Dynaspark Experience (Long)
05-05-2011, 03:42 AM
#1
Dynaspark Experience (Long) I've been meaning to start a new thread on my dealings with Dynaspark earlier this year, but haven't had a chance. This is as good as any time to shed some light as to what happened since someone had asked about experiences with Dynaspark in another thread.
First off, based on my experience, I would ABSOLUTELY NOT RECOMMEND PURCHASING A NEW DYNASPARK.
I will elaborate, but be forewarned – I tend write like a lawyer, so I apologize in advance if this gets pretty lengthy. If you want to skip reading all the detail, I’ll summarize the details at the end. (See “Summary” below).
Here's the story: My water pump started leaking on my ‘95 Z28 just about 2 years ago. My factory Optispark had also lasted roughly 112K (14 years) miles without failure. I decided to change out the Opti when I changed the WP just as a preemptive measure. I didn't want to change the WP and have to replace the Opti shortly thereafter – I just wanted to save time while I had it apart. So, I had the cash & put down the ~$600 for the Dynaspark. I thought I wouldn't have to deal with it for a very long time since I never drive in the rain, etc. (Pretty easy to do in California).
Late last year, with about 10K miles and just over a year and a half on the Dynaspark, I started having problems where the car would die shortly after warming up. I could even start the car in my garage, wait 5-15 minutes, and it would just die - Not having moved even an inch. All signs pointed to a bad optical sensor. I contacted Dynaspark (current owner = Bob Hogan). I explained my diagnostic technique and asked if there was anything else I should check. He just said "send it in and I will go through it”. Well, I did just that… I sent it back to get rebuilt for $65. I received the unit back without any kind of answer as to what was wrong with my original other than “I found a little oil inside”. Ok. When I got it back, I was surprised to find that sealing surface of the pin-drive was DAMAGED, like the unit had been dropped or mishandled. This wasn’t something that would just “buff out”. It almost looked like it was put in a vise and dropped as well. In this condition, I was not going to put it on the car because it would not have sealed properly. This unit was worthless in its current condition. In an e-mail, I explained to Bob that I was not going spend another $30 to ship the unit back and that he should send me out a completely new unit… After all, I paid $600 for a distributor that “should” outlast all others. So, Bob apologized and sent out a 2nd unit with a return tag for my original. At this point, I was willing to believe that it was just some bad luck.
I received the 2nd replacement the following Monday after it was promised to arrive on a Friday (irritating). After opening the box, I start to get even more worried. This unit did NOT look like the original Dynaspark unit I purchased two years prior. Upon closer inspection, one could easily tell that this was not machined in the same manner. It was not even anodized the same. My original was black (like on their website), this one was grey. The quality looked as if the entire process was sent “off-shore” in order to reduce costs. Corners were bent, machining was uneven, etc. The worst part about the 2nd unit I received is the pin-drive sealing surface was DAMAGED JUST LIKE MY FIRST UNIT, and one of the three Opti-to-Cover mounting tabs was damaged as well – The surface was not even level! I notified Bob of the condition of this 2nd unit, and a few days later I finally received a brief, unapologetic, e-mail that he had a 3rd replacement unit ready for shipment and to ship back the other “bad” units upon it’s arrival. The only good thing was that he actually sent pre-paid shipping labels to return the faulty units. By this time, I’ve have already spent OVER A MONTH dealing with damaged units and waiting for items to be shipped from Fort Wayne, Indiana to California. Not once did they ever try and save my time by using expedited shipping and I still didn’t have a working unit.
Once the 3rd unit was sent out, I returned 2nd unit, but still had my original. The 3rd unit arrives and this one finally passes a visual inspection for damage, but is still not up to the same build quality of the 1st. At this point I decide to put it on the car because it looks like it won’t tear up the seal this time. The car would NOT start!!! I went through the same troubleshooting steps as before, and all signs pointed to the optical sensor. At this point, the only working distributor I had was my OEM AC Delco distributor with 112K miles on it. I put it back on the car to make sure there wasn’t any other issue, and it fired up in seconds after installation.
Needless to say, at this point that I’m seriously pissed off that I’ve wasted so much time dealing with completely avoidable damage at the hands of Dynaspark, and am left with a junk Dynaspark that has a bad optical sensor. I tell Bob at Dynaspark that I have to get this car back on the road and I’m not going to waste any more time waiting for him to send out another unit. I told him that I wanted to swap the good Mitsubishi sensor from my OEM Optispark into the Dynaspark & that I’m going to need his help in rebuilding the 3rd unit myself. After sending this ultimatum, I received no further e-mails from anyone at Dynaspark.
I’ve now decided to rebuild the Dynaspark MYSELF. I found a fairly easy way to take out their security bolts which hold the cap on (I eventually found where you can buy the security bit they use). I opened up both of the unusable Dynaspark units to discover just how inept they are in rebuilding these, and the cheap optical sensor (it’s NOT a Mitsubishi sensor) that is currently being sold to you for $600. I will post pictures of what I discovered when I opened the Dynaspark, and details of the rebuilding process in another message or thread. Let’s just say for now that I was somewhat shocked at what I found. To finish up this story, I rebuilt the 3rd Dynaspark myself using the same techniques, sealant, EMI shielding, but with my OEM Mitsubishi sensor. Once I got this unit back on the car, it fired right up as it always had with the original Optispark.
So, in the end, and after wasting over a month of my time dealing with the current owners of Dynaspark (which I believe to be the 3rd owners) I finally had a working distributor after being forced to rebuild it myself.
Summary:
• Dynaspark purchased in 2009 – Optical sensor failing in late 2010 (heat related failure).
• Dynsapark rebuilds 1st distributor – Damages pin drive.
• Dynaspark sends out 2nd distributor – Damage to pin drive AND mounting tab.
• Dynaspark sends out 3rd distributor – Optical sensor is DOA.
• I’m forced to rebuild the 3rd unit myself with an OEM, 112K mile Mitsubishi sensor.
Let me give you some details on the latest iteration of the Dynaspark that’s currently being sold:
• Cheap, non-Mitsibishi optical sensor.
• Quality of machining is second-rate compared to units produced in the past.
• Rotor only has one rivet – Two could have been easily installed for $600.
• The vacuum harness no longer includes the filter – Just a single one way valve.
• EMI shielding was improperly applied on the 3rd unit that I took apart and rebuilt (original was OK).
• Roll-pins that hold the sensor are the wrong size = Imprecise location of sensor.
Rebuilding failures:
• Threads stripped, and complete over-use/saturation of Loctite on internal screws/bolts.
• Optical sensor housing had split corner as received.
• Distributor cap was chipped internally as received.
• Pin-drive sealing surface damaged – TWICE!!
The only real benefits I see to the current Dynaspark:
• Bearing is higher quality than OEM (although my OEM lasted to 112K without failure).
• Single sealing surface around distributor cap and good, self-leveling silicone used.
• Possibly improved sealing around harness (depending on attention to detail by assembler).
• Rivet holding rotor – Easily done yourself.
More information about Dynaspark, the company:
The current owner (or owners) appear to own a tool & die shop named Huth Tool in Ft. Wayne Indiana. This is NOT who I purchased my Dynaspark from in 2009. The original company, Dynotech Engineering, sold the product to two gentlemen named Eric and Zach in 2006 – That’s who I bought mine from. The current owners are twice removed from the original company, who originally offered the unit for sale back in 2002. BTW, the original “Dynasparks” did have an OEM Mitsubishi sensor, and I would be willing to bet that there are many those still on the road. This last iteration is just the final attempt to profit from original the design, by cutting costs (and therefore quality), by a company that doesn’t have the ability, knowledge, or skill to properly support the product. The customer service may be decent, but that’s not going to stop you from being stranded on the side of the road.
I will post pictures of the distributors, and the rebuilding process as time allows.
First off, based on my experience, I would ABSOLUTELY NOT RECOMMEND PURCHASING A NEW DYNASPARK.
I will elaborate, but be forewarned – I tend write like a lawyer, so I apologize in advance if this gets pretty lengthy. If you want to skip reading all the detail, I’ll summarize the details at the end. (See “Summary” below).
Here's the story: My water pump started leaking on my ‘95 Z28 just about 2 years ago. My factory Optispark had also lasted roughly 112K (14 years) miles without failure. I decided to change out the Opti when I changed the WP just as a preemptive measure. I didn't want to change the WP and have to replace the Opti shortly thereafter – I just wanted to save time while I had it apart. So, I had the cash & put down the ~$600 for the Dynaspark. I thought I wouldn't have to deal with it for a very long time since I never drive in the rain, etc. (Pretty easy to do in California).
Late last year, with about 10K miles and just over a year and a half on the Dynaspark, I started having problems where the car would die shortly after warming up. I could even start the car in my garage, wait 5-15 minutes, and it would just die - Not having moved even an inch. All signs pointed to a bad optical sensor. I contacted Dynaspark (current owner = Bob Hogan). I explained my diagnostic technique and asked if there was anything else I should check. He just said "send it in and I will go through it”. Well, I did just that… I sent it back to get rebuilt for $65. I received the unit back without any kind of answer as to what was wrong with my original other than “I found a little oil inside”. Ok. When I got it back, I was surprised to find that sealing surface of the pin-drive was DAMAGED, like the unit had been dropped or mishandled. This wasn’t something that would just “buff out”. It almost looked like it was put in a vise and dropped as well. In this condition, I was not going to put it on the car because it would not have sealed properly. This unit was worthless in its current condition. In an e-mail, I explained to Bob that I was not going spend another $30 to ship the unit back and that he should send me out a completely new unit… After all, I paid $600 for a distributor that “should” outlast all others. So, Bob apologized and sent out a 2nd unit with a return tag for my original. At this point, I was willing to believe that it was just some bad luck.
I received the 2nd replacement the following Monday after it was promised to arrive on a Friday (irritating). After opening the box, I start to get even more worried. This unit did NOT look like the original Dynaspark unit I purchased two years prior. Upon closer inspection, one could easily tell that this was not machined in the same manner. It was not even anodized the same. My original was black (like on their website), this one was grey. The quality looked as if the entire process was sent “off-shore” in order to reduce costs. Corners were bent, machining was uneven, etc. The worst part about the 2nd unit I received is the pin-drive sealing surface was DAMAGED JUST LIKE MY FIRST UNIT, and one of the three Opti-to-Cover mounting tabs was damaged as well – The surface was not even level! I notified Bob of the condition of this 2nd unit, and a few days later I finally received a brief, unapologetic, e-mail that he had a 3rd replacement unit ready for shipment and to ship back the other “bad” units upon it’s arrival. The only good thing was that he actually sent pre-paid shipping labels to return the faulty units. By this time, I’ve have already spent OVER A MONTH dealing with damaged units and waiting for items to be shipped from Fort Wayne, Indiana to California. Not once did they ever try and save my time by using expedited shipping and I still didn’t have a working unit.
Once the 3rd unit was sent out, I returned 2nd unit, but still had my original. The 3rd unit arrives and this one finally passes a visual inspection for damage, but is still not up to the same build quality of the 1st. At this point I decide to put it on the car because it looks like it won’t tear up the seal this time. The car would NOT start!!! I went through the same troubleshooting steps as before, and all signs pointed to the optical sensor. At this point, the only working distributor I had was my OEM AC Delco distributor with 112K miles on it. I put it back on the car to make sure there wasn’t any other issue, and it fired up in seconds after installation.
Needless to say, at this point that I’m seriously pissed off that I’ve wasted so much time dealing with completely avoidable damage at the hands of Dynaspark, and am left with a junk Dynaspark that has a bad optical sensor. I tell Bob at Dynaspark that I have to get this car back on the road and I’m not going to waste any more time waiting for him to send out another unit. I told him that I wanted to swap the good Mitsubishi sensor from my OEM Optispark into the Dynaspark & that I’m going to need his help in rebuilding the 3rd unit myself. After sending this ultimatum, I received no further e-mails from anyone at Dynaspark.
I’ve now decided to rebuild the Dynaspark MYSELF. I found a fairly easy way to take out their security bolts which hold the cap on (I eventually found where you can buy the security bit they use). I opened up both of the unusable Dynaspark units to discover just how inept they are in rebuilding these, and the cheap optical sensor (it’s NOT a Mitsubishi sensor) that is currently being sold to you for $600. I will post pictures of what I discovered when I opened the Dynaspark, and details of the rebuilding process in another message or thread. Let’s just say for now that I was somewhat shocked at what I found. To finish up this story, I rebuilt the 3rd Dynaspark myself using the same techniques, sealant, EMI shielding, but with my OEM Mitsubishi sensor. Once I got this unit back on the car, it fired right up as it always had with the original Optispark.
So, in the end, and after wasting over a month of my time dealing with the current owners of Dynaspark (which I believe to be the 3rd owners) I finally had a working distributor after being forced to rebuild it myself.
Summary:
• Dynaspark purchased in 2009 – Optical sensor failing in late 2010 (heat related failure).
• Dynsapark rebuilds 1st distributor – Damages pin drive.
• Dynaspark sends out 2nd distributor – Damage to pin drive AND mounting tab.
• Dynaspark sends out 3rd distributor – Optical sensor is DOA.
• I’m forced to rebuild the 3rd unit myself with an OEM, 112K mile Mitsubishi sensor.
Let me give you some details on the latest iteration of the Dynaspark that’s currently being sold:
• Cheap, non-Mitsibishi optical sensor.
• Quality of machining is second-rate compared to units produced in the past.
• Rotor only has one rivet – Two could have been easily installed for $600.
• The vacuum harness no longer includes the filter – Just a single one way valve.
• EMI shielding was improperly applied on the 3rd unit that I took apart and rebuilt (original was OK).
• Roll-pins that hold the sensor are the wrong size = Imprecise location of sensor.
Rebuilding failures:
• Threads stripped, and complete over-use/saturation of Loctite on internal screws/bolts.
• Optical sensor housing had split corner as received.
• Distributor cap was chipped internally as received.
• Pin-drive sealing surface damaged – TWICE!!
The only real benefits I see to the current Dynaspark:
• Bearing is higher quality than OEM (although my OEM lasted to 112K without failure).
• Single sealing surface around distributor cap and good, self-leveling silicone used.
• Possibly improved sealing around harness (depending on attention to detail by assembler).
• Rivet holding rotor – Easily done yourself.
More information about Dynaspark, the company:
The current owner (or owners) appear to own a tool & die shop named Huth Tool in Ft. Wayne Indiana. This is NOT who I purchased my Dynaspark from in 2009. The original company, Dynotech Engineering, sold the product to two gentlemen named Eric and Zach in 2006 – That’s who I bought mine from. The current owners are twice removed from the original company, who originally offered the unit for sale back in 2002. BTW, the original “Dynasparks” did have an OEM Mitsubishi sensor, and I would be willing to bet that there are many those still on the road. This last iteration is just the final attempt to profit from original the design, by cutting costs (and therefore quality), by a company that doesn’t have the ability, knowledge, or skill to properly support the product. The customer service may be decent, but that’s not going to stop you from being stranded on the side of the road.
I will post pictures of the distributors, and the rebuilding process as time allows.
05-05-2011, 03:43 AM
#2
5/7/2011 - Added some pics:
Side-by-Side comparison - Circled areas show some changes.
Pin-Drive-Damage:
Machining Comparisons:
2009 Dynaspark - All machined surfaces are flat & edges deburred/chamfered.
"Budget" anodizing and uneven surface (Both pics are of 2011 Dynaspark):
DOA Sensor:
Sensor Fitment:
OEM Sensor - The one you want if you can find/afford it:
Side-by-Side comparison - Circled areas show some changes.
Pin-Drive-Damage:
Machining Comparisons:
2009 Dynaspark - All machined surfaces are flat & edges deburred/chamfered.
"Budget" anodizing and uneven surface (Both pics are of 2011 Dynaspark):
DOA Sensor:
Sensor Fitment:
OEM Sensor - The one you want if you can find/afford it:
Last edited by jb442; 05-07-2011 at 02:24 PM. Reason: Added some pics.
05-05-2011, 06:33 AM
#6
Excellent post! At one time several years ago, I was considering a Dynaspark for my Camaro, and I was doing a little research on the product.
I seem to recall that the Dynaspark distributor was originally made/marketed by an outfit called Dyno Tech Engineering, which also made some HD Corvette driveline parts. If it's indeed the same company, it was headed up by a man named Phil. According to what I read on the Corvette Forum, he, like many specialty shop owners, had some financial issues in the '06-'07 timeframe, and sold off the assets of his business, initially, as you mentioned, to Eric and Zach. I was unaware that the product had been handed off again.
My initial concern, and the primary reason I didn't buy a Dynaspark, was long-term customer support. To "performance junkies", the OE Optispark is a marginal piece, therefore a HP substitute would be a welcome product. HOWEVER, how big a market is there, for a $600 LT1 distributor? I'm sure that there was the potential for an initial surge in sales of this part, but after that.....??? Consider that the last LT1s were installed in '97.
I seem to recall that the Dynaspark distributor was originally made/marketed by an outfit called Dyno Tech Engineering, which also made some HD Corvette driveline parts. If it's indeed the same company, it was headed up by a man named Phil. According to what I read on the Corvette Forum, he, like many specialty shop owners, had some financial issues in the '06-'07 timeframe, and sold off the assets of his business, initially, as you mentioned, to Eric and Zach. I was unaware that the product had been handed off again.
My initial concern, and the primary reason I didn't buy a Dynaspark, was long-term customer support. To "performance junkies", the OE Optispark is a marginal piece, therefore a HP substitute would be a welcome product. HOWEVER, how big a market is there, for a $600 LT1 distributor? I'm sure that there was the potential for an initial surge in sales of this part, but after that.....??? Consider that the last LT1s were installed in '97.
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05-05-2011, 08:58 PM
#12
That is terrible that this company has basically destroyed the value of purchasing a $600 dyna-spark. I think someone should let the current owners know about this thread. Maybe it will force them to reconsider the profitability model they have chosen on this once well respected part.
05-05-2011, 11:35 PM
#13
11 Second Club
I bought a Dynaspark opti in 06' and its been going strong ever since. I even pressure washed my engine a couple of times... Maybe when they sold the company the new owners are using cheap parts...
05-09-2011, 01:36 AM
#16
i bought my dynaspark i think the end of last year and i had it on for mabye 3000 miles its the black one like the older model in your pics but mine would start dying after it warmed up and i drove it for a bit and then it just got worse and would die and die so i started throwing the optical sensor code and i was like ok wtf.
so ive been calling for months and left a voicemail 4 different times with my name and number and still have yet to recieve a call back its awesome paying $600 dollers for customer service that blows a fat one.
so ive been calling for months and left a voicemail 4 different times with my name and number and still have yet to recieve a call back its awesome paying $600 dollers for customer service that blows a fat one.
05-09-2011, 02:34 AM
#17
i bought my dynaspark i think the end of last year and i had it on for mabye 3000 miles its the black one like the older model in your pics but mine would start dying after it warmed up and i drove it for a bit and then it just got worse and would die and die so i started throwing the optical sensor code and i was like ok wtf.
so ive been calling for months and left a voicemail 4 different times with my name and number and still have yet to recieve a call back its awesome paying $600 dollers for customer service that blows a fat one.
so ive been calling for months and left a voicemail 4 different times with my name and number and still have yet to recieve a call back its awesome paying $600 dollers for customer service that blows a fat one.
BTW, in my recent debacle, I was only able to speak to them on the phone once... and it was with a secretary or assistant, just to give her my credit card #'s for the rebuild. I never spoke with Bob - He never returned my voice messages either. All correspondence was via e-mail. They did move to a new location back in February.
