributor out there that is that accurate.
Hope this helps you!
Save the Wave!
I have NEVER had a problem with the Optispark Distributor. I live in Chicago and I drove the 92 & 94 year round. I drive the 96 nine months out of the year. At 90,000 miles I installed an Accel distributor cap and rotor on the Collector Edition.
I have driven through rain storms all over this country. Driven the first two Vettes all through the winter and Chicago gets a lot of snow.
I think the Optispark Distributor is one of the best features on the LTx engines. Mitsubishi designed and built the Opti. Mitsubishi is known for reliable electronics. The Optispark controls the timing to a variance of plus or minus 1 degree. It uses a 360 degree trigger wheel. There is no distributor out there that is that accurate.
Hope this helps you!
Save the Wave!
I agree , if you don't wash your engine and just install a line from the weep hole on the water pump that hangs below the OPTI you don't have to worry.
In case of Water pump seal failure the hose will save your OPTI.
Other than that the OEM OPTI is designed to last 160,000 miles and often will last 250,000 with only a rotor and cap change.
All the OPTI's both aftermarket and OEM are designed to give good spark signal to your coil and engine up to 7700 RPMs.
That's performance compared to the old Helicoil Distributor it replaced.
It's not the OPTI's fault engineers stuck it under the water pump.
Drifting
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 1,336
Likes: 12
From: Chicago Executive Airport, formerly known as Palwaukee
No-IL Events Coordinator
St. Jude Donor '12-'13-'14-'15-'16-'17
I have washed my engine many, many times. I have won numerous awards and trophies. My engine compartment is clean! Remember, I do own a Vette!
Do I aim the high pressure water hose directly at the Opti? Of course not!
But water from a garden hose will not do any damage whatsoever.
Also, if you check the ground below the front of the engine every now and then, you would see when your water pump might start to leak. You would be able to stop the water pump leak before the Opti would be compromised.
Save the Wave!
Do I aim the high pressure water hose directly at the Opti? Of course not!
But water from a garden hose will not do any damage whatsoever.
Also, if you check the ground below the front of the engine every now and then, you would see when your water pump might start to leak. You would be able to stop the water pump leak before the Opti would be compromised.
Save the Wave!
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 34,988
Likes: 515
From: Riverside County Southern California
Co-winner 2020 C4 of the Year - Modified
2018 Corvette of Year Finalist
2017 C4 of Year
2016 C7 of Year Finalist
St. Jude Donor '09 thru '20
I've never had a problem with the Opti (besides the Dynaspark). My 92 Vert had 195,000 miles on the opti and the day before it died I was hawling at 140 MPH in the track 
Currently I had a SNAFU with my 96. Here read
There was oil everywhere, I opened the MSD opti and it was dry inside.
There is my story with the worst Opti ever produced and with the new ventilated system.
Yes, Dave McClellan, screwed up
Currently I had a SNAFU with my 96. Here read
There was oil everywhere, I opened the MSD opti and it was dry inside.
There is my story with the worst Opti ever produced and with the new ventilated system.
Yes, Dave McClellan, screwed up
Safety Car
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 3,651
Likes: 10
From: Apple Valley MN
Here's maybe the best example of what an opti can live through:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c4-t...e-pics-so.html
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c4-t...e-pics-so.html
Racer
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 327
Likes: 0
From: Kingston/Ontario
buying my first vette in a few months, and itll most likely be a 92-96 c4, 6 speed. it will be my daily driver year round. how much do i have to worry about the opti while driving in rain or snow? and is there anything i can do to help prevent it from getting wet? i love the car but the opti is one thing that worries me cause i always hear you guys saying how bad they are. thanks!
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Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 2,705
Likes: 30
From: Chesapeake Beach Maryland
2015 C5 of Year Finalist
Here's maybe the best example of what an opti can live through:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c4-t...e-pics-so.html
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c4-t...e-pics-so.html
Oh Gee thanks Brad!!! Show my dirty engine!!
But he is right... That photo shows my engine and opti with a bunch of miles on it.. something like 156k miles and the opti was actually still working fine. As you can see in the one photo the water pump bearings were blown out and coolant had flooded everything.
I think overall they are pretty good piece of engineering. I now have a MSD unit on mine primarily because I wanted to put a better designed unit that was also vented.
BTW - here is that motor now - Save Face
Last edited by biggrizzly; Jun 8, 2009 at 10:56 PM.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 1,329
Likes: 17
From: woodbury new jersey
great! this is exactly what i wanted to hear, this relieves alot of my fear. i really cant wait to get this car, iv been dreaming of a vette for over 2 years now, and have been saving since feburary of 2008. since i cant find a job anywhere im not making much money so its been tough not spending anything and saving it all. i do alot of odds and ends jobs for people i know. cut grass, do yardwork, clean cars, all sorts of stuff. and now i finally have saved up enough to start shopping. my favorite is the chrome bumper c3's but a nice one would be too expensive right now and iv always loved the c4's so i decided to go with an lt1. funny, iv been researching c3's 4's and 5's for over 2 years now and probablly know more about them then most of the people who own them! iv been asking lots of questions lately so expect to hear from me alot with my upcoming purchase, and lots of pics!
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 2,705
Likes: 30
From: Chesapeake Beach Maryland
2015 C5 of Year Finalist
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 2,705
Likes: 30
From: Chesapeake Beach Maryland
2015 C5 of Year Finalist
great! this is exactly what i wanted to hear, this relieves alot of my fear. i really cant wait to get this car, iv been dreaming of a vette for over 2 years now, and have been saving since feburary of 2008. since i cant find a job anywhere im not making much money so its been tough not spending anything and saving it all. i do alot of odds and ends jobs for people i know. cut grass, do yardwork, clean cars, all sorts of stuff. and now i finally have saved up enough to start shopping. my favorite is the chrome bumper c3's but a nice one would be too expensive right now and iv always loved the c4's so i decided to go with an lt1. funny, iv been researching c3's 4's and 5's for over 2 years now and probablly know more about them then most of the people who own them! iv been asking lots of questions lately so expect to hear from me alot with my upcoming purchase, and lots of pics!
Just for curiosity, why did you decide on a C4 versus a C5? Seems like lots of good C5 out there now too.
Safety Car
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 3,651
Likes: 10
From: Apple Valley MN
Since the killer of the opti is in many cases a failed water pump, the best thing to do is to catch any leaks early. I never really saw any puddles on the floor, but there was tell-tale spray of coolant on the underside of the hood, where little droplets from the weep-hole would get slung by the belt:
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 1,329
Likes: 17
From: woodbury new jersey
i was actually set on buying a c5 for a while, but the final thing that got me was the price. i actually like the look of the c4 the same or better then the c5, but the c5 is a powerhouse, and beats the c4 in just about every aspect. but iv been doing my shopping for months now. i search everywhere, here, ebay, autotrader, craigslist, online corvette sites, and i usually find nice c5s at the cheapest around 14-16k. c4s i can find a nice one for under 10k. and with not being able to find a job for many months now, i havnt saved up as much as id hoped. so i decided on a c4. anything is gonna be a huge upgrade from my camaro! i love the car dearly but its just getting old and tired. over 250,000 miles and it shows.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 8,582
Likes: 968
From: Communist Colorado
Congratulations on saving up for a Vette. Most people have forgotten how to save money these days 
I wouldnt worry about the optispark failing you. Just dont drown it with water and you'll be fine. I've owned 3 C4's that have had the optispark. I'm fairly handy with a wrench and like to tinker in the garage so I just replaced the water pumps and optispark along with the plugs and wires. NONE had failed, I'm just a little **** retentive 
Good luck in your search. The search is 1/2 the fun by the way.
I wouldnt worry about the optispark failing you. Just dont drown it with water and you'll be fine. I've owned 3 C4's that have had the optispark. I'm fairly handy with a wrench and like to tinker in the garage so I just replaced the water pumps and optispark along with the plugs and wires. NONE had failed, I'm just a little **** retentive Good luck in your search. The search is 1/2 the fun by the way.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 1,329
Likes: 17
From: woodbury new jersey
ya id say im pretty mechanically inclined for my age. iv done a motor swap on my 84 and have kept it running pretty well for year and a half now. it was in a few accidents before i got it and i did all the body work myself. then my dad bought his 84 z, and so far weve redone the entire interior, new exhaust, pulled the motor and freshened it all up and fixed a few leaks, and all the other basic stuff. were doing brakes soon then gonna do the bodywork and get it painted. my brother also just bought an 88 iroc so iv been helping him alot with that. i was 12 when my brother bought his first camaro and thats when my obsession with cars and chevys began. i was a camaro guy mainly for years but slowly started liking the vettes more and more. from age 12-16 i rebuilt many many trashed out mopeds and thats where i picked up my experience doing body work, paint, engine work, and learned my way around all the tools ( on a much smaller scale but it was a good introduction) then when i was 16 i bought my camaro and its been love since then. i eat up all the info i can find and spend most nights just doing research on vettes and camaros. im fully prepared for just about any challenge ill meet with the vette. and if not, thats what you guys are for!
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 8,582
Likes: 968
From: Communist Colorado
Camaros huh? Lets see, heres my list of previously owned F-bodies.....
71 Firebird
75 Firebird Formula
72 Camaro
78 Camaro 4 speed
79 Camaro automatic
79 Z28
86 Z28
I've always liked the 3rd gen IROC Z's. They needed to make a 5.7 car with a manual though and never did.
71 Firebird
75 Firebird Formula
72 Camaro
78 Camaro 4 speed
79 Camaro automatic
79 Z28
86 Z28
I've always liked the 3rd gen IROC Z's. They needed to make a 5.7 car with a manual though and never did.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 1,329
Likes: 17
From: woodbury new jersey
72 camaro, niiice. 2nd gens 70-73 are my favorite f-body. ya my 350 and dads 305 are both auto. my brothers tpi 305 is 5 speed. we got a 350 that were gonna build up for his car and probablly go with a tremec 500 or 600. then all we gotta worry bout is those weak rear ends. this is the last auto performance car ill ever own, just no fun. i love driving stick and when im in my camaro, i just pretend im shifting haha
Drifting
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 1,543
Likes: 1
From: Levittown NY