2 questions with lt1

[94TramsAmGT]

hi ive had my 94 TA for 8 years now and it is starting to give me some minor problems. First the low coolant light comes on after the engine warms up and i cant seem to find the sensor. (yes the coolant level is fine) My next problem is really irritating, sometimes when i go to start it it cranks unusually long before it fires. doesnt do this all the time, sometimes it fires right up just like when i bought her, but other times it just cranks and cranks. any help here would be greatly appreciated. Replaced plugs and plug wires about 10k miles ago along with fuel filter. the car is all stock.

[3.1L 200+hp]

it could be ur starter maybe even ur ignition

[3.1L 200+hp]

also just wondering is it making a clicking sound when u try to start it?

[ViperJ]

Have you replaced the optispark on the car yet

[Im3good4u]

Hey im on the same boat... my bird is gving me starting problems and it seems to be getting progressively worse.
I changed the ignition module not to long ago. I have no problems while its on so i know my calbes are working fine. The gas filter is less than a month old.
What is it the opti spark thing, can it cause bad starts...?
Could it be my spark plugs its been a while since ive changed those....
Other than that im guessing there is some type of fuel pressure problem (anyone know how to check this?)

[CreepingDeath94]

The coolant level sensor is on the radiator on the passenger side right below the cap. It is sort of hard to see, but its there...right below the little rubber tube there. As far as the hard start, I would get a fuel pressure gauge on the fuel rail and check that while cranking and running and see if it fluctuates or is weak. Aside from that, it could be a faulty sensor such as a cam sensor or crank if equipped, I forget if it has these on that car. Are there any check engine lights popping on or anything?

[Im3good4u]

no check engine light on mine and no this year had no cam sensor

[94TramsAmGT]

my check engine light doesn't come on, i did have the so called "distributor cap" replaced, is that the optispark? i know its not an actuall cap but whatever they call it on the lt1 it was replaced. As far as the fuel pressure, you said check in on the fuel rail, what's the easiest way of doing that? The clicking sound?.......like when the battery isnt charged enough, because it cranks, although it does kinda sound different when it cranks unusually long. I did have my flywheel break on me about 2 years ago, dont know if that could have caused anything else to go wrong. Do you guys think my best bet is to take it to a dealer and have them put in on the computer?

[94TramsAmGT]

oh yeah by the way thanks so much creepingdeath i did find the sensor, i swear i looked in that exact spot, it is kinda hidden. thanks so much

[94TramsAmGT]

this may sound strange, but the starting thing seems to be worse after i let it run/drive for a while, and then try to start it like 5 mins later. if it sits over night and i go out 9/10 times it will fire right up. With no check engine lights on will it show anything on the computer? it acts as if, like you guys said, either no or not enough fuel, or not getting adequate spark. This is driving me insane. once it starts it runs fine with no problems what so ever. sorry for such long posts. thanks again

[CreepingDeath94]

Anytime...the longer the post the better anyway...theres more details that way. A dealer would be able to put a scan tool on it and not only check for codes but see whats happeneing exactly when your cranking, driving, not starting, etc. So, if you cant figure this out or don't feel like throwing expensive parts at it hoping it fixes the problem, the dealer may not be the worst idea. At least that way if they tell you what it is or replace something, they should be able to guarantee the work. In other words, make sure they fix the problem and dont keep charging you if their first, second, third attempts dont fix it. If there is a crank sensor on these cars and your crank broke, there may be an issue there, but I dont think these cars have crank sensors either.

In regards to the optispark thing, there is a cap that covers the optispark and that the spark plug wires go into. The optispark is under that and is like a $300 part, so youd probably remember replacing that if you did. The cap isnt that bad price wise, so they may have just replaced the cap. The optispark basically is a little plastic circle that has little cut outs in it that fire the plug wires when the computer tells it to. These usually take a dump when a water pump starts leaking and the coolant drips all over the plastic piece thus bending/warping it.

[94TramsAmGT]

ok thank you for your advice, i think i'll probably take it to a dealer and have them tell me what's wrong and just fix it myself. yeah i haven't replaced the optispark, but if it is bad, any upgrades for this instead of throwing another one back in. ive been going through some of these posts and heard nothing but bad things about these. thanks again

[CreepingDeath94]

There is a kit that eliminates the optispark for these cars I believe as well as the coil packs you have swapping them out with another system. If that is something you might be interested in try googling "optispark elimination kit" or something to that effect. That or maybe someone on here has done it before. A buddy of mine had a early 90's vette that he did this to and said it wasnt too bad of a job.

I had a '94 T/A and loved it. All these "bad things" youre hearing must be from those people who beat on their car without maintaining it :-p

[FormulaForce]

If you havent already found it, try www.delteq.com. They make a kit called opti-direct. It doesn't so much replace the opti-spark as modify it to work with lower voltages and be more reliable. Cost is unknown. There is an opti-spark improvement (driveability?) kit I had my mechanic use when mine went out that has proven reliable for me. I think it helps keep moisture out of the unit. I would have your car checked out for codes first, Optisparks are expensive labor-wise to replace. I have also had a bad ignition module, I mean bad right out of the new box, that was causing such problems.