broken camaro needs help

[kshatt21]

My 1995 Camaro z28 has problems. I had just taken a small road trip (about 50 miles), when my car just shut off. I tried to start it back up but nothing. It wanted to go but it just couldnt. I had my baby towed to my local shop, and to my suprise, it started up when i pulled it off the tow truck???? The shop told me the optispark was bad, but im doubting that since all the readings about bac optisparks do not claim these symptoms. the car will run for about 15 min of driving, and then just shut of and not start back up. someone help my mean green machine.

the car is a a4 with a moded maf, high flow intake, flowmaste,r air foil and gutted cat.

[92rs25th]

sounds like opti spark to me.

[Savage Messiah]

not too keen on these things but possibly altrnator?

[92rs25th]

if it was the altenator , why would it die after 15 minutes ? If it was the alt , his car would have been running off battery power which would last about 10 at most. then be drained , the alt wouldn't be able to recharge it if it was dead.

[Morley]

Optispark gets hot after running a bit and shuts down...cools off and will run again.
If you are replacing the optispark, do yourself a favor and replace the water pump too.

[kshatt21]

i did the cap and rotor about 7 months ago because the car was breaking up...the breaking up stopped. I have zero break up, the car drives real strong just for a short period of time. I just dont see anyone else with these symptoms.

[89IROC&RS]

well, it went to the shop, they said it was opti, you came here, most of us say its opti, chances are its opti.

but to check for yourself, whenever i suspect an opti failure, i look at the weep hole under the water pump, if i see any evidence of leakage, i replace both, i have yet to waist customer money on that way of doing it. If you dont see any evidence of leakage, then the water pump may be fine, and the opti may be overheating. Im not exactly sure, but there are two designs of optispark, the first design was the one with the most problems, and i think thats the one you have they had very small bearings that got overheated. and would actually warp the housing, but at that point the car ran like absolute crap.

also, you may be having a passkey problem, although i would imagine you would also have starting problems, and not just shutoff after 15minutes.

something else i am curious about is what you mean by a "modified" MAF sensor, if something is wrong with that, it could cause an engine shutoff.

[89IROC&RS]

also something to remember about failed optispark distributors, is that when we talk about optispark failure, its not due to worn out cap and rotors. The optispark is very different than a old fasioned distributor, with those really all that ever failed was the cap and rotor. When an optispark fails, you have to replace the entire distributor, not just the cap and rotor. the actual internals of the distributor have gone bad.

[kshatt21]

the thing i cannot get over is the symptom...if anyone else has heard of a bad opti with these symptoms...tell me! also are there any alternatives to the opti unit? and where can i buy them...

[89IROC&RS]

the thing with electrical problems is that they dont really follow any rules, just cuz no one here hasnt had the problem, dont mean you dont. but the opti is a very expencive thing to go guessing about replaceing. My suggestion, skip the dealership opti, they overcharge like a motherfucker. check out www.gmpartsdirect.com, i think they sell the opti for 350 or so bucks, my dealership charged 635. same unit, i checked. so hope that helps.

[kmdracer]

kshatt21 Was reading in an issue of GMHTP mag about the Delteq Opti-direct. It is a "distributorless igniton system" to replace the Optispark igniton system. It uses 4 coils from the Nortstar line of engines and some proprietary controls. List seems to be about $650 or so. I don't own a Camaro with the Opti, but I do have friends that do. About half of them have had repeated problems with the Opti. Seems like a viable alternative to me. Their web site is:
www.delteq.com
hope this helps.

[yonnyyohnson]

I had the same problem with my 1994 Z28 and it turned out to be the fuel pump. Still a pita but easier to diagnose than optispark. Get the $40 fuel pressure guage at Schucks and you can connect it in 2 minutes anytime it won't start.

NEVER let the fuel level get too low or you will fry the pump. I did it once, my wife did it once and my daughter did it once. Needless to say I'm getting pretty good at replacing the damn in-tank pump.

[blindeyed]

Old thread... yonnyyohnson, please check the thread dates before replying in them. Thanks, and welcome to the forums!