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Mar 18, 2009 | 07:47 PM

#21

94BlueZ28

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From: Satellite Beach, FL

Oh I see, I just cant for see moisture getting into a sealed opti. I sealed my new one with RTV. Maybe this wll keep moisture out if it can get in?

Mar 18, 2009 | 08:10 PM

#22

ss.slp.ls1

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From: Orange County, CA

Quote:

Originally Posted by 94BlueZ28

Oh I see, I just cant for see moisture getting into a sealed opti. I sealed my new one with RTV. Maybe this wll keep moisture out if it can get in?

Yeah, as long as you keep it sealed tight, the unventilated opti will work fine.

Mar 18, 2009 | 08:18 PM

#23

RamAir95TA

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From: South Jersey

Quote:

Originally Posted by 94BlueZ28

Oh I see, I just cant for see moisture getting into a sealed opti. I sealed my new one with RTV. Maybe this wll keep moisture out if it can get in?

Quote:

Originally Posted by ss.slp.ls1

Yeah, as long as you keep it sealed tight, the unventilated opti will work fine.

The problem here is that, while moisture is bad for the optispark, ozone gas is worse. The vent is there primarily to remove ozone caused by the spark discharging. In a sealed opti the ozone can cause rust which blinds the optical sensor and can lead to a host of problems.

Perhaps sealing the optispark entirely isn't a good idea as it will ensure that ALL ozone stays in the cap. It's somewhat of a catch-22. Seal out moisture but seal in ozone, versus eradicate ozone but invite more moisture. Hmm.

Mar 18, 2009 | 08:33 PM

#24

litch2004

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From: Austin

ya i did this as well with one of my gm opti's and when it went out i took it apart and it was all rusted up. That was the cause of the failure. The other one that i put in i did not seal up and it got water inside of it when it flooded here in texas. It also caused my opti to go out. That is why i decided to go ahead with the MSD bro billet distributor. It already came with the vented lines and dirrections to install them. It was better than converting my cam, timing gears and chain, timing cover, and then the opti. At the time it seemed like my best bet. i still think it was too.

Mar 20, 2009 | 10:25 AM

#25

30thAnnivLT1

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From: Augusta, GA

Quote:

Originally Posted by litch2004

well i bought 2 new ac delco opti's before i bought the msd. The ac delco opti kept going out in a couple of months. I put in the msd and it lasted about 1 1/2 years before this happen.

Hey, I purchased a 94 Z28 with this problem. It died this week, and it's on it's 3rd opti-spark in a year and a half. I'm glad I'm not the only one with this problem. About how much did you spend on the MSD?

Mar 20, 2009 | 03:18 PM

#26

litch2004

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From: Austin

around $500
http://store.summitracing.com/partde...5&autoview=sku

Mar 20, 2009 | 03:45 PM

#27

30thAnnivLT1

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From: Augusta, GA

That's pretty expensive. You mentioned that it only lasted a year and a half. Is there anyway to stop the opti-sparks from crapping out? The guy I bought the car from said that the car is probably tuned too aggresively (no such thing to me). Would tuning the car down help make the opti-spark last longer?

Mar 23, 2009 | 06:59 PM

#28

litch2004

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From: Austin

im not sure. i also failed to mention that not to long after i put the msd in th WP leaked all over it. also where the shaft goes in the timing cover started leaking allowing oil to enter the opti. i opened the msd up and there was oil all in it except on the optical sensor inself. vented system worked good on that part. bad luck for me though it got into the cap and rotor and caused the rotor to arch on to the sutter wheel causing the failure.