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

msd opti?

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Old Jun 13, 2010 | 09:28 PM
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i believe my opti has finely taken a **** just curious if anyone has been using the pro billet msd opti spark. if so was it worth the $500 and how easy is it to set the timing since its adjustable by +/- 5 degrees i tend to rev the ***** out of my car and stay pretty high in the rpms claims it good for 10,000 rpms not necessary but the more i read the stronger and better it sounds any advice and comments will help
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Old Jun 13, 2010 | 09:40 PM
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Originally Posted by White95m6Z28
i believe my opti has finely taken a **** just curious if anyone has been using the pro billet msd opti spark. if so was it worth the $500 and how easy is it to set the timing since its adjustable by +/- 5 degrees i tend to rev the ***** out of my car and stay pretty high in the rpms claims it good for 10,000 rpms not necessary but the more i read the stronger and better it sounds any advice and comments will help
You should never adjust the timing on the optispark. To me it's more of a selling feature that, realistically, none of us will ever need to use.

"Revving the ***** out of your car" does you more harm than good.

I would recommend a stock AC Delco opti before the MSD. Lots of failures have been documented, and it's much cheaper. If you're going to spend $500 on an opti, spend another $100 and go with the Dynaspark.

Last edited by RamAir95TA; Jun 13, 2010 at 09:51 PM.
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Old Jun 13, 2010 | 09:54 PM
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i have probably one of the first 50 msd optis made, it was still going strong when i pulled the motor out a few months and it's seen 7000 rpm many many times. I'm gonna be ditching that setup pretty soon for a distributor to go along with my DFI, but it's served me well for the last few years.
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Old Jun 13, 2010 | 09:54 PM
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when i say reving the ***** out i mean i drive it im not a ***** i drift the **** out of it and i do run it right to the red line a factory gm performance parts unit is good enough? what type of opti do you run
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Old Jun 13, 2010 | 10:04 PM
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I run an AC Delco. It's 6 years old.
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Old Jun 13, 2010 | 11:53 PM
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I just bought an msd for a new motor I'm building and the msd unit is a well built piece. There are also many people that have had success with this unit. Alot of the failures you hear about are from people failing to install it correctly. The o-ring is really easy to mess up when installing the cap, and make sure you loctite the two rotor screws as you would with any new opti. Take your time and you will be fine.
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Old Jun 14, 2010 | 05:20 AM
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For everyone sucessfully running the MSD POS there are more turning the stock opti higher. It is a waste of money and the timing feature will do noothing but allow you to cause yourself huge amounts of trouble. Plus to actually use it you need a degreed damper, keyed hub and a timing pointer.
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Old Jun 14, 2010 | 08:34 PM
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i have 6000 miles on mine and runs great
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Old Jun 14, 2010 | 11:02 PM
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This is off topic, but when did MSD start making 10.2mm spark plug wires? I can find nothing on their website.
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Old Jun 14, 2010 | 11:07 PM
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Originally Posted by BTC
This is off topic, but when did MSD start making 10.2mm spark plug wires? I can find nothing on their website.
you can find them here.....

www.startyourownthread.com
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Old Jun 14, 2010 | 11:29 PM
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I been heard nothing but bad about MSD opti recently, I do stick with stock ac delco.
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Old Jun 15, 2010 | 12:51 AM
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If you're going to spend the big bucks ($500+) on an opti, just get a dynaspark. I have read nothing bad about their units whatsoever and are supposidly the most durable of anything you can buy (I have not seen proof otherwise either).

But, if you don't plan on buying a Dynaspark I'd go with an AC/Delco Opti absolutely hands down. They aren't the most expensive, but they have the best track record compared to any other "cheap" opti.

Many documented problems with MSD, Accel, Summit, Jegs, and all the other cheaper opti's out there. If you use the search bar and do a little research, you'll find more information than you'll ever need on opti's and wieghing the pros and cons of different companies versions. I'm pretty sure what you'll find is this:

Dynaspark > AC Delco > All others

More than likely, if you take the "cheap" way out and buy an ebay unit or some other cheap junk you'll end up buyin 2 or more distributors before you're done messing with the thing...
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Old Jun 15, 2010 | 03:46 PM
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10,000 miles on my MSD opti and not a single issue. raced once a week and daily driven the rest. the +/- 5 degrees advance thing is ultimately useless and not worth it. overkill? maybe. satisfied? yes. swayed by people's opinion on a product they never used but talk about like they are experts? no. would i recommend it to someone who wants to own one? sure.
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Old Jun 15, 2010 | 06:10 PM
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Originally Posted by MasterTomos
If you're going to spend the big bucks ($500+) on an opti, just get a dynaspark. I have read nothing bad about their units whatsoever and are supposidly the most durable of anything you can buy (I have not seen proof otherwise either).

But, if you don't plan on buying a Dynaspark I'd go with an AC/Delco Opti absolutely hands down. They aren't the most expensive, but they have the best track record compared to any other "cheap" opti.

Many documented problems with MSD, Accel, Summit, Jegs, and all the other cheaper opti's out there. If you use the search bar and do a little research, you'll find more information than you'll ever need on opti's and wieghing the pros and cons of different companies versions. I'm pretty sure what you'll find is this:

Dynaspark > AC Delco > All others

More than likely, if you take the "cheap" way out and buy an ebay unit or some other cheap junk you'll end up buyin 2 or more distributors before you're done messing with the thing...

Correct!
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Old Jun 15, 2010 | 07:09 PM
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MSD Optispark=big waste of money for a name that you can't even see when on the car and the chances of failure are higher.

If you really need your Optispark to say MSD on it then buy a delco/delphi one from thepartspros for $250 and then buy a MSD cap kit for $150 and then you saved $100.
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Old Jun 15, 2010 | 07:29 PM
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Originally Posted by BTC
This is off topic, but when did MSD start making 10.2mm spark plug wires? I can find nothing on their website.
i got mine off ebay
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Old Jun 15, 2010 | 07:36 PM
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Originally Posted by madball
MSD Optispark=big waste of money for a name that you can't even see when on the car and the chances of failure are higher.

If you really need your Optispark to say MSD on it then buy a delco/delphi one from thepartspros for $250 and then buy a MSD cap kit for $150 and then you saved $100.
wow do you really think people spend that much money just because of msd name on front of the cover?.....
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Old Jun 15, 2010 | 07:37 PM
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Originally Posted by stevo9389
swayed by people's opinion on a product they never used but talk about like they are experts? no.
I myself may have never tried an MSD opti personally, but I have seen and talked to dozens of people (including "experts") who have used them and have had issues with them. I don't need to be an "expert" to communicate with people, do research, or use a search bar.

If you watch a friend walk out onto an interstate and get smoked by a Peterbuilt, wouldn't you think twice about doing it yourself? I personally don't need to do it myself to know that maybe it isn't a good idea.
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Old Jun 15, 2010 | 08:06 PM
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if thats how you want to percieve my comment bud i am not gonna argue. everyone put in their $0.02 on this beaten to death subject and i gave mine. i answered his question based on personal experience and not by online reviews/gossip, a friend of a friend or writing on a bathroom stall.
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Old Jun 15, 2010 | 08:22 PM
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Originally Posted by stevo9389
if thats how you want to percieve my comment bud i am not gonna argue. everyone put in their $0.02 on this beaten to death subject and i gave mine. i answered his question based on personal experience and not by online reviews/gossip, a friend of a friend or writing on a bathroom stall.
Your trophy is in the mail, should be to you within 4-6 business days.

All I'm saying is, there are documented failures/issues with MSD's on many counts...none that I've seen with Dynaspark, and a lot less complaints on the AC/Delco unit vs. the MSD, and the ACDelco is cheaper...stop taking this personally...
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