ever wondered why you should change your cap and rotor?
09-04-2010, 11:28 PM
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ever wondered why you should change your cap and rotor? here's why...
oh and when you install an opti, MAKE SURE YOU ALIGN IT 100% RIGHT BEFORE YOU BOLT IT DOWN OR THIS WILL HAPPEN TO YOU!
p.s. sorry for the crappy pictures, all i had was my phone...
for your info, this opti was pulled off of a roadmaster, it had 80-90 thousand miles, i believe the opti was original. Ran great for a while, but had a sneaking suspicion that something was wrong, especially because of the backfiring problem i had (figured that had something to do with the dual 3 inch exhaust...but maybe not?). well it turns out somethin sure as hell was wrong!
This happened 60 miles away from home, on I66 in virginia, headed to a Porsche Club of America meet and drive (serves me right for taking an truly fbody car to a Porsche meet right?)
oh and when you install an opti, MAKE SURE YOU ALIGN IT 100% RIGHT BEFORE YOU BOLT IT DOWN OR THIS WILL HAPPEN TO YOU!
p.s. sorry for the crappy pictures, all i had was my phone...
for your info, this opti was pulled off of a roadmaster, it had 80-90 thousand miles, i believe the opti was original. Ran great for a while, but had a sneaking suspicion that something was wrong, especially because of the backfiring problem i had (figured that had something to do with the dual 3 inch exhaust...but maybe not?). well it turns out somethin sure as hell was wrong!
This happened 60 miles away from home, on I66 in virginia, headed to a Porsche Club of America meet and drive (serves me right for taking an truly fbody car to a Porsche meet right?)
09-04-2010, 11:45 PM
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hellz yeah...learned my lesson right quick (actually it took me a while, at least until the rotor exploded into a million pieces)
Next one will be installed CORRECTLY with a new cap and rotor...
Next one will be installed CORRECTLY with a new cap and rotor...
09-04-2010, 11:56 PM
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like i said in the original post, make sure you align it 100%...the first time! before bolting it down!
Joe, didn't see your post because we posted at the same exact time! crazy huh...
i suppose my experience does not necessarily mean everyone else should change their cap and rotor immediately, but the fact that a slight amount of torque on it in the wrong way can cause a failure like this should mean something...to me it means that maybe you don't HAVE to install the opti incorrectly and CRANK (which i didn't) the bolts down to break something, maybe you just have to run it in a high heat, high stress, high rpm situation for 60-80 thousand miles for the same thing to happen...
i'm assuming that my incorrect initial installment was the cause of my failure, but i cannot be 100% sure that's what caused it in the end. After i got the opti installed properly, the car ran relatively well for a good 1000-1200 miles...so this neither directly confirms, nor denies the fact that the cap and rotor was original was the problem...better to err on the side of keeping your opti alive for years to come right?
Joe, didn't see your post because we posted at the same exact time! crazy huh...
i suppose my experience does not necessarily mean everyone else should change their cap and rotor immediately, but the fact that a slight amount of torque on it in the wrong way can cause a failure like this should mean something...to me it means that maybe you don't HAVE to install the opti incorrectly and CRANK (which i didn't) the bolts down to break something, maybe you just have to run it in a high heat, high stress, high rpm situation for 60-80 thousand miles for the same thing to happen...
i'm assuming that my incorrect initial installment was the cause of my failure, but i cannot be 100% sure that's what caused it in the end. After i got the opti installed properly, the car ran relatively well for a good 1000-1200 miles...so this neither directly confirms, nor denies the fact that the cap and rotor was original was the problem...better to err on the side of keeping your opti alive for years to come right?
Last edited by 944V8inMD; 09-05-2010 at 12:27 AM.
09-05-2010, 08:35 AM
#7
I know that the OP is trying to to be helpful, and give us an FYI. However, I'm a little confused....
The cap and rotor on an Opti can be changed without removing the entire unit from the front cover of the engine. The recessed screws in the distributor cap can be removed, the cap will come off, and the rotor exposed. If, however, you feel the need to rempve the entire unit, it only goes on one way, as the drive pin (on later optis) will only engage in the deep recess.
Yes, you could sort of force the unit in place, and yes you could get the 3 screws to hold it in place on the front cover while not being phased correctly, but as we all know, the car won't run.
Long story short, when lined up properly, the Opti will sort of "snap" into position with a minimum of force, then all by itself, lay flat against the engine's front cover. The only resistance that is felt during installation, is from the 2 o-rings on the Opti's drive shaft compressing into the nose of the camshaft.
The cap and rotor on an Opti can be changed without removing the entire unit from the front cover of the engine. The recessed screws in the distributor cap can be removed, the cap will come off, and the rotor exposed. If, however, you feel the need to rempve the entire unit, it only goes on one way, as the drive pin (on later optis) will only engage in the deep recess.
Yes, you could sort of force the unit in place, and yes you could get the 3 screws to hold it in place on the front cover while not being phased correctly, but as we all know, the car won't run.
Long story short, when lined up properly, the Opti will sort of "snap" into position with a minimum of force, then all by itself, lay flat against the engine's front cover. The only resistance that is felt during installation, is from the 2 o-rings on the Opti's drive shaft compressing into the nose of the camshaft.
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09-05-2010, 11:43 AM
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I know that the OP is trying to to be helpful, and give us an FYI. However, I'm a little confused....
The cap and rotor on an Opti can be changed without removing the entire unit from the front cover of the engine. The recessed screws in the distributor cap can be removed, the cap will come off, and the rotor exposed. If, however, you feel the need to rempve the entire unit, it only goes on one way, as the drive pin (on later optis) will only engage in the deep recess.
Yes, you could sort of force the unit in place, and yes you could get the 3 screws to hold it in place on the front cover while not being phased correctly, but as we all know, the car won't run.
Long story short, when lined up properly, the Opti will sort of "snap" into position with a minimum of force, then all by itself, lay flat against the engine's front cover. The only resistance that is felt during installation, is from the 2 o-rings on the Opti's drive shaft compressing into the nose of the camshaft.
The cap and rotor on an Opti can be changed without removing the entire unit from the front cover of the engine. The recessed screws in the distributor cap can be removed, the cap will come off, and the rotor exposed. If, however, you feel the need to rempve the entire unit, it only goes on one way, as the drive pin (on later optis) will only engage in the deep recess.
Yes, you could sort of force the unit in place, and yes you could get the 3 screws to hold it in place on the front cover while not being phased correctly, but as we all know, the car won't run.
Long story short, when lined up properly, the Opti will sort of "snap" into position with a minimum of force, then all by itself, lay flat against the engine's front cover. The only resistance that is felt during installation, is from the 2 o-rings on the Opti's drive shaft compressing into the nose of the camshaft.
I tried to install it 10+ times (no joke, took it off and tried again that many times) and every single time it wouldn't seat properly. I started to put the bolts in, and slowly tighten them to see if they would pull the opti in. This didn't happen so i immediately backed them off and started looking around to see if there were certain cars that had a longer dowel pin on the cam, or if there were optis from cars with a short dowel pin that wouldn't fit on a car with a long dowel pin cam etc. nothing like this showed up, and at this point i realized that i just needed to try 10 or 15 more times. I did so and FINALLY it slid on and dropped in flush.
For those of you who can't figure out the point of my post...it is merely to demonstrate that the rotor is NOT indestructible, it can blow up with very little stress applied in the wrong direction (because of user error in this case). If i had known my small mistake could have led to this kind of failure, i would have pulled the opti back off and replaced the cap and rotor before putting the car back together, but i didn't. Maybe my experience is one of a kind, but i bet i'm not the only one to have a rotor explode and RUIN an otherwise good optispark. And that's the big deal right there...wouldn't it be worth it to save an optispark by spending 30 bucks every few years? yeah it's a PITA to do it, but wouldn't you rather spend 30 every few years, than 2-300?
Obviously this is my opinion, and i will be taking my own advice here and replacing the cap and rotor as a MAINTENANCE item, instead of a "do it when it breaks" item. To those of you who have the money to put a new gm opti on their car every time it breaks you can disregard this thread entirely...unless you like carnage.
Stevo, you nailed it on the head!
09-05-2010, 05:25 PM
#11
you are correct that there is only one way the opti can go on, problem is with the limited space in front of my engine (it's a BI@#$ getting the water pump out lemme tell you!) i had a very hard time getting this opti to *drop in*. This was also the first time i had changed an opti while the engine was in the car. When i first built the engine, i actually had the crank hub removed, so it was extremely easy to align the opti correctly.
I tried to install it 10+ times (no joke, took it off and tried again that many times) and every single time it wouldn't seat properly. I started to put the bolts in, and slowly tighten them to see if they would pull the opti in. This didn't happen so i immediately backed them off and started looking around to see if there were certain cars that had a longer dowel pin on the cam, or if there were optis from cars with a short dowel pin that wouldn't fit on a car with a long dowel pin cam etc. nothing like this showed up, and at this point i realized that i just needed to try 10 or 15 more times. I did so and FINALLY it slid on and dropped in flush.
I tried to install it 10+ times (no joke, took it off and tried again that many times) and every single time it wouldn't seat properly. I started to put the bolts in, and slowly tighten them to see if they would pull the opti in. This didn't happen so i immediately backed them off and started looking around to see if there were certain cars that had a longer dowel pin on the cam, or if there were optis from cars with a short dowel pin that wouldn't fit on a car with a long dowel pin cam etc. nothing like this showed up, and at this point i realized that i just needed to try 10 or 15 more times. I did so and FINALLY it slid on and dropped in flush.
After reading this post, and looking at your signature again, do you have an LT1 installed in a Porsche? If so, COOL, however it could explain why you were having more trouble that usual, as I'm sure that the engine is a tight fit in that car.
I've had Optis in and out several times, and replaced the cap and rotors a couple of times too. One thing I could have mentioned, which might help the installation process, is to take the distributor cap off the Opti before insatllation. This is for two reasons, first to make sure the rotor screws are tight, and add a dab of Loctite on the screws, if it hasn't been done previously. Secondly, it would allow you to turn the rotor and shaft, so you could "find" the proper position a little more easily.
I haven't tried the above suggestion, but it's something I thought of, after fiddling with trying to get an Opti to "seat". I've had a couple just "fall in", but more times than not, I've had to dink with it for 10-15 minutes, before getting it just right....
09-06-2010, 02:32 AM
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yup, the engine is in a Porsche, and it's squeezed in there...the motor mounts are solid so there's no movement from the engine side to side, and because of that i could fit patriot tight tuck shortie headers in without frame rail mods...but it's DAMN tight in there...
check it out, i'll also add the link to my sig so people can see it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oamLBaXyiCI
check it out, i'll also add the link to my sig so people can see it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oamLBaXyiCI
09-06-2010, 06:24 AM
#13
And I thought that the LT1 was a tight squeeze in a 4th gen Camaro/Firebird!! One advantage you have, however, is the cowl on the Porsche doesn't extend over half the engine, like the Camaro/Firebirds. That gives you some more "working room", but it appears to be at the expense of spark plug access, as if the 4th gens are all that easy!
Cool swap, must be quite quick....
09-06-2010, 01:43 PM
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And I thought that the LT1 was a tight squeeze in a 4th gen Camaro/Firebird!! One advantage you have, however, is the cowl on the Porsche doesn't extend over half the engine, like the Camaro/Firebirds. That gives you some more "working room", but it appears to be at the expense of spark plug access, as if the 4th gens are all that easy!
Cool swap, must be quite quick....
Cool swap, must be quite quick....
thanks dude! i really appreciate that!
