Hey everybody. I am kinda a newby to engine building, but I rebuilt my engine on my camaro, and it would turn over and over but wouldnt start. So I eventually figured out the problem was with the opti so I took it off and figured out the spline that drives it from the cam wasnt long enough to mesh with the cam and the distributor at the same time. Now I orignally didnt take apart the opti from the engine when it was removed so I dont know what it looked like before, but isnt there just one spline that drives the distributor from the cam? Why wouldnt it be long enough? Am I missing some part? Or is the cam somehow to far back? I would not think so because the spline that drives the water pump is long enough, but that has two splines and a coupler, and thats on the same line as the one from the cam.... so I dont understand.
This is the only piece I have: http://www.noid.org/~muttvette/jpeg/optidr93.jpg

Please help me I have been trying to get this darn thing going for months and I think this is my last obstacle, but I dont know how to fix it. Its frustrating to say the least. Thanks

 

here is a pic of the 94 opti going into the cam slot http://shbox.com/1/93-94_opti.jpg

and here is a pic of the 95-97 opti http://shbox.com/1/opti_back.jpg

 

Yes I have seen that picture but when i put it into my timing chain cover slot for the cam it sticks out only about a centimeter not enough to go into the distributor...

 

Was the shaft marked to indicate the position it should go?
Do you have the right opti? After 94 they are different and not interchangeable without a lot of other work.

 

Gosh a 94 is a non vent opti spark. Sure you dont have the shaft backwards? First time I have heard this problem.

This is what it should all look like

 

I have the right opti because it was the one it ran with before I rebuilt the motor. Mine looks like the two pictures... I did get a new comp cam from summit, but they said it was supposed to fit my year camaro. The only thing I can think of is maybe either somehow i installed the timing cover wrong...? not sure how or possibly the cam sproket is on wrong but i doubt it... when the little shaft that goes in there is in the cam sproket its to far into the timing chain cover to reach the distributor and when its in the distributor its not long enough to go into the cam sproket. No body else seems to have a problem with installing this other then lining up the grooves, so I dont understand whats different about mine...

 

Hi again... maybe im not doing it right, maybe it just doesnt seem long enough I dunno. Ill try again and put it in the distributor first and then into the hole. Maybe that will make a difference.
Here is a pic of the cam I bough its top right:

http://www.summitracing.com/catalogs...toct/303f.html

 

The shaft is splined, so that the distributor has to be timed to the cam, and it can be forced on wrong if not careful.

 

take a couple pics so we know what is goin on, sounds to me like you have the wrong timing cover on there.

 

I figured out what was wrong. Car Quest gave me the timing chain set, it was for a 95-97 camaro instead of a 94. So I got the right one now with the hole for the splined shaft. However, after I put the distributor on I tried to start it without the waterpump, radiator, fans, and intake on. It just clicked, and wouldnt turn over. It turned over before I changed the timing chain sproket, why wont it now? I did have the fans and radiator on at the time... does that make a difference? I dunno does anyone have a diagram for the starting circuit? That may help. Thanks