Accel OPTISPARK..a look inside the unit
09-20-2006, 07:37 PM
#1
Accel OPTISPARK..a look inside the unit Just got my Accel optispark in and I wanted to take it apart to ensure there are no surprises inside. I also wanted to post pictures of the internals for all to see.
First off the cap and rotor look to be much better quality than GM, they appear to be made of some kind of stronger composite plastic. The rotating mechanism is very smooth and the bronze bushing look big and robust. The aluminum base appears to be a bit more beefed up too.
I noticed some debris inside the unit which of course can screw up the optic sensor, this was cleaned out.
The one concern that I have is with the thin metal pulse wheel with the 360 segment openings. The wheel is not flat at all, it is warped enough that when you spin it you can see the wheel rise and then inside the optic sensor opening. I removed the wheel to see if I could straighten but failed, it cant be done cause it just pops back to the existing warped shape. The wheel is not making physical contact with the sensor although it comes very close. I think its very plausible that the wheel when being spun by the motor running will flatten out and become more uniform due to centrifugal force so maybe this is not a problem after all. If anyone wants to comment on this please do.
The pulse wheel does not appear to rub the sensor. Also when the rotor is bolted down the warpage is not as extreme as shown in the photo.
I did spin the opti with a drill and the disk does flatten out like I suspected it would. I am going to take it to work and have several mechanical engineers comment on it.
I intend to thoroughly clean the whole unit out and blue loctite the rotor screws in place. I am also going to RTV the cap around the outer edge to ensure no moisture problems.
Below are some photos of the internals:
First off the cap and rotor look to be much better quality than GM, they appear to be made of some kind of stronger composite plastic. The rotating mechanism is very smooth and the bronze bushing look big and robust. The aluminum base appears to be a bit more beefed up too.
I noticed some debris inside the unit which of course can screw up the optic sensor, this was cleaned out.
The one concern that I have is with the thin metal pulse wheel with the 360 segment openings. The wheel is not flat at all, it is warped enough that when you spin it you can see the wheel rise and then inside the optic sensor opening. I removed the wheel to see if I could straighten but failed, it cant be done cause it just pops back to the existing warped shape. The wheel is not making physical contact with the sensor although it comes very close. I think its very plausible that the wheel when being spun by the motor running will flatten out and become more uniform due to centrifugal force so maybe this is not a problem after all. If anyone wants to comment on this please do.
The pulse wheel does not appear to rub the sensor. Also when the rotor is bolted down the warpage is not as extreme as shown in the photo.
I did spin the opti with a drill and the disk does flatten out like I suspected it would. I am going to take it to work and have several mechanical engineers comment on it.
I intend to thoroughly clean the whole unit out and blue loctite the rotor screws in place. I am also going to RTV the cap around the outer edge to ensure no moisture problems.
Below are some photos of the internals:
09-21-2006, 06:23 PM
#4
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Hmm, I dont like the way that optical wheel looks. Like you said there should be some flattening due to outward acceleration, but it should be flat to begin with. Be careful when trying to straighten it. you could cold work the material and make it very brittle
