--Final Report--

Here's a picture... I hate being right.


--Problem Solved--


So I bought another Camaro LT1 355 off a local guy who turned out to be.... someone I will never trust again for other reasons.

Anyway The motor was built by a guy named scott just a 355 rebuild with better springs, push rods and a GM 847 Cam. Its been run about 16k and it had one small oil leak on the water pump drive shaft as the all seem to have.

Other than that I have played games with the AC and charging it, then the other things you get to trace down, cracked upper dash, putting on all the suspension upgrades etc.

Well yesterday I really started testing things out. I had gotten on it a few times once pretty hard and she did fine. Well I went ahead and ran the vehicle for about 90 Min yesterday while playing with the AC and watching the Temp and it never got above the second line on the gauge.

I then went today to go have the low pressure switch tested on the AC as it seems to be the problem. On the way there I decided why not get on her and see what she does.

1st Gear was great, I grabbed second and it felt like it was wheel hopping the passenger wheel so I got out of it and tried getting back in (Clutch in and out basically) but not being so hard it did it again so I figured I have the Trq Arm Adjusted wrong and slow it down.
I let out the clutch slowly again leaving it in second everything feels fine I push in the clutch to shift to third and I hear a muffled pop.... I look down car is at like 200rpm maybe and oil pressure falling.

My first thought is great I blew the motor. So I Turn the car off and coast, I see no oil trail nothing... so I pull over and look nothing not a drop of oil anywhere. I try to start it and she seems like she is popping randomly... almost like its trying to start but misfiring.

I checked the codes and nothing.

So I am assuming its the Opti and its just my luck again....

Anyone else have any thoughts? I have to have the car towed back, a local friend is helping with it tonight for now its sitting at his house.

Before I go buy another Opti and do a few other changes I figured I would get some other opinions. When it gets here I will try swapping out the ICM and see what that does as well as do some of the electrical tests but for now I am not sure and I can not test. Its trying to start but like its not firing all cyc or sim. to that.

Thanks

---UPDATE---
Using this guide as usual:
http://www.mainstreamtopics.com/foru...p?showtopic=78


I have Fuel Pressure.

I am doing this alone so I was not able to do the pulse tests yet so unknown on the injectors pulsing.

Next the ICM Pink/Black and White/Black. Only the Pink/Black is Hot not the White/Black. However the Yellow/Black is hot....

On the Coil itself one of the Pink wires is hot (The one by itself) the other is not.

The rest requires some help so I have to wait for someone to get home and lend a hand.

I am going to grab my spare ICM and give it a try.

---UPDATE AGAIN---
Ok I tested the coil again and it was barely in spec for the Primary and out of spec for the secondary so I bought another. We then tested the ICM... and it failed so I was thinking great problem found... so I threw the new one on the tester for the fun of it... and it failed. Hoping it was just the machine I just bought the coil came home and no go.

I also did finally get a real PSI reading on the fuel and its at 44PSI it seems. So its not fuel def spark related...

So its back to the drawing board. I will go else where and test the ICM, if it fails again and I get one to pass I guess I found my problem... a 95.00 problem according to autozone....

---Here we go again---
ICM passed 15 times in a row.... I will try testing everything one more time today... then I am removing the opti.

 

What style opti do you have? 93-94 or 95-97?

Jason

 

time to up-grade to the coil packs

 

Its the vented opti.
I was thinking that lol.

I just can not escape this nagging doubt that somehow its not the opti and something else internally is wrong....

 

Just curious, is there any particular reason you think it's the opti? So far here's what we know: car will not start, pops. Not really enough to diagnose it as a bad opti...

 

Frankly I don't and will not until later.

I know from my prior bad opti issues it never gave a code and I have no codes at all.

But that was the reason for this thread a few different idea's... that hopefully have nothing to do with a bad motor.

 

Denny,
The reason I ask is because I had a similar problem one time and it did turn out to be the opti. I finally figured out on a hunch that the dowel pin on my cam might be sticking out too far.....turns out it was. Always check that dowel length to make sure that it is protruding the correct amount. If it's even slightly too long, it will break (or stress) the two hub retaining bolts inside the opti when the unit is tightened down onto the timing cover.

Check that out first.

Jason

 

Well I will take pictures tomorrow and show if I figure anything out.

 

This is the problem, since someone else built it, then sold it and they drove it then I bought it I am not sure whats going on.

I was told it was a Newer Opti. Guess that does not mean AC Delco New but in the same light I am not even sure since it was converted to vented if it was a 96 bottom end or just converted.

Trying to get straight answers on the small defining parts of this build has been a nightmare. (Which is why I am still finding myself concerned that its something else... something worse... but since nothing is sticking out the bottom of the block I am not sure what it could be I heard no tapping no nothing it just back fired/popped rather quietly and no longer runs.... )

Anyway thank you I will def look into this to see on the conversion what it looks like. Maybe it just let loose or something to that effect.

 

Ok so I have a little more information its in the first post.

 

It's easy to tell what opti you have just by looking at the bottom side of it (on the car). The vented unit has two port coming out towards the drivers side. They are supposed to have vacuum lines....one runs to the intake manifold (passengers side) and the other goes to the small blue elbow that is in the rubber intake elbow that connects to the throttle body. Are those lines there?

Jason

 

Yes I thought I meantioned it was vented from the start maybe that was the other thread. Its def vented.

 

My bad, maybe I misunderstood what you were saying. When/if you do pull the opti off, check out the dowel pin length. I've seen quite a few of them installed incorrectly (exposed length).

Jason

 

Thanks, I did a few more test yesterday, I am getting hot on the pink wire at the injectors no pulse though so that leads towards the opti.

We check for the pulse from the coil t the ICM and got nothing either so it could be the ICM, also he coil ohms seem to be out of spec but we were recalling them from memory.

So today I will buy an FPR gauge, check the ICM and Coil an replace if need be then test everything again.

 

Ok I tested the coil again and it was barely in spec for the Primary and out of spec for the secondary so I bought another. We then tested the ICM... and it failed so I was thinking great problem found... so I threw the new one on the tester for the fun of it... and it failed. Hoping it was just the machine I just bought the coil came home and no go.

I also did finally get a real PSI reading on the fuel and its at 44PSI it seems. So its not fuel def spark related...

So its back to the drawing board. I will go else where and test the ICM, if it fails again and I get one to pass I guess I found my problem... a 95.00 problem according to autozone....

If tomorrow it tests fine or this does not fix it I am buying an Opti.

 

I suggest getting LTCC. I never have any problems with optis.

 

I was saving to do Megasquirt... looks like I might have to buy another Opti and just wait longer on my MS conversion to kill the Opti forever.

 

ICM passed 15 times in a row.... I will try testing everything one more time today... then I am removing the opti.

 

Once you remove the opti, open it up and check it thoroughly.
Check the rotor screws to see if they are still seated. Check the contacts for excessive burns, corrosion, or contamination. Look at the optical wheel for any bends or deflection, check the bearing inside for any scars or wear. Do as mentioned and check the cam dowel pin length.

Something is causing premature failure.
There is no need to stray from the stock ignition system, you just need to ensure that everything is the way it is supposed to be.

 

Alright I got it off without removing the radiator and condenser... having ac is annoying even if its not working completely it just seems to be low so I don't want to remove it...

Anyway the Opti is toast I can only turn it so far and it locks in either direction. Never had an opti feel like that.

The new one I am going to take apart and locktite everything down as well as seal it myself.

I am worried though, getting those fans out was annoying.... but now that I am putting in an electric waterpump... it sticks out the back of the housing a little. I hope I can get them back in... or else I am buying some slim lines lol.

I am not ready to do the LSX ECU Conversion yet. I will buy heads and my other upgrades first. Then I will buy a prebuilt harness from them as well as the whole kit. So its going to be a little while.