Do I need an Opti Spark?
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: May 2017
Posts: 427
Likes: 139
From: California
C6 of Year Finalist (stock) 2019
Do I need an Opti Spark?
Sometimes when under load, my 94 with 6 speed will buck and sputter. I have read somewhere that is an opti spark problem. Could it be gas? I ran some fuel injector cleaner through it on one tank full with union 76 premium and it was mostly gone. Seems to do it when hot also. Any help is appreciated.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 1,143
Likes: 81
From: Finger Lakes Region, New York
Check all components of the ignition system. The optispark is the boogeyman for ALL LT1 problems it seems... I used to get a misfire under load and it ended up being a wire arcing ONLY at WOT. At idle/part throttle it ran fine. The opti usually shows impending failure at the high rpms but not always. Ignition coils/ignition modules like to fail when hot.
Any idea what brand opti is on the car? Also if you ran fuel injector cleaner through it and the problem mostly vanished then I would say you have an injector problem.
Any idea what brand opti is on the car? Also if you ran fuel injector cleaner through it and the problem mostly vanished then I would say you have an injector problem.
Racer
Joined: Jun 2017
Posts: 262
Likes: 33
From: Midwest
I chased a hard start/stalling issue on a LT1 years ago, after replacing the coil, Opti, etc, I finally traced it to the Opti connector itself. I could reach one end of the connector with a long screwdriver and temporarily get the car to start. Cheap and very easy fix. If it's been connected for awhile, the heat makes the lock feature on the connector brittle, which breaks and creates a loose connection. Might be worth adding to your check list. Don't do what I did, instead assume it's NOT the worst. The Opti gets blamed for everything.
Last edited by WideVette; Jun 27, 2017 at 04:42 PM.
