Alright I was having some problems with my new MSD Opti. (I am not looking for an MSD Opti Bashing session. Please go else where with that I have heard you thanks for the advice but I would like my questions answered).

It was sold to me new by a local member who bought it when it first came out. However he had a 94 and bought the 95-97 Opti. He did not return it and had been holding it for about a yr now. I bought it for 300.00 in the box.

I installed it without pulling it apart... which seems to have been my flaw. Apparently they do not do anything for you....
1) No orings were installed... problem one found

Frankly after that problem nothing else matters.... but there was no glue on the screws and other small things.

Now I had an oil leak from the water pump shaft seal on the timing cover. So I removed the Opti of course... I did this twice because the first time it leaked.

It was fine the first time as I kept the fluid off it with a rag and a plastic bag. However it seems the shop I paid to do it a second time (Due to me destroying 2 seals and not knowing you needed a sleeve to install it... damit) did not as it apparently got wet and refused to go over 4k rpms.....

I just took it apart as I also found out the rings were def bad even though it was running 9:1-8:1 A/F so we decided to rebuild it and make a few changes.

I am trying to get the MSD Repaired here and it asked for a serial number so I started taking it apart and found the inner cap and rotor to be clean but found some coolant around the edge and its been about a week.... so I am sure its dried out some but my question is what would others think:
Dry it out, get the seal its missing and try it again or would you think its dead? I never got any ECU SES Codes for it I just could not get above 4k and it would back fire. Do you think this could be caused by the coolant and it just needed to dry out and be resealed etc... or would you send it in for RMA and probably wait a long time to get it back?

Thanks.

 

Not related to your opti but you are surprised by this? That's probably rich enough to be washing the cylinders down with fuel.

 

No not surprised, I thought they were but from the other thread we thought it was still just fuel. However I would have loved to have been proven wrong... (But it did make 323ftq on a mustang dyno at 3100-3200rpm with this bad Opti and the rings and running rich.. So I guess I should not be too upset.)

Unfortunately the base tune from MAD was just not enough. However he said he would make it right and next week I will talk to him which should give him enough time after his Thanksgiving.

Although now I have to ask him to switch it for a 355 with higher compression and possible a Comp XE 227/233 cam.

 

I own one ... fortunately for me i was on the dyno when my GM replacement died i went from making 467 rwhp to replacing it with an MSD Opti they had in stock -- my first run after i installed it went to 323 rwhp ... the MSD stole nearly 12 degrees of timing -- i was on the phone with MSD before the rear wheels even came to a stop .... they were willing to overnight one that second ------ My point here is ... Send it back to MSD let them go through it and then install it back before running it again especially at 8:1 af ratio MSD has great customer service !

 

I have been on the phone wasting 120min of air time to still be #4 in line.

I just made an RMA online and will send it in. Hopefully it will be back shortly.

 

I'm not trying to bash anyone because I personally run the MSD opti, but you should be mad at the guy that sold you the MSD opti if he didn't loctite the rotor screws or put it together with the o-rings. Hopefully MSD takes care of you.

 

I can see that point of view but honestly... he sold it to me for 300 with the box and took it out only to see it did not fit.

Honestly I don't think I can be too mad at 300 vs 550. I have an RMA and personally I am more upset at wasting 117min to not even make it through the cue... but then it is black friday.

 

I ussually call on my lunch breaks -- and have yet to wait in a cue ! Sorry your having that much of an issue just getting ahold of them !

 

if i was you i would send the MSD opti to MSD for repairing.

 

MSD does not Lock Tite the rotor screws. The instructions that come with it show you need to install the "O" ring, they didn't. My rotor screws backed out in 2000 mi. Fixed that with LockTite. Car continued to have a high RPM miss and after confirming valve springs as not the cause...replaced the Opti with a AC Delco used one I had. Problem solved.

Called COMP tech and they answered immediately. Gave me a RMA# but the Opti was 2 years old by then. Cost was $107 to replace the entire Opti with a new one. They said it would not exceed $107 to repair it so I find they just replace them.

I have not opened up the Opti since I got it but it did not come with the "O" ring inside the box this time.

The shaft did have play in it on the old one to the point you could move the rotor which I assume was the cause of my problem.

Going to sell the new MSD Opti

 

Its important to loctite the rotor screws,imo. When I pulled my old one off (original opti), I shook it around and to my suprise the rotor wasnt even screwed down. It was kinda floating around in there. Im really suprised the car even ran. I replaced it with a Delphi from thepartsladi. Before I installed it, I made sure to pull it apart and loctite those damn screws. Ran fine ever since.