1993 C4 electronic issues advice
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 2,156
Likes: 273
From: Dunedin NZ.
1993 C4 electronic issues advice
Hi, I usually hang out in the C3 section, I have a C3 (keeping it) but am hankering after a C4. Looking at a 1993 here with about 60k miles on it. My question is just how common are the Opti Spark, ECM failures and the like? reading a forum tends to give a view biased to the negative because obviously most people are here with a problem with the car not how well its going. Would I be better off saving and looking for a '95 - '96? Advice and owner experience appreciated!
Zen Vet Master Level VII
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 5,218
Likes: 1,174
From: Southlake, TX
You will love the C4. It is a different car than the C3 and you will really (at least in my case) end up liking it better.
Opti problems are a bit overblown but they do fail. The best advice is buy a car that has already had the opti swapped and you will be good. 95/95 are better for the fact that they are the newest of the C4, but I would not hesitate to buy a clean 92-94. I have a 91 and I'd trust driving it anywhere.
Opti problems are a bit overblown but they do fail. The best advice is buy a car that has already had the opti swapped and you will be good. 95/95 are better for the fact that they are the newest of the C4, but I would not hesitate to buy a clean 92-94. I have a 91 and I'd trust driving it anywhere.
Instructor
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 213
Likes: 59
From: North Augusta, South Carolina
I agree with bill, they aren't as bad as people make them out to be. I've been through my fair share of them (5 to be exact *All but 1 was a low res signal fault.... The other was a high res signal fault*). Turned out, I has an oil leak on the front of the intake which was causing the unit to fail. I haven't had an issue since I fixed that oil leak. 1992-1994 ECMs were more prone to failure, due to a heat issue, but aren't very common. The 95-96 ECM had a change made that allowed the ECM to cool better. That said I haven't had an issue with my ECM. I daily my 92
(162k miles), and it hasn't stranded me yet.
(162k miles), and it hasn't stranded me yet.
