So on my way home from work I stopped by walmart to grab a few things and when I went to leave my 93 had a hard time starting up. She would turn over but wouldnt fully start. So I popped the hood and noticed a bunch of white smoke in my K&n filter housing that slopes down below the fuse box. Odd, so I took the whole filter off down to the throttle body but no further smoke. As luck would have it, she started up and let me driver her 5 minutes home. She "hiccuped" a few times but other than that she made it smooth. SES light was on and I checked the codes, 15, 36, 42.

15 - Coolant temp sensor, signal voltage high, low temperature
36 - OptiSpark high resolution signal faulty
42 - Ignition control circuit, short or grounded

Think its the opti? Or should I consider other possibilities? I should also mention that ECU was rebuilt 2 weeks ago. My mechanic said the fans werent being commanded on by the ECU properly and they sent it off to be rebuilt. I was skeptical but I wasnt sure what else to do and it seems to have worked though the temps have seemed warm on really hot days here in FL. That coolant temp sensor was also replaced at that time as well.

 

how did you check the codes in a '93 ?

Is the car running ok right now or still misbehaving? If OK, disconnect the battery for a few minutes to clear the code and monitor it.

With respect to the optispark; it's always the optispark. If you get a flat tire you should probably replace the opti. A speaker blows out, replace the opti.

OK OK, maybe it's not that bad but who in their right mind puts a distributor right where an under-carriage wash of a car wash sprays?

And it's BEAUTIFUL on coastal Florida. The only way I'm going back north is tied up and screaming.

 

by jumping the a and b terminals under the dash. im gonna run outside and see if she starts but i was able to make it home. these codes JUST happened this morning because i didnt have them just a few days ago

 

ok well i just went out there and i turned it on and off 5 times without issue. so.. i unplugged and wiggled the ignition control wires and turned it over and it acted the exact same way it did when i had the problem. i wonder if its worth getting a new opti and ignition control module and just doing them both in one fell swoop

 

has it ev.er been done .since you owned it ,i changed mine at 70.000 wires an plugs too ,well i di the wires an plugs then waited for the water pump to go around 75.000 then did it ,i. found an accell for like 69.00 worked.great ,no need to pay $300.00 ,i hear all these cars are 100.000 miles tune up cars ,guesing its a v8

 

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Just rolled over 120k and I've only had it 5k miles. So no not to my knowledge. I'll order it and the icm and do it. I drove it a few times today and no problems so far maybe something just came loose. Cleared the code via the ecm bat fuse and it hasn't come back

 

I disagree with the 69 dollar Opti. You really do get what you pay for with these. I have repaired several and know that the cheap ones are just waiting to fail when new. Workmanship is terrible and the parts rarely fit well. If you get a good one, it will be in the minority.

I would stick with the one you have and see if a new ICM fixes it. Cables go bad much more often than the distributor, so replace or inspect and test each cable involved with the ICM and distributor. The fact that the problem returned after wiggling the wires indicates a cable problem. Don't trade in your good Opti for a potentially bad one.

 

it seems that messing with the icm made something change i would suspect the wiring or the icm. the coil is also there. check the icm plugin and the plug for damage or corrosion and look at the wires to see if they are damaged or appear to have been stabbed with a test meter. if nothing is found pick up a new icm. i used to keep extra one in the car. had one go and didnt like the idea of the car just quiting. lots of area around here without cell coverage so long walk is how you get home if car wont go.

 

yeah i went and got a new coil and ICM but i havent put them in yet. it has driven fine for 2 days now.. absolutely no hiccups or starting issues. i figure ill start with the easily replaceable icm and coil and if the problem persists.. THEN ill go dig down and do the opti. ive got a multimeter to test the connections but no one to crank the car for me while doing it :P

 

try plugs an wires first an that 69.00 .opti spark i got had over 31.000 .miles on it there about 79.00 89.00 i got it on sale it was 129.00 accell makes a good product