Is there a write up on this anywhere how to convert it?

 

Thanks!

 

Its not the opti, will give more info when I fix my PC, can't get a connection and this thing is just too slow.

 

Glad to hear it is not the OPTI. When Lynda bought her PETRIS, she got the 5 year warranty just in case. Didn't want to keep throwing 400-700 on OPTI's every other year.

 

I did the same John

 

You said it was not the OPTI, what did you discover?

 

That's good to hear. Have had my Petris on since last December and plenty of long trips all good so far. I also did the 5 year warranty. I spoke with Chris Petris himself before my purchase and he told me they have only had two returns since they started making them. I have held him to his word. I also have the LTCC kit so it takes some of the work off the opti unit, but so far so good. After buying a supposed "OEM" Delphi unit for my 94' and having it conk out on me I am not sure which opti to trust or buy anymore. I think all of the good NOS units have been pretty well depleted.

One thing is for certain, I think many of us on here have gotten pretty damn good at changing opti's, I am fairly certain I could do it under an hour (not including coolant drain and cleanup).

It seems in the last few years the later C4 is starting to catch on again and maybe the LT1 will start to get a little more attention for improvements. The opti really is such a simple device, someone will have to come up with a bullet proof system eventually. The 24x would be an end all cure all but it certainly is far from a plug and play for the C4. You really might as well go LS if you are going to through the trouble and cost of the 24x system.

 

I think the cool air going through the Petris opti makes a big difference. I have a 92 and it was not vented, the Petris seems like a good design.

 

I agree. I think the 95/96' vent upgrade is a huge + in helping keep the optical sensor cool (even if it is just a little bit). It gets rid of the stagnant air for sure.

 

I put the vented petris in my 94 as well as an aftermarket 3 row aluminum radiator. I think the lower temp along with the vented opti makes a big difference. Car runs great and also rarely goes over 200 degrees.

 

X2....

 

 

Ummmm... ac delco (not delphi) made the 92 thru 94 gen i unvented units so i dont know whi h optispark you got. So if the gen 1 opti you put in your 94 was a delphi, it clearly wasnt new old stock OEM. I say this becAuse both of my gen 1 optis on my 93 (the oem one and the replacement i paid top dollar for from the dealer back in 01 both were acdelco)

I believe delphi made the 95 thru 96 gen 2 units OEM, but im not 100% sure

I do totally agree with you that if you can even find the 24x conversion stuff you might as well go with obd2 and lsx computer / engine swap while youre at it

 

OEM optis I only had one opti failure and it turned out to be the ROTOR finally gave out after YEARS of shifting at 7000+ rpm .

 

Do you have definitive proof of that? Not saying you are wrong but ive heard several different theories. The main one ive heard is that ac/delco and Delphi are synonymous when it comes to optisparks. If you can find a genuine NOS AC/Delco opti for a 92'-94' than you are a lot more talented than I am cuz I sure couldn't.

 

AC Delco I believe is not building the Opti any more. So if you get the Delco, it is re-manufactured from the original unit.

We are going with the Petris unit for my friend's 94 for a couple of reasons. 1) It is vented. 2) They offer a 5 year unlimited mileage warranty on the unit for $55 more. Gladly pay $5 a year for 5 years for a new one if it goes bad. Other Opti's out there give a 12 month only.

 

Another anti opti thread where the OPTI was maligned for no reason.......

IE it wasn't the opti!

 

Im not sure you can find an oem acdelco nos optispark anymore for gen 1 92 thru 94.

When i was looking for one, i found some $750 (base only doesnt include cap) or so priced ac delco gen 1 optisparks and Assumed they were the last ones left (hence the high price). That was in may 2012.

I ended up converting to gen 2 since i was doing a cAm swap and wanted to use the extreme duty timing chain kit.

I am not even 100% sure that you could find a nos gen 2 opti back then either. I am making an assumption that the delphi unit was oem for gen 2 95 thru 96 (some here have taken it ApRt and claim it has a mitsubishi emblem on the optical sensor).

I got lucky And a forum member had one (an oem gen 2) leftover from an engine he was building that he sold to me.

One thing is sure...there is no way i would use an optispark without a mitsubishi opticAl sensor...

How do you find one? Junk yards (transplant the sensor into a new rebuild). Maybe id try my luck with an ac delco remanufactured (che king first to make sure it had the mitsubishi emblem on the opti al sensor and returning it if it didnt...)

Good luck

 

Okay, but you said 92'-94' optis are, infact, AC/Delco made. Do you have proof of this somewhere? Or are we just supposed to accept that as fact? I've never seen it written in stone anywhere. Again, not saying you are wrong just would like some strong evidence.

Truth is, and many of us already know this, is that AC/Delco pretty much farmed all of its electronics, switches, and sensors out to Delphi, Denso, Mitsu, Bosch as well as a few others.

I don't feel that converting a 92'-94' to the later pin drive style timing cover is the most viable alternative for most people. There needs to be a good genuine gold standard product for everyone to use regardless of year. A junkyard unit may produce a good Mitsu opti sensor, but then you run the risk of a tired bearing. Not everyone is capable of transplanting optical sensors. It is pretty damn hard to remove that reluctor wheel without some damage to the wheel and sensor. Then you have to take into account how talented the person is at soldering the old mitsu sensor into a newer housing.

I agree with what you said entirely, the opti isn't a bad design, it was just stuck in a horrible place. It really is hit or miss at the moment with whats on the market. I am glad your opti is holding up for you, but I'm not sure I would go around telling everyone they need to do exactly as you do. Look at Tom, he has been on a Napa unit for over 3 years and he certainly doesn't baby his high mileage LT1. I just think its hard and nearly impossible to buy any opti off the shelf right now and expect it to go another 100,000 + miles like the original factory installed Opti.

The Petris units used to use genuine Mitsu sensors. Now, they use "Mitsubishi Grade" optical sensors (whatever that means...). I believe they use an AIP opti (Sac City sells these I think?) as there base and mod it to there standards. Out of all the opti's I have handled this one certainly felt the most stout out of the package.

Pick a card and see how you fair.

 

Nowhere am i claiming that gen 1 people need to switch to a gen 2 opti. That involves a new cAm, timing cover, and possibly more parts.

In my case, the extreme duty lt4 timing chain (note i personally dont believe in electric water pumps) required a gen 2 opti and i was doing a cam swap, so the stars aligned and i swit hed over.

What i do advocate is anyone running a gen 1 opti put a custom vent on it!!!!

Its nice that the petris unit has this done for you already.

It stinks that the petris unit doesnt come with a mitsubishi opticL sensor -and i dont believe AIPs 'exceeds oem specs' claim.

$200 summit racing optis, acdelco rest-assured 'remanufactured' optis, $69 ebay optis, even $500 msd opti's have all screwed some of our users here.

I personally think that general mcarthur should have disobeyed orders and pushed north into china......