so i was driving it around knowing it was going bad.... parked at my friends house and got in it, started it and it just sputtered and died. started it up tried to die gave it some gas revved up fine then fell all the way to 600rpm if i gave it gas it does nothing then if i give a lot of gas it revs up then dies. cant really drive it like this.... is it the opti? in which case i have one on the way.... water pump just went out car was pinging from, running lean, also it backfires when i rev it and sounds bad.....

 

could iot be something else? only other issue with the car was the idle getting stuck probably iac. could it be toast?

 

Check engine light doing anything?

 

Is your service engine light on? If the opti is crapping out, you should be getting a #36 error code (low/high resolution pulse signal).

 

idk i will check tomorrow. the car wont stay on but there's no light on. if the car is in the ON position it has a light so ill see if there is a code. i thought they dont always throw a code when they finally go bad?

 

I spose anything is possible, but if the opti is the cause of it running so crappy, I'd be surprised that it wouldn't throw a code. The opti on my 92 Vette was bad, would make the engine chug and feel like it was running on 7 cylinders, but the engine would start with the tap of the key. No SES light was on, but there was a stored opti error code. Apples to oranges I know since mine is OBD I, but still...
Now if your problem is fuel related (pump, filter, regulator), you won't necessarily get an error code, and it's more than likely you won't unless one of those things is causing a rich or lean condition.

 

ok so it was the optispark for those who have a similar problem. car would start backfire and die immediately afterward every time without fail unless i revved the nuts off it. wich sounded and smelt real bad. weird but thats the opti for ya! i know have the chandler optispark in. took me about 8 hours spread over two days to do everything. but wow what a difference! we will see how this optispark holds up. anybody that can explain why my car did this so i/we understand the optispark better would be awesome.

 

Did you replace the water pump at the same time? Cheap insurance.

 

Beside just acting as a regular distributor the Opti also provides timing signals to the PCM. Most engines use crank an cam position sensors for the timing signals, but the LT1 engine uses the Opti instead. The PCM uses these signals to control ignition spark timing through the ignition control module, and to time the fuel injectors. So defective internal parts can mess things up pretty well. The high voltage sparks inside the distributor housing generate ozone gas which is very corrosive. The ozone in conjunction with moisture entering the distributor react together and attack the internal electronics.

 

water pump only has 4000 miles on it so i didnt worry about it; it did get new gaskets though. i also found a few oil leaks. oil sending unit. i already did the switch. and the oil seal behind the opti. most of the time was spent on the plugs. the number 8 plug was original! 130k later ha! it needs a new fuel filter and it still pings like its running lean though... not sure why... thanks pete for the explanation, the opti sounds like a really good system to me.