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

Opti number 5 in 3 months

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Old 02-16-2012, 04:55 PM
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Default 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
Old 02-16-2012, 05:20 PM
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What brand are you using?
Old 02-16-2012, 05:27 PM
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sell the car.
Old 02-16-2012, 05:28 PM
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You need to step back and analyze what is going on. What is happening is not normal.
Old 02-16-2012, 05:33 PM
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It's a gm opti..can't figure out te problem runs awsome then all of a sudden boom crap!!! Could the cam be walking and pushing on the opti?
Old 02-16-2012, 05:35 PM
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is the opti showing signs of physical damage? how did oyu test the old ones to see if that was indeed the problem?
Old 02-16-2012, 05:49 PM
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Did all the opti's suffer the same failure?
Old 02-16-2012, 05:49 PM
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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?
Old 02-16-2012, 06:27 PM
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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?
Old 02-16-2012, 06:36 PM
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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??
Old 02-16-2012, 06:57 PM
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Too much vacuum will suck an opti cap in on itself.
Old 02-16-2012, 07:07 PM
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Check the vacuum tubes for blockages like shoebox said, could be sucking the top down and ruining them all
Old 02-16-2012, 07:14 PM
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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??
Old 02-16-2012, 07:16 PM
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The PCM sending wire is sending 12 v to te tach...when I already have a supply 12v and maybe bringing 24 volts back to the opti
Old 02-16-2012, 07:21 PM
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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?
Old 02-16-2012, 07:31 PM
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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..
Old 02-16-2012, 07:32 PM
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Yea third gen swap 95 lt1 vented opti
Old 02-16-2012, 07:35 PM
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@ Trillkb..another suspect I'm thinking is I'm getting can walk..is that possible? Has anyone heard of it happening on an lt1?
Old 02-16-2012, 07:50 PM
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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"?


Last edited by trilkb; 02-16-2012 at 08:01 PM.
Old 02-16-2012, 07:59 PM
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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


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