Optispark cap and rotor
06-28-2009, 09:37 AM
#1
Staging Lane
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Optispark cap and rotor What the hell is wrong with gm. Why am i taking off a godamn water pump to replace a distributer cap. Who's the ******* genius that thought up this one. O yeah sure i got the pump off and the balancer and the godamn air pump. I was awarded with a coolant shower and the entire front and bottom of my engine being coverd in coolant. Jesus man i can only hope the new camaro wasnt designed this stupid. Im so godamn angry right now.
06-28-2009, 10:07 AM
#4
A.) There are FAR more arduous processes on these cars than just replacing the optispark (i.e., fuel pump via drop-the-tank method).
B.) GM didn't revolve the entire engine design around making it easy to change components, so it's something you'll have to live with. It's not so bad.
C.) If the front and bottom of your engine is covered in coolant, you didn't drain the system correctly. There should be a miniscule amount upon seperating the pump from the block. This is assuming you removed BOTH block plugs and drained the radiator fully.
Cheer up, Charlie.
B.) GM didn't revolve the entire engine design around making it easy to change components, so it's something you'll have to live with. It's not so bad.
C.) If the front and bottom of your engine is covered in coolant, you didn't drain the system correctly. There should be a miniscule amount upon seperating the pump from the block. This is assuming you removed BOTH block plugs and drained the radiator fully.
Cheer up, Charlie.
06-28-2009, 10:49 AM
#5
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You'll really be mad when replacing the cap and rotor does not fix your problem and you have to do it all over again. Better make sure you found the root of your particular problem. IMHO, replacing the opti is a pretty simple job, but apparently not for everyone.
06-28-2009, 10:51 AM
#6
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Done it a few times too. PITA. The biggest drawback is that if it breaks down on the road, you can't just change it right there. Mechanical distributors are unreliable things and that is why they no longer make cars with them. The older SBCs are better because you can repair the distributor at the side of the road if need be.
Why the opti? In 1990 nobody was sure if the V8 would survive in the car market. Rather than invest money on a new ground-up V8 design, a budget overhaul was done on the old iron small block Chev to make it last until V8s were phased out. A fully computerized ignition was too pricey, instead an overhauled lighter-weight distributor was designed, supposedly more reliable than the HEI. What happened? Ford opted to produce a new, small, economical OHC V8 with the latest technology and use it for F150 pickup trucks, Crown Victorias and Mustangs which were runaway bestsellers.
GM's tired SBC performed well enough, but was inefficient and not reliable (and everyone here with an LT1 knows why). Chev Caprice police cruisers were phased out in favor of Crown Vics; Camaro and Firebird sales nosedived, and GM had fallen way behind by not having a modern V8. That started a scramble to build a new, ground-up GM V8 and the all-aluminum LS1 was the result. The old small block LT1, based on a block first conceived in 1955 was just not worth putting money into anymore.
That's the story of the Optispark. It was was a half-measure designed to make distributors more reliable. They are more reliable than the HEI, but a headache to repair, especially on the road. I wish they stuck with the HEI distributor sometimes. Here one of several good articles on the opti:
http://www.delteq.com/opti_design.htm
Over the years Optispark distributors have become cheaper, so the cost of replacing one has dropped a lot. Also, their failure appears to be inconsistent. My original one lasted to 90,000 miles. In race applications they tend to fail at high RPM, judging from what I have read on LS1tech and other sites. Most problems are people not realizing that a cap and rotor must be replaced every 40-50,000 miles, then the car dying at the side of the road.
I do all my own repairs and the LT1 car I have is just a hobby for me. The more you learn about this engine the more you know how to make it work reliably. You can get them dirt cheap in good condition and make them fast too. It's also the last true Chevy small block, so there's a bit of nostalgia to it. I guess that's why I'm keeping mine.
Why the opti? In 1990 nobody was sure if the V8 would survive in the car market. Rather than invest money on a new ground-up V8 design, a budget overhaul was done on the old iron small block Chev to make it last until V8s were phased out. A fully computerized ignition was too pricey, instead an overhauled lighter-weight distributor was designed, supposedly more reliable than the HEI. What happened? Ford opted to produce a new, small, economical OHC V8 with the latest technology and use it for F150 pickup trucks, Crown Victorias and Mustangs which were runaway bestsellers.
GM's tired SBC performed well enough, but was inefficient and not reliable (and everyone here with an LT1 knows why). Chev Caprice police cruisers were phased out in favor of Crown Vics; Camaro and Firebird sales nosedived, and GM had fallen way behind by not having a modern V8. That started a scramble to build a new, ground-up GM V8 and the all-aluminum LS1 was the result. The old small block LT1, based on a block first conceived in 1955 was just not worth putting money into anymore.
That's the story of the Optispark. It was was a half-measure designed to make distributors more reliable. They are more reliable than the HEI, but a headache to repair, especially on the road. I wish they stuck with the HEI distributor sometimes. Here one of several good articles on the opti:
http://www.delteq.com/opti_design.htm
Over the years Optispark distributors have become cheaper, so the cost of replacing one has dropped a lot. Also, their failure appears to be inconsistent. My original one lasted to 90,000 miles. In race applications they tend to fail at high RPM, judging from what I have read on LS1tech and other sites. Most problems are people not realizing that a cap and rotor must be replaced every 40-50,000 miles, then the car dying at the side of the road.
I do all my own repairs and the LT1 car I have is just a hobby for me. The more you learn about this engine the more you know how to make it work reliably. You can get them dirt cheap in good condition and make them fast too. It's also the last true Chevy small block, so there's a bit of nostalgia to it. I guess that's why I'm keeping mine.
06-28-2009, 11:55 AM
#7
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X2
They can be a HUGE pain in the ***, but they are good engines for the most part. I enjoy working on mine...it actually challenges me.
As far as coolant all over you, did you not drain it??? You would think common sense would tell you that the WP is coming off so drain coolant first right?
Like it was said before though...make sure you are actually fixing the root problem or else you will get this thing back together and still have issues...then have to o it all over...
They can be a HUGE pain in the ***, but they are good engines for the most part. I enjoy working on mine...it actually challenges me.
As far as coolant all over you, did you not drain it??? You would think common sense would tell you that the WP is coming off so drain coolant first right?
Like it was said before though...make sure you are actually fixing the root problem or else you will get this thing back together and still have issues...then have to o it all over...
