I have put in three MSD billet optisparks in my sons 1994 Z28, the first one lasted 2 months before check engine light came on , and the diagnosis was a code 036 which is a high pulse resolution the mechanic said the opti was bad. Put the second in and the car was hard to start, after starting the check engine light was on , and you guessed it ,, code036 went to a GM dealer who checked the voltage on the wires and said it was a bad opti. So yesterday put in no.3 and car started hard and check engine light on again. any suggestions? Is it possible to get the spline drive off a tooth when installing? Or should I try a reman. GM opti?

 

Did you examine the other MSD optis after they were removed? When I got a 24x code from my MSD it was because the housing was rubbing against the rotor. I fixed that and my car runs fine with it (so far). In your case I find it hard to believe that many would be bad. Are you sure it isn't the MAF?

 

I haven't taken them apart after, wasn't sure how summit would like that if I took them apart. The high pulse resolution , I believe is a problem with the cam positioning sensor in the opti. so the pcm. is actually unable to correctly time the engine.?

 

Well don't really have any input on your symptoms but MSD's are hit and miss with the lt1 guys, delco or delphi always seems to have the best quality. I got the low pulse code and immediately assumed i needed an optispark. Did a new delphi opti and waterpump. Turns out the plugs and wires i did just two weeks ago were no good (strangely no burnt wires or messed up plugs) But the plugs were traditional and not the platinums suggested in the owners manual. So all new wires and platinum plugs and it ran great. But yeah i didn't think it was the plugs because it slowly grew worse, especially under load in a high gear it would miss. But like i said sparkplugs looked great when pulled and my wires weren't burnt or coming off the plugs.

But yeah just remember if you were messing around that area recently and it could lead to an easier fix. And of course make sure the opti goes on right, the non vented opti in my 94 can be put on several more different ways than the vented opti (vented opti had fewer "splines" thus less chance of installing incorrectly)

 

Thanks will give the wires and plugs a look, replaced them last year, and had a bad wire from jegs , they replaced it promptly and the car ran good , until we took it out of storage this spring, ran over a tank of gas thru it and replaced the fuel filter before the opti began giving us problems. The opti we took off in the spring had so much rust in it that the rotor could hardly turn, that's why i went with MSD, they vent their version for the 94

 

Have you thoroughly examined the opti wiring harness on the engine side along with the pins in the connector?

 

Yes they are fine, the dealer even looked them over, I am going to see if summit will exchange the MSD for a Delphi, do you think this would be wise?

 

tore my MSD apart brand new and loctited everything, 7 years and 40,000 miles of pure abuse later and ZERO issues.

 

Delphi should be the same as an AC/Delco. I believe the Delphi optis will be new, whereas I believe most all AC/Delcos are remanufactured at this point.

If they will exchange the MSD for a Delphi, I would probably do it. At the very least the Delphi should contain a Mitsubishi optical sensor, which seems to be fairly important. I'm not sure what type of sensor MSD uses. Have you by chance looked at the sensor?

 

Did not look at the sensor on the previous two, I may do it on this one just to see if there are any obvious problems, Been keeping them together to avoid problems when returning them. Will let you know how the Delphi works. You are correct in that the Delphi is new and the AC/Delcos are rebuilt, Should get the new opti by wed. so I probably will have it in by Fri. if I can get time.

 

You said that after you got your sons' car out of storage it was all rusted up (the opti)
Is there a leak dripping on it?
Was it parked after a hot drive, and then a heavy car cover on top?
Maybe it couldn't breathe and moisture got trapped. (is it a vented opti?)
Especially if the cement 'sweated' during seasonal changes.

E

 

If your going to exchange it I would try to go for a vented unit. GM used to sell conversion kits back in the day, Its just a bit of rubber hose going up to the airbox I believe. I have the hole on my 96-97 ws6 airbox even though i run a non vented opti.

EDIT- was looking into it last night and you'd have to change timing covers, allowing you to run the newer style timing chain or even the HD lt4 timing chain. along with getting a simple rubber hose to run from the opti to the airbox. Some say its not worth the trouble and could possibly lead to more corrosion from circulation of possibly moist air, but GM must have designed vented opti's for a reason.

http://para.noid.org/~muttvette/opti.html

 

The MSD has been upgraded to a vented version, That is why I tried it, But I am waiting for the Delphi now, The original opti was not vented and I believe over the years moisture is what caused the rust in the optical pickup section

 

Haven't been on in awhile, but I got rid of the MSD and bought a Delphi and runs perfect! Just thought I'd let you guys know, Stay away from the MSD opti's !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

The MSD cap kit is a good way to vent the "unvented" delco optis.

 

Been rocking msd billit opti for 2 years now no problems at all

 

I just wanted to let everyone know something about MSD opti's. I sent one back over three months ago for a customer of mine. It was bad within the warranty period. As of now I still haven't gotten it back. According to the "rep" at MSD they are completely redoing the Opti's. The department that handles the magnetos has taken over the assembly due to all the damn problems. He said they have a new manufacturer for the sensor, they redesigned the billet backing and have made a new plastic piece inside. It's been a pain in the butt dealing with this. Hopefully the "NEW" MSD Opti's will finally be what we all hoped for.

 

Currently running an MSD for the last two years. I had problems with this unit at first, did a few mods and now it runs OK - so far. Nice to know MSD is redoing the unit, however I would like to see how well the new one works before jumping. I have a Delphi on the shelf waiting to go in when the MSD fails.

I have a feeling a couple of things make the MSD fail. One it the direct drive shaft that transfers vibration to the unit and damages the sensor. The other is the flimsy plastic backing on the unit that expands with heat and interferes with the rotor. I tried a Chinese unit that I feel failed because of a cheap bearing that heated up and caused the sensor to fail repeatedly. For those buying Delphi is the way to go right now.

 

I'm not surprised. I talked to the guys at the MSD booth during the U.S. nationals and they told me there's nothing different about the optical sensor than anyone else's. I wasn't going to shell out that kind of money for no improvement with the optical sensor.

 

You know how many Delcos are out there 4+times as old?