I will keep this as breif as possible but still try to cover all details. I just bought my third Corvette, a 1995 LT1 automatic. I was unaware of the moisture/optispark issue and the first weekend I had it, blasted the engine with cleaner and rinsed away. About 50 miles and two hours later, it quit. It would turn over and immediately shut off. Two minutes after pushing it into a gas station, it started and ran without incident. Still unaware (didn't know about corvetteforum.com) I washed it and detailed it again this past Saturday for a street meet. Without incident, I ran all night, the next day and to work Monday morning. Monday midday, it quit at a light. It started again, but sounded like it backfired through the intake. Still, it made it to my destination. Coming home that evening it quit and I tied up traffic through two light changes. While cranking it, it sputtered and coughed and blew black smoke out the tailpipes. The smell of the catalytic converters became overpowering. I made it homne and the temps were higher than normal all the way. That is when I learned of Corvette forum. I tested the car at 10:30 last night and it was as if nothing was wrong. This morning I ran through a quick, no touch car wash and went into the store. I came out and bam, it would not start. After taking years of life out of my starter and months off my battery, I limped to the dealership. Convinced that I had an optispark problem, I turned the car over to them. This afternoon they informed me that the coil is bad and the ignition module is bad and estimated a $475.00 repair. I customarily do my own repairs, but have not owned this much computerization before. That made me hesitant to try. My questions are many: If the coil is bad, why would the car EVER start? Aren't they usually all good or all bad? Secondly, why three days after the washdown did I just show the symptoms? Third, 3.5 hours seems high for those two items. Before I give the go ahead, I'd like to hear from my peers please.


[Modified by Aerovette, 10:17 PM 11/13/2001]

 

Before you lay down those hard earned bucks for a new Opti-Spark, I would try the "blow dryer on the Opti" trick that has been written about so much in this forum. Folks are reporting an "all clear" after drying it out for a couple hours. Then be sure to quit all that "hosing off" of the engine in the future.
Good Luck with it!:cheers:


[Modified by IndianaJef, 9:00 PM 11/13/2001]

 

Electronics is a funny, funny thing in the world of Murphy. Anything can and will happen... practical experience tells me that coils usually just don't go bad... even from a pressure spray. Optispark is another story. They had to take it all apart anyway to get the optispark off, so what the heck, it's probably an ounce of prevention for them just to cover all bases. With the Murphy thing and electronics, intermittent issues can and will occur. It's frustrating as anything and quite the challenge to troubleshoot. Some things really better off just being sent elsewhere and to pay the price!

 

The optispark was not diagnosed as bad. Only the coil and module. My fear is that they will replace those items AND THEN, tell me I need the optispark. I have not, in 18 years in Houston, come across one single honest and knowledgeable mechanic. I'll bet this will just be another example. :mad :mad

 

I think you are right. After replacing the coil and module, then they will find that oops, you need a opti also.
I got mine wet a while back. After sitting all night, it would start and run good till it started warming up, then start backfiring and missing. I think that the heating up causes condensation inside. Mine finally dried mostly out after a week or more of not driving it. It still had a slight miss at idle, but I drove it each day, then got a little better each day. Within a couple weeks was well.

 

go get your car, an ignition control module is 89 dollars from advanced or napa (eschlin) and the coil is 14 dollars, they both require basic tools and can both be swapped in about 35 minutes, they are mounted to the front of the passenger cylinder head and have electrical connector plugs you undo(2 seconds) and 2 screws that hold them in. i replaced both of mine a month ago, but... when your ICM goes, the car will do nothing, not sputter not crank over, you get zero spark. same with the coil in most instances. for 1oo bucks you can fix these easily. for another 230 you can have a brandnew optispark and replace this yourself, nothing magical about it, just a little work, waterpump muct come off, belt and balancer, which means you will have to drain your cooling system, not anything made specifically for a rocket scientist. my suggestion is to get a set of taylor wires while your at it and a good set of plugs, figure it like this:

- Opti $230
- Coil $14
- ICM $89
- Wires with plugs from speed demon $65 shipped and a day for the job!

thats 75 bucks less then the dealership will charge you and you just replaced your entire ignition system with new and aftermarket better components!

go get your car, spend the other 75 on a shop manual for future reference and voila you just went way ahead of the game, i would be more then happy to give you my phone numbver if you have specific question on replacing any of those components!

send me an email.... lcvette1@aol.com if you feel like taking on this money saving task!

good luck,
Chris :smash:


[Modified by lcvette, 2:26 PM 11/14/2001]