I have a '94 coupe with 93,000 miles and the original optispark, as far as I know. today before I went to school I started it up and it didnt want to turn over as easily as usual. After I got it out of the garage and down the street, I noticed the tach needle bouncing erraticaly. Whenever I came to a stop, it would idle all the way down at around 500rpm. The SYS light kept flashing (for oil), and the volts were all over the place. I changed the oil this weekend to Mobil One 5W-30 from 10W-30 and checked one of the spark plugs, but that was it. I don't think either of those things are causing the problems.

After it warmed up, it appeared to be okay, but it is being more stubborn as far as starting, and whenever I hit a stoplight, the idle goes down unless I modulate it with my foot. The Cruise-In IV is in a couple weeks, and I am scared. Should I try and make time to replace the Optispark/Meziere water pump? I've never tackled a job of this magnitude before...I was quoted $350 for labor at a Vette restoration shop... I could probably do this myself, but I would feel a lot better if I had a knowledgable helping hand... Any northwest Chicago folk feel like giving me a hand sometime this weekend or next week? There's a case of beer and a Hooters dinner in it for you! :lol:

I hope it starts today after school, or it may be coming home on a flatbed...

I dont want to miss the Cruise-In. Pray for my car, fellas! I know I am

:blueangel:

Any insight would be appreciated... :lol:

 

So it is only doing this before it gets warm, did you notice if the oil temperature registered when it stopped skipping?

 

Irratic idle is one of the opti symptoms. The weird electrical is probably something different.

Be sure all the connections are solid.

You might try cleaning the battery posts.

Check the weep hole on the water pump. If it's wet, then you should probably plan on a new opti and pump.

Pull the codes. If the SYS was flashing, you probably have something stored.

If it's the opti, you can do it yourself and save the $$. Check everything else first.

 

No, oil temp/coolant/mileage gauge flashes SYS intermittently. Does not appear to be related to opti. Battery is fairly new, though I will try a disconnect/reconnect to see if that clears it up, as this has happened before.

As far as the opti, it drove fine today after school, so I'm not really sure what to think about that. It has acted up in a fashion similar to this before, but nothing catastrophic ever happens. Car is still a little reluctant to turn over, but it does.

Does not appear to be any overt signs of pump leakage. I do have a Meziere sitting in the garage in preparation. Car was driven in the ran a couple days ago, and it started up after that. I know all about the moisture sensitivities, but if that is the culprit, shouldn't it go bad and stay bad?

Could this be a plug/wire issue? I had new ac delco plugs put in late last year, only about 4,000 miles on them. Mechanic said the wires appeared to be fine (MSD 8.5mm superconductors.) Also have aftermarket coil, MSD power blaster, part number escapes me.

Thanks for the help, but does it not look as if I'll have to start tearing down the front of the engine to put to rest any possible defects before I go on a 1000 mile trip?

Where is the weep hole located?
Thanks for the help so far,


[Modified by stormy652, 4:14 PM 5/12/2003]

 

Working-then Not working-then working is another opti symptom.

Yes, moisture can get into the opti. When it dries out, it starts working again. Again another indication that the opti is begining to go. The seals on it get cooked, then they get brittle and shrink, no longer sealing anything.

The weep hole is on the bottom side of the water pump back under the bearing/seal (narrow part where the shaft goes into the pump). It gets hot there so wait till the engine is cool. Slide your hand under the pump till you palm is just at the front edge. Your finger tips should be just about at the right place.

I hate to push the opti, but it is showing the symptoms and it is at the right mileage.