how can i tell if it has gone bad or is going bad?

i just picked up a firebird T/A with a 120,000 on it...apprently there are no problems with it, and driving it there seems to be zero wrong with the car.

So how can i tell?

 

You'll know when the opti starts to be a bitch. The car will misfire, stumble at low rpms, etc. I have never experienced my opti go out.....but almost 99.9% of the people on this board have and they can give you more detailed answers.

 

people blame the opti more times than is correct. there is more to the ignition system than the opti. as far as what its like when it goes bad. well typically you end up with low rpm problems, stumbles and what not. if the car runs fine until higher rpms. the coil is very suspect and much cheaper to replace than the opti. if the car runs fine until you put a load on the engine it could be the ignition control module. then theres the wires being bad and the plugs being bad. and these symptons dont always hold true.
worry about it when it happens and dont be quick to blame the opti. or replace it and the water pump now and almost insure that it wont go bad.

 

Stock opti at 127xxx miles, but i took it apart and its pretty wore out, so will replace it when i get the cash.

When its out you will know its out, on lt1 the opti controls the injectors so take a test light, hook it to the positive side of battery and touch it to any of the injectors, i believe only the wire that is oppisite of the black wire, should be pink, i think.

if it doesnt light up and its not starting then its dead

 

dont fix what isnt broken....

 

That is an awfull lot of miles though, when you decide to replace it if you cant find it for less than $225 let me know, I know a nice place.

 

What year is your Firebird? The real problem years were 93 and 94 since these are the non vented opti. Mine failed on me due to my own stupidity in my Vette. Did not replace the seal to the opti on my timing chain when I rebuilt my engine.

Like, everyone here has said. Don't replace it unless it is broken. And believe me YOU WILL KNOW.

 

vented opti's are rarely problematic. i have close to 100k miles on my original opti with the waterpump spewing all over it once. The opti is a piece of the ignition that A LOT of people like to blame for any small problem with their ignition. But like mentioned above, its not often the culprit, it just gets a bad name even though its a very nice ignition system.

 

Where at???? I might need one.......I can only find non-vented optis for like 300

 

His name is Jason Cromer. You wont find GM Parts cheaper. Period.

Sam Taylor Buick.

1-850-243-8826

optispark-$209

 

Wait, if the car stumbles and stutters a bit at low rpms? Ie, like just coming off idle, unless you jam the throttle a bit? That the opti sticking?

 

That is what it felt like when my Opti went out, but I also burnt a wire on my header and it too felt like that.