Opti number 5 in 3 months
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On The Tree
Joined: Jun 2008
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From: Hallandale Beach, FL
Opti number 5 in 3 months Just installed my opti again for the 5th time!!!! Just shaved down dowel pin because that was a problem and now opti takes a crap again!!! Wtf!!! I can't take it anymore I'm getting ready to part this car out if I can't can't find an answer
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Thread Starter
On The Tree
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 164
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From: Hallandale Beach, FL
Everyone that I have taken out has either thrown the rotor off so I lock tight it down then next one went out and I spin the bearing wobbles so I measure the dowel pin out of the cam boom too big so I fix that problem put it in and this is where I'm at now...I thought I solved the problem but apparently not!! Shoebox your the lt1 god need something..is something electrical?
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From: Deep in the heart of Texas
If you've slung 5 rotors in 5 different opti's it's not an electrical issue thats for sure. Is the top timing gear rubbing the cover causing grooves or a severe wear pattern in the cover itself?
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On The Tree
Joined: Jun 2008
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From: Hallandale Beach, FL
No first 2 were the rotors that's when I fixed that problem with locktight...next was the dowel pin pushing on the opti and I fixed that now I have no idea??? That's why I think something is burning the Optis out there has to be some kind of surge..or even the vacuum lines to the Optis are causing the problems and I have check valves on there also..this is why I'm stumped??
Thread Starter
On The Tree
Joined: Jun 2008
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From: Hallandale Beach, FL
Ok well if the cap is being sucked in on itself then would this do the same for the optical sensor and destroy it?
Shoebox one more question could a bad tach cause a electrical problem to the opti..I'm stepping back and trying to analyze every angle..I know that when I hooked up my tach I had a constant 12 volts to the tach sending wire and when car was running it would pulse also..usually a sending wire does not recieved a constant 12v and I noticed since I installed this autometer tach that I would see the needle jump out of no where even when opti is new..when I had previous tach I never had this problem..first opti spun a rotor which is common the. I put new tach in and one month later bad opti and it had continued breaking could this tach be my problem??
Shoebox one more question could a bad tach cause a electrical problem to the opti..I'm stepping back and trying to analyze every angle..I know that when I hooked up my tach I had a constant 12 volts to the tach sending wire and when car was running it would pulse also..usually a sending wire does not recieved a constant 12v and I noticed since I installed this autometer tach that I would see the needle jump out of no where even when opti is new..when I had previous tach I never had this problem..first opti spun a rotor which is common the. I put new tach in and one month later bad opti and it had continued breaking could this tach be my problem??
are these spline drive ? What year is this car? Vented opti? My 1994 doesnt have vac lines going to it, if it does i dont remember any! Im also unsure how it couldnt be spline drive yet the dowel was to long.
Ive had two 1994 fbodys, a Z28 and now a Trans am. Z28 had 140k on it, original opti, ran fantastic. The 94 trans am has 125k-ish on it, original opti, no issues, and ive had it apart to do a cam swap.
Blowing up 5 of them in 3 months is crazy.
What are you doing when they go? Idling? ***** out? cruising?
What have you done to the car? Why is the cam dowel to long? Did you install a cam? Are you sure its in correctly? Is the retainer in correctly? Are you dot to dot? Are you single or double timing chain?
Is this a 3rd gen swap (your username?). If so are you sure your using the correct opti?
Ive had two 1994 fbodys, a Z28 and now a Trans am. Z28 had 140k on it, original opti, ran fantastic. The 94 trans am has 125k-ish on it, original opti, no issues, and ive had it apart to do a cam swap.
Blowing up 5 of them in 3 months is crazy.
What are you doing when they go? Idling? ***** out? cruising?
What have you done to the car? Why is the cam dowel to long? Did you install a cam? Are you sure its in correctly? Is the retainer in correctly? Are you dot to dot? Are you single or double timing chain?
Is this a 3rd gen swap (your username?). If so are you sure your using the correct opti?
Thread Starter
On The Tree
Joined: Jun 2008
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From: Hallandale Beach, FL
The retainer in the back of the cam correct? Yes I had a shop put together the engine with the cam..worst mistake of my life..nothing but problems it seems...Dude it's when I'm driving just cruising..
Is it dowel or spline driven?
Next time it blows, if it does, I think you should take off the timing chain and check it all out. Make sure everything is seated correctly. Make sure the bolts that hold the cam sprocket on are seating into the opti.
I would also stop taking GM optis apart. They are good units, Think of grandma in her buick roadmaster, or gangster in his impala SS with 170k miles on it, Or old man in his white 94 vette convertable with fugly red interior who lives in florida....I bet none of them have opened an opti to locktite bolts, and I bet none of them have gone through 5 of them in 3 months.
This is the cam retainer up front. Behind the cam sprocket. I would make sure its good next time it blows up, wouldnt this be the only thing that could allow "cam walk"?
Next time it blows, if it does, I think you should take off the timing chain and check it all out. Make sure everything is seated correctly. Make sure the bolts that hold the cam sprocket on are seating into the opti.
I would also stop taking GM optis apart. They are good units, Think of grandma in her buick roadmaster, or gangster in his impala SS with 170k miles on it, Or old man in his white 94 vette convertable with fugly red interior who lives in florida....I bet none of them have opened an opti to locktite bolts, and I bet none of them have gone through 5 of them in 3 months.
This is the cam retainer up front. Behind the cam sprocket. I would make sure its good next time it blows up, wouldnt this be the only thing that could allow "cam walk"?
Last edited by trilkb; Feb 16, 2012 at 08:01 PM.
Thread Starter
On The Tree
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 164
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From: Hallandale Beach, FL
It's dowel...Well if the machine shop didn't put that in then there idiots..do I have to take the timing cover off to check if that's there..this brings me to think that it has to be electrical that dowel pin I fixed and measured to proper size...the only thing in thinking is an electrical problem