LT1-LT4 Modifications 1993-97 Gen II Small Block V8

help on opti purchase

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Old Dec 17, 2009 | 08:02 PM
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Default help on opti purchase

Hey has anyone got an opti from these guys on ebay? THey are selling for 75 bucks thats a pretty cheap price just wanted to see if anyone has tried..

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/92-93...Q5fAccessories
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Old Dec 17, 2009 | 08:22 PM
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Its more money but the GM model is the part to purchase
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Old Dec 17, 2009 | 08:23 PM
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so then thepartsladi is probably the best bet at like 290 then huh?
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Old Dec 17, 2009 | 08:33 PM
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If your willing to spend some extra money you should do the conversion to the coil on plug setup like the ls1
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Old Dec 17, 2009 | 09:12 PM
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The cheap ones are a crap shoot. Too much trouble for me to bet on one like that.
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Old Dec 17, 2009 | 10:03 PM
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i wish i could do the ls1 type but money is tight, i just read that if you gotta do ur water pump u should do the opti also thats the only reason im lookin for one. i guess 290 isnt terrible though. I dont wanna buy something thats gonna go bad on me in a month or so
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Old Dec 18, 2009 | 07:34 AM
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I'm currently testing an opti from chandlermotorsportsinc on ebay that I got for 75.00. 2,000 miles so far so good.
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Old Dec 18, 2009 | 09:05 AM
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Im testing an ebay OPTI here too. Just installed it yesterday and only problem is that i bought a new opti harness and it came with broken wires. Car wont go past 3k rpm and sometimes it wont start. I giggled the wires on the harness and it dies. I gotta get a new harness now hey good luck and chandlermotorsports posts on this forums too....
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Old Dec 18, 2009 | 09:10 AM
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msd all the way IMHO
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Old Dec 18, 2009 | 07:13 PM
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how much is msd? where do i get it? just summit or jegs
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Old Dec 18, 2009 | 07:24 PM
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AC Delco from thepartsladi. Everything else is a crapshoot. It either works, or it doesn't.
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Old Dec 18, 2009 | 07:48 PM
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Aftermarket optis= failure waiting to happen. I had an allignition opti fail on me in less then 1000 miles (or somewhere around there)! I still need to send that one back to make them at least honor their lifetime warranty and give me a Temporary back up.

Id only run a true Ac delco. But I think that the cap and rotor (at least the rotor quality) has gone to ****. I had two new AC rotors fail on me within a year.

Swapped to an MSD cap and rotor and it's been holding so far.

IMO the best set up is AC opti with an MSD cap and rotor.
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Old Dec 18, 2009 | 07:48 PM
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ok thats what i was thinkin,
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Old Dec 18, 2009 | 08:41 PM
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for $75 you're better off buying a used AC delco or Delphi one from ebay. That's what i did. The cap and rotor are known to wear out after about 60k miles fyi
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Old Dec 19, 2009 | 08:03 AM
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Originally Posted by bore.me
for $75 you're better off buying a used AC delco or Delphi one from ebay. That's what i did. The cap and rotor are known to wear out after about 60k miles fyi
Or break with less then 1000 miles on them after a few 6800-7000rpm upshifts
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Old Dec 19, 2009 | 10:21 AM
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Originally Posted by RamAir95TA
AC Delco from thepartsladi. Everything else is a crapshoot. It either works, or it doesn't.

That's what I'm using (from same vendor too) check the thread with 6972rpm....IMO its a good distributor.


Stock rotor and cap....it hits 6800 every freeking day

Mike
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Old Dec 19, 2009 | 10:55 AM
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No matter which Opti you use, disassemble it first and locktite the rotor screws. That's what fails consistently, even on a brand new AC opti, sometimes on the first few runs down the track on a high rpm motor.
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Old Dec 19, 2009 | 12:14 PM
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Originally Posted by bowtienut
No matter which Opti you use, disassemble it first and locktite the rotor screws. That's what fails consistently, even on a brand new AC opti, sometimes on the first few runs down the track on a high rpm motor.
Not to argue but.....I haven't done that and my OPTI is doing just fine and has a couple of years worth of 6800+ daily driven shifts...

Lots of folks have OPTI failures and I wonder if its due to their (the owners) performance upgrade
But then again I've never been on a track maybe having to get out of the throttle after only 440yds is the problem
Mike
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Old Dec 19, 2009 | 12:32 PM
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I'v bin researching optis alot lately and realize that a lot of opti failures also have a lot to do w/ the vented system thats on it. The reason I say this is cause if you have a ram air intake setup and have the vented tube going to the elbow it will be sucking alot of moisture into the opti if you drive in the rain causing it to fail. If your using a vented opti I want everyone to make sure that the vent tube that sucks air in is free of cracks or leaks cause that imo is the death to your opti. Also if not runing a ram air cai setup then make sure the filter is tight and covered from any water getting on it or just not run a vented setup. Good luck to all.
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Old Dec 19, 2009 | 12:55 PM
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From what I have seen, the AC Delco Opti's are currently a Chinese knockoff, the same as the cheap "Ebay" units. The manufacturer even goes as far as to cast the base plate with the GM part number in it, but you can tell it is not quite the same alloy as the factory GM part. The cap on the knockoff does have brass terminals, which may be a nice feature. But untill we see people who have put some serious mileage on these knockoffs, we just won't know for sure if they are durable!
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