msd opti-1 replacement experience.....
Race Director
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 18,346
Likes: 1
From: D / FW
Unless you have a race engine and need the timing feature [ which is limited ] the OEM OPTI is built to last 160,000 miles and you get the same performance .
They all are good to 7700 RPM's .
Most OPTI failures are due to leakage / failure of Water Pump seal or oil seal at the timing cover.
I use silicone around my cap and run a hose from the weep hole to down below the opti for insurance.
It's not the OPTI's fault the lame engineers put it under the WP but it did give clearance with the firewall.
No offence Dave !
BTW my LT 4 is over 400 HP off the crank and isn't babied ! LOL
They all are good to 7700 RPM's .
Most OPTI failures are due to leakage / failure of Water Pump seal or oil seal at the timing cover.
I use silicone around my cap and run a hose from the weep hole to down below the opti for insurance.
It's not the OPTI's fault the lame engineers put it under the WP but it did give clearance with the firewall.
No offence Dave !
BTW my LT 4 is over 400 HP off the crank and isn't babied ! LOL
Pro
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 542
Likes: 0
From: middle of Illinois
I had the engine out and since the water pump was dripping a little, I got a new MSD cap & rotor kit. I'm impressed with the quality, they didn't just copy the stock piece and put an MSD sticker on it. MSD added another fastening point to help it seal, used standard fasteners instead of the E4 torx heads, and replaced the three holes on the bottom with positive venting to keep moisture out. That was not included on the stock opti in 92. Can't say from experience that it will work better than stock, but I've had good results from MSD on other cars and expect the same here. I'm hoping that this along with a blaster coil and taylor 8.2mm wires will be good enough for a cam only car.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 5,141
Likes: 7
From: Metairie Louisiana
Opti
I went with a stock replacent from thepartsladi, $290 shipped. The stock Gen II Opti I pulled off with 113k miles looked great in the inside. I wanted to save some money and more importantly the stock opti is proven to work long term. The MSD had a few small issues when it was first released. I've heard it is also a great choice though.
Last edited by rickneworleansla; Jun 10, 2009 at 08:36 AM.
