MillerT/a

In reading the info on delteq and msd and ltcc im confused on whether this system eliminates the distributor all together or if not do you have to buy that along with the system. B/c im looking and most of the systems are 600-700 but if you have to buy the distri. also 1000 is a little insane any help will be good. Gotta get this info so i can order the right part lol. Dont want to waste 600 dollars and get the wrong thing.

2fast97Z

iTrader: (20)

they all still use the optical sensor inside it just gets rid of cap and rotor...the opti still has to be in working condition

thesoundandthefury

iTrader: (3)

First, a distinction needs to be made: the MSD is a replacement distributor. It functions the same as the stock distributor. The Delteq and LTCC systems replace the weak link in the stock distributor, which is the cap and rotor section, and essentially take on the role that the stock distributor cap plays. As long as your optical sensor in your stock distributor is sending clean signals to the PCM, you do not need to buy another optispark to run the Delteq or LTCC. You also do not need to remove the optispark from the engine to get either of these systems installed.

Best thing to do before buying anything is to have your PCM scanned for codes and see if your opti is throwing any. The codes that are dealbreakers for a Delteq or LTCC are codes 16 and 36, which are for the high and low res pulse signals from the optical sensor. That'll give you a better indication of what you'll need to replace.

MillerT/a

so if its not throwing any codes then all i need to buy is the kit and not a new distributor?

thesoundandthefury

iTrader: (3)

Only the high and low res pulse codes, (16 & 36), are what will make a Delteq or LTCC not work. Any other codes don't matter. As long as you don't have those codes you will not need a new distributor.

Bowtie Boy

Would codes 16 and 36 turn on the SES light?

thesoundandthefury

iTrader: (3)

Yes. In most cases, a DTC 16 means that the engine will cut off or simply won't start, because if the PCM can't find the low res pulse from the Opti it shuts off the fuel system. Sometimes though, a PCM will "store" a code from a previous detection of a fault in that part of the system. There are some cases where you might be getting a 16 or 36, but it may not necessarily be a problem with the Opti but with the wiring harness. (PCM can't discern the difference between a problem with the optical sensor or a bad wire connection.)

The high and low res signals tend to be "all or nothing" in terms of whether your car will run or not. If your car is still running, but running like crap, I'd consider the cap&rotor, coil, ICM, plug wires, plugs, wiring harness as culprits before worrying about it being the optical sensor.

Bowtie Boy

My car like seems to cut out a little at lower rpms but doesnt die and sometimes it does die in reverse. I am thinking of going with the Delteq.

jrivera04

I personally don't think that I am going to get a Delteq or MSD if my optispark goes. I have had great success with it. My first lasted for over 113K miles. I changed it not because of lack of functionality or performance but because of regular maintenance. My new one has over 30k miles with no problems.

OEM Optisparks are around $300 dollars. The MSD version has not been proven enough to say whether its really that much better. If it dies at ~100k miles was it really worth it for an extra $200? Not IMHO.

thesoundandthefury

iTrader: (3)

"If your optispark goes," I would hope that before you went to all the trouble that's required to change it, that you'd do a simple scan to find out what part went bad. It's amazing the number of people who throw the whole optispark away just because the cap&rotor went bad. 90% of optispark failures are to blame on the cap&rotor. It's the weak link.

Alot of optisparks, (including mine before it went bad and I installed my Delteq), last a long time, but there are just as many that don't. There are people who are on their 4th and 5th opti. There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of rhyme or reason as to what makes one opti last 100K+ miles and one last a week. Getting a "good" optispark is almost like winning the lottery.

In a nutshell: anybody who is faced with the situation of needing a new optispark has the odds stacked against them that the new one they get will last as long as the old one, based on the optispark's track record. The Delteq and LTCC help those odds considerably by eliminating the opti's weak link. I guess if you wanted to find a reason to justify the cost of one: how about peace of mind?