LT1 problems again!
02-28-2009, 10:11 PM
#1
Teching In
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Indiana
Posts: 15
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
LT1 problems again! my 93 trans am just shut off while driving. Cranks over fine, all guages were good, acts like its not getting fuel, but squirts lots of fuel out of shrader valve when cranking. No idea What could be wrong. opti spark was replaced only a year ago and the car had been running great. Any suggestions?
02-28-2009, 11:32 PM
#3
pull the wire coming from coil to the opti. If there is spark coming from the coil then it's the opti
Well actually if you should pull a plug wire and see if there is spark to the plugs. If not then try from the coil to the opti. If there is power there, it's the opti
Well actually if you should pull a plug wire and see if there is spark to the plugs. If not then try from the coil to the opti. If there is power there, it's the opti 
03-01-2009, 02:07 AM
#5
my 93 trans am just shut off while driving. Cranks over fine, all guages were good, acts like its not getting fuel, but squirts lots of fuel out of shrader valve when cranking. No idea What could be wrong. opti spark was replaced only a year ago and the car had been running great. Any suggestions?
03-01-2009, 08:44 AM
#6
Teching In
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Indiana
Posts: 15
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
03-01-2009, 09:48 AM
#7
There is a whole host of things that could be wrong and NOT be the optispark.
First off, I had a similar problem on a '94 TA I bought iwth high mileage, car ran fine, drove fine, lots of power, all of a sudden it dies. Sometimes it would restart right away, other times it wouldn't restart for days. Turns out it was a power wire that goes from teh fuseable links by the battery to the fusebox. The previous owner had a battery explode at one point, acid got into the wiring harness that runs in front of the radiator, under the latch. it found it's way into a compromised section of isulation on a wire and totally corroded it out internally. You could NOT tell by looking at the wire or the harness that there was anything wrong with any of it.
Another thing to check is the fuel pump relay under the drivers footrest, the fuel injector and ignition fuses in teh fuseblock in the engine compartment, make sure there isn't any weird security light flashing when attempting to start (which would indicate a problem with the VATS system)... It could also be the ignition module, coil, coil wire.
Also had another car I fixed that just died all of a sudden, turns out the black/grey connectors on teh coil had been tweaked and a wire was broken inside the insulation. Couldn't tell there was a problem until you tugged on the wire and the insulation stretched, indicating a broken wire inside.
If a dealership did it, you would HOPE they used a AC Delco opti, but realistically they could have used anything. Since it was a dealership that did it, if there is a problem with it, you should be covered by some sort of warranty on at least the part and if not the whole job. Check with the dealership and if it is within a year go with the attitude that it is THIER problem. But oyu have to be sure it is the optispark first...
First off, I had a similar problem on a '94 TA I bought iwth high mileage, car ran fine, drove fine, lots of power, all of a sudden it dies. Sometimes it would restart right away, other times it wouldn't restart for days. Turns out it was a power wire that goes from teh fuseable links by the battery to the fusebox. The previous owner had a battery explode at one point, acid got into the wiring harness that runs in front of the radiator, under the latch. it found it's way into a compromised section of isulation on a wire and totally corroded it out internally. You could NOT tell by looking at the wire or the harness that there was anything wrong with any of it.
Another thing to check is the fuel pump relay under the drivers footrest, the fuel injector and ignition fuses in teh fuseblock in the engine compartment, make sure there isn't any weird security light flashing when attempting to start (which would indicate a problem with the VATS system)... It could also be the ignition module, coil, coil wire.
Also had another car I fixed that just died all of a sudden, turns out the black/grey connectors on teh coil had been tweaked and a wire was broken inside the insulation. Couldn't tell there was a problem until you tugged on the wire and the insulation stretched, indicating a broken wire inside.
If a dealership did it, you would HOPE they used a AC Delco opti, but realistically they could have used anything. Since it was a dealership that did it, if there is a problem with it, you should be covered by some sort of warranty on at least the part and if not the whole job. Check with the dealership and if it is within a year go with the attitude that it is THIER problem. But oyu have to be sure it is the optispark first...
Trending Topics
03-01-2009, 12:53 PM
#9
TECH Junkie
iTrader: (12)
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: SFL
Posts: 3,012
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
lol wow you guys (not everyone in this thread) are what give LT1's a bad name.. look at thes replies.. OPTI! OPTI! OPTI! OPTI! My goodness.. did you guys know that fouled plugs can also cause a car to bog/shut off while driving as well?! Hmm?! Jesus christ, give the opti a break
03-01-2009, 02:09 PM
#10
lol wow you guys (not everyone in this thread) are what give LT1's a bad name.. look at thes replies.. OPTI! OPTI! OPTI! OPTI! My goodness.. did you guys know that fouled plugs can also cause a car to bog/shut off while driving as well?! Hmm?! Jesus christ, give the opti a break
Everyone is so quick to bash the damn thing. There are dozens of other things that can go wrong.
Not to mention it was used for 6 years, not four.
03-01-2009, 11:14 PM
#11
Well for me personally, any LT1 car I have worked on with my friends or people we knew, everytime the damn thing would just die or not start, it was the OPTI, nothing else, it was the OPTI. Not only does the thing die, but when it does die it is a pain in the *** to get to and you need some specialized inverted half hex star bit to even take the damn thing off. To get the bit to remove the thing my buddy and I had to literally hunt down a snap on tool guy in his truck and buy it from him, that was $30 for that little bit just to remove the thing. I have known a handful of guys that washed their car and when they were done the car would not start, guess why, the OPTI got wet and went out.
You are 100% right in saying that it will not always be the opti, there are other things it can always be but I am saying the opti is the first thing you should check out. Its easy to pull a plug wire and see if you have spark, if you have no spark then its the OPTI.
I love working on cars and wrenching with my buddies, but the optispark is the only piece of equipment that a car has on it that I dread and hate working on, I would rather pull my fingernails out and stick my fingers in some acid over working on another optispark.
I could be wrong but after thinking about it I am pretty sure the LT1 was only used in the Fbody and Ybody for 5 years. 92-96 for Ybodies and 93-97 for Fbodies. Maybe you are talking about another car but I was specifically talking about Fbodies and Ybodies. I am pretty sure even GM knew it sucked, thats why it was around for such a short amount of time after replacing the 350 that has been around for decades. GM is know for sticking to a motor for a long time, look at the conventional 350, it has been around for decades, was replaced with the LT1, GM decided it was garbage and the LS based motor was born. I am pretty confident in saying the LS based motor will be around for a long time to come just like the 350 was. Coincidence? I think not.
I am sorry if not all of you agree and some of you are die hard LT1 fans, thats admirable that you enjoy the motor and can stand working on them but I can not. These comments I made are in no way meant to be taken personal, they are merely my beliefs based on real actual life events that have happend to me in the past. Thats all.
You are 100% right in saying that it will not always be the opti, there are other things it can always be but I am saying the opti is the first thing you should check out. Its easy to pull a plug wire and see if you have spark, if you have no spark then its the OPTI.
I love working on cars and wrenching with my buddies, but the optispark is the only piece of equipment that a car has on it that I dread and hate working on, I would rather pull my fingernails out and stick my fingers in some acid over working on another optispark.
I could be wrong but after thinking about it I am pretty sure the LT1 was only used in the Fbody and Ybody for 5 years. 92-96 for Ybodies and 93-97 for Fbodies. Maybe you are talking about another car but I was specifically talking about Fbodies and Ybodies. I am pretty sure even GM knew it sucked, thats why it was around for such a short amount of time after replacing the 350 that has been around for decades. GM is know for sticking to a motor for a long time, look at the conventional 350, it has been around for decades, was replaced with the LT1, GM decided it was garbage and the LS based motor was born. I am pretty confident in saying the LS based motor will be around for a long time to come just like the 350 was. Coincidence? I think not.
I am sorry if not all of you agree and some of you are die hard LT1 fans, thats admirable that you enjoy the motor and can stand working on them but I can not. These comments I made are in no way meant to be taken personal, they are merely my beliefs based on real actual life events that have happend to me in the past. Thats all.
03-01-2009, 11:19 PM
#12
TECH Junkie
iTrader: (12)
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: SFL
Posts: 3,012
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
^ Honestly sounds like you and your friends have had bad luck.. I can pressure wash my engine and not have a problem.. I have a video of my friend hosing his down and scrbbing it and hosing it down again and he starts it right up lol. If you take the time to seal the opti properly, you will NEVER have a problem. I;ve been through 2ft deep puddles (not on purpose) where the water exceeds the level of the opti and the car runs perfect lol. nothing's wrong with the opti. people just have bad luck with it or don't know how to do things right (partaining to it) and claim that LT1's suck
03-01-2009, 11:20 PM
#13
Teching In
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Palmdale, CA
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
mine had the same kind of problems...it used to do this thing where it would start for 10 seconds then die. BUT, if it managed to stay on past 10 seconds you were go to until you shut the key off...really weird. i was just over it so i sold it. lol
03-01-2009, 11:26 PM
#14
TECH Fanatic
I don't recall needing any special tools to remove my opti. My original opti lasted for over 100,000 miles, and probably would have lasted longer if my car had not sat in storage for several years. My water pump had also been leaking on my opti prior to putting it in storage.
So you think the only reason GM developed the LS motor is because the LT1 sucked? If it hadn't sucked, would GM still be sitting on their haunches looking for a good reason to develop something better?
So you think the only reason GM developed the LS motor is because the LT1 sucked? If it hadn't sucked, would GM still be sitting on their haunches looking for a good reason to develop something better?
03-01-2009, 11:43 PM
#15
TECH Fanatic
You are 100% right in saying that it will not always be the opti, there are other things it can always be but I am saying the opti is the first thing you should check out. Its easy to pull a plug wire and see if you have spark, if you have no spark then its the OPTI.
03-02-2009, 02:54 AM
#17
Because no spark could never be a bad coil or ICM. Always with out fail the opti, don't bother trying to solve the problem, or using the proper steps to solve the problem just throw parts at it and see what happens thats the best way to go. Reading this post makes me see why 96Capricemgr is such a dick to most people on the boards.
Last edited by BizZzatch350; 03-02-2009 at 03:04 AM.
03-02-2009, 04:41 AM
#18
wow, you LT1 guys will support that thing to the end I guess. I am more just messing around with you guys honestly, I am just not a fan of the optispark setup. There are other things it could be but from my experiences I would check the optispark first. I will just leave it at that guys. Just joshin you guys a little bit. LOL
03-02-2009, 04:55 AM
#19
wow, you LT1 guys will support that thing to the end I guess. I am more just messing around with you guys honestly, I am just not a fan of the optispark setup. There are other things it could be but from my experiences I would check the optispark first. I will just leave it at that guys. Just joshin you guys a little bit. LOL
And if you replace the opti, you replace the whole thing - not just the cap and rotor requiring this special tool (it's an E4 inverted torx, by the way).
03-02-2009, 07:53 AM
#20
TECH Fanatic