MikieG1971

Last night it rained here in tulsa. This morning the roads were still wet ( no standing puddles) but almost dry.
In my way to work, the ole girl just shut off. So once stopped, i put her in park and started her up and went on my way.
Is this the standard opti spark story? Or shoukd i ve looking for a different probkem?

TorchTarga94

Not enough information to solve the equation.

Don't pin it on the opti just yet. Rain won't cause an opti to fail.

SJW

Doesn't sound like an opti failure to me.

If it continues to happen, the first thing to do is to cut the possibilities in half. Is it an air/fuel mixture fault or an ignition fault.

If you don't have the tools and knowledge to diagnose and repair, best to get the car to a talented diagnostician. You'll end up happier when it's all over.

Live well,

SJW

Tom400CFI

And I also agree w/Torch Targa saying not enough info.

MikieG1971

A few days ago i got a check engine light and the code was for misfire detected.
You folks think this is related?
Weird. The engine just stopped working. No hesitation, shudder, not evin a hiccup. When i got it stopped, it started right up as tho there was no problem.

Tom400CFI

Misfire doesn't mean "opti". It could be caused by many things.

When the engine "just stopped working", were you at speed? It sounds like you were in your first post; (once stopped, i put her in park and started her up)

So while at speed and the engine suddenly cut out, the engine is still being driven/spun by the wheels/trans. What did the tach do?

MikieG1971

Yes driving at 35 mph on city street. Under power but nit accellerating. I dont recall what the tac did.

redcorvettedave

Ok
Like the old saying goes...everyone has an opinion
so here is mine....

" If the car is running fine now don't sweat it just try to retrive any codes that might lead or give a clue to problem"
But
if it happens again good chance it is the opti...!!!

Tom400CFI

Yes.



No. Diagnose.

If it happens again, look immediately at the tach. If the tach is still showing approximate engine RPM....it ain't the opti. If it is at zero, it could bet the opti.

TorchTarga94

Exactly, and as soon as you feel any sort of stumble keep an eye on the tach, if it bounces around or drops to zero and is pinned at 0 pretty much gauranteed Opti time.

MikieG1971

Ok. Went to lunch. Car started fine. By the time passenger got in and buckled, car stopped. .
3 start attempts, no love.
1 hour later, opened fuel cap. Heard air sucking into tank. Tried to start twice more, no joy.

TorchTarga94

So now that the issue has presented itself, hook fuel pressure gauge up to shrader valve on fuel rail and see what fuel pressure looks like.

Tom400CFI

And check for spark.

MikieG1971

What should fuel pressure be?

c4cruiser

With the pressure gauge hooked up, turn the ignition to the ON position but don't attempt to start the engine. With the key ON, the pump will run for a couple seconds to pressurize the line. You should see pressure somewhere around 35 to 45 psi. That pressure should stay there for some time and will bleed off with the engine not running.

Now try to start the engine. Does fuel pressure change? If the engine does start, what fuel pressure do you see?

AutoZone has pressure gauges you can rent from them; pay a deposit and when you return it, you will get the deposit back. If their gauge comes with a long hose, you can run the hose under the hood and tape the gauge to the outside of the windshield. That way you can keep an eye on the pressure as you drive.

If the engine dies, look immediately lat the gauge for any indication of pressure loss. You may have a FP relay going bad or the pump itself is failing.

When you remove the gas cap, it's normal to hear that sucking sound.

MikieG1971

Thank you for your input. It is greatly appreciated. Where is this fp relay located?

MikieG1971

Ok. Turns out that there is no spark at all. Ecm tjrew a misfire detected code. And thete is fuel pressure on the fuel rail.
The only opti spark units i could get were accell units from autozone or Borg Warner from advanced auto. Both were about $150. So i went the BW route.
Hopefully this will make it reliable.

Tom400CFI

I agree. Hope too, that it's not just an ICM.

MikieG1971

Where is the icm located?
Funny thing is, i JUST bought this car. Lucky to have driven it 60 miles!

MatthewMiller

Tom brings up a good point: the ICM could easily be the culprit and it's a hell of a lot easier to replace than the opti. Here's a good diagnostic process to help you figure out if this is a problem with the opti, the ICM, the coil, or even the PCM. If your car is still getting a signal to the injectors than the opti isn't the problem. A noid light can diagnose that quickly. The ICM and coil are mounted together at the front of the engine on the passenger-side cylinder head. But before just replacing parts, I'd do a thorough diagnosis first.