Could be any or something else. You need to follow a diagnostic process to eliminate the possibilities. Have you put a fuel pressure gauge on it to confirm that it's not a fuel delivery issue?

 

60k and still going strong. It even has a good coating of oil from a leaky seal. Next summer im going to pull it apart and replace the seal. Do you guys think id be smart at that time to replace it or just do a cap and rotor and would you replace the water pump at the same time?

 

Mine went 155k, so...

I'd check the bearing. If that is good, then I would clean it up, new cap and rotor and run it.

 

Oh boy, an opti thread, it's about time.

I have to wonder how many perfectly good optisparks found their way to the landfill due to mis-diagnosis.

The optispark distributor is a durable sealed unit. Yes, with the '92-'93 they discovered a design flaw. The major flaw they discovered was not moisture related, as many think is the cause of most opti problems, but the fact that the gases created by the spark couldn't escape fast enough. The acidic gases cause corrosion. First they addressed this by moving the vent holes. Then in late '94, they introduced the vacuum vented opti.

I have the original optispark on my '96. Thus far, it has endured an upper radiator hose burst, a radiator leak, a heater hose control valve burst (twice), a lower hose coming off the radiator, and 160K+ miles. In all of those miles, I have replaced just about every supporting part around the opti, icm, coil, various sensors, plugs, wires multiple times, with only the cap and rotor being replaced when the hotcam went in, and even then, the old stuff was still good.

The optispark was also put in Buicks, Cadillacs, Caprice, Camaro, Firebirds, and a few others I think. We're talking police cars, taxi cabs, daily drivers of all sorts. It was the most effective and most efficient distributor of it's time until the coil on plug system was developed.

The problem is, everytime an LT1 has a misfire, or hiccup of any kind, the first thing people do is replace the opti, why? I couldn't tell you. Sure they go bad, but probably not even close to the rate they are replaced due to mis-diagnosis.

 

Regardless, GM no longer produces an engine with this configuration with the LS engine design series being introduced.

 

^That is certainly an undeniable fact.

What does that mean, though?? What has that got to do with this thread?

 

Tom, I think he was "Just Saying"............WW

 

And in twenty years, someone will post about their outdated, obsolete gasoline powered engine...time marches on.

 

ok so I called MSD, explained the issue and they had offered to replace or repair at no charge (3 yrs old, but only driven 2000k). Sent the unit in but they did not find any faults but claim they updated it and replaced the cap. Finally got it back on the car about a month ago, drove perfect for about 200 miles but now has a misfire issue but the original symptoms have been resolved with the updated Opti, after checking numerous items for misfire, still think the MSD Opti is probably the culprit. I will continue my diag for the misfire, will post in other thread