Detailed Optispark Replace on LT1: MSD distributor with tips to increase life 

@javieralvarez7454 I went thru partsgeek, a lot of them are similar I went with this www.partsgeek.com/catalog/1993/chevrolet/camaro/engine_electrical/distributor_cap.html?rp=distributor_cap_and_rotor_kit

@HMV3-TIGER-FAN I saw an immediate improvement. I'll be honest I live somewhere hot and if you've seen some other videos of mine you'll know I don't have A/C so it has been sitting a little more than normal. But my issues were difficulty starting, popping, a sort of stumble at low speeds like it would jerk a little under hard acceleration and I haven't had any of those issues. I get the occasional comments here asking why you'd just get the cap and if you can cover the better part of a thousand dollars to get a whole new MSD opti and the recommended new water pump I would but the cap I did here resolved the issues I was having even with less testing just because it was effectively undrivable before anytime I jumped in. Hope this helps, thanks for watching.

Hey, I show around the 26 minute mark the additional pack that comes with the opti. Should have everything you need outside of basic socket set for the rest of the removal. Thanks for watching

@@picklesgarage I was watching it at work initially

I ordered the 500 jegs msd kit with the opti, cap, coil, and ordered a (definitely ac delco) ign module, my car stalls when it warms up occasionally and I figure I'll just go ahead and beat around the bush and do it all, im gonna look into picking up a water pump for it since it's there, im not against not replacing it it's my car but since everybody says so I might

@aronsaleaf4726 Yeah, id say opti related, mine would pop, sputter and try to die until I updated. I definitely made the mistake of not replacing as much as I could when I was just doing my water pump. You'll be glad you did for sure.

@aaronbonter9237 Thank you. Good luck to ya and thanks for watching!

@dashawnjacksonblitz So the main issue with the stock opti sparks is moisture will get in and it will foul the connections. The plastic tube connected to the metal intake manifold itself creates a vacuum. So that along with the other tube you will see connected to the plastic intake itself allows for fresh clean air in and it pulls moisture out. This should make your opti last longer and avoid the main design flaws of the origional.

@@picklesgarage ohhhhh ok, yeah that makes sense. Thanks and thanks for the video!

@@dashawnjacksonblitz Sure thing, thanks for watching!

@alirezashirazifard8990 I haven't had any issues with my MSD but keep in mind this is just the cap so if there is an issue with the rotor then it won't matter how many caps you throw at it. There is the much more expensive cap and rotor from MSD that is pretty highly reviewed. To be honest it's a flawed design in general so if you aren't careful it's pretty easy to damage even a good part. Issue with the OEM optis is a lot of them still have the flaws that make these so easy to break, ie lack of vent tube and holes at the bottom that water can splash up into. Plus some of these OEM are made really cheaply. But yes I HIGHLY recommend replacing the water pump while doing this. Most of these optis are going out because liquid has got inside the cap which is mostly happening because of a bad water pump like the seals to the block are bad or the weep hole so the last thing you want to do is put a new opti whether is OEM or MSD and it fail for the same reason the last one did. Hope this helps and thanks for watching.

Yeah, good luck finding an OEM unit, I recently had mine replaced and the shop told me they couldn't locate an OEM one, so to expedite things I went with the complete MSD unit, we'll see what happens, it's got to be better than cheap E - Bay shit!

@@mundanestuff Sounds good, thanks for checking it out and good luck to ya

so you spent 1000 dollars vs like 50 bucks. wow

@@YungEagle3k And here we have someone who is commenting but has no clue what he's talking about. There's no way in the world you can get away with replacing an Opti-Spark for $50 unless you go to a junkyard which is not the smartest move. A replacement Opti-Spark by itself can cost upwards of $500... An Accel Opti-Spark on Summit Racing costs $433... And that's not including installation. Installation is another $500 if you're lucky. If you do it yourself you still need to replace the water pump and the belt tensioner. An AC Delco water pump will set you back $150... Now do that 5-6 times and you go away over $1000. But that's why you never listen to "experts" online. 90% of the time you'll get advice that'll cost you even more money than if you did it right the first time...

GM no longer makes the water pump or optispark as I found out at dealership.

Great to hear they work well! Thanks for watching

I had a torqhead ot had problems as well I replaced crank shaft sensors left and right got rid of it

The harder part is getting it off the metal sort of fuses a bit. Getting it back on you just have to make sure it's lined up and then slowly alternate while tightening the bolts and it will come back on snugly. You might use a little grease if there's a lot of build up but I wouldn't unless you absolutely need to otherwise it should come on fine without.

@@picklesgarage sweet dude thank you!!!

@@soulsoothing6133 Sure thing, thanks for watching!

Where did you get a ac delco opti? I’ve been looking everywhere, can’t find it.

No longer available.A company in Texas called peritronics

Did the Petris opti come with Mitsubishi sensor ?

@@adrianbinger8397 don't think it was and it says on their site Mitsubishi GRADE optical sensor so no but it's still running strong.

Technically it was advertised for the Corvette actually. Small differences between the LT1 in the Corvette verse camaro mostly belt set up and some internals. You should be fine running this on your Corvette but note the MSD I got is just the cap. You'll see ones for $700+ that will be the whole opti if you're looking for a full replace.

Acdelco!! And the optispark should be petris.

@@C4VETTELT1 yes. Opti is Petris

Buy a pair of long needle nose pliers with 30 degree bent ends. This will allow long reach and you can squeeze the spring clamp to secure the vacuum hose. It takes patience.

I don't think it will let me send photos but there is a plastic vacuum line under where the brake booster hose connects to the driver side of the block. These are very brittle but you can find them online if they break. I had to cut it so it was a straight line and so the supplied hose forms a T. Like this:[engine]-|

Here's the name of them so you know what to look for: Pressure Sensor Vacuum Hose 96451064

Thank you very much, I appreciate it!

With 125k on mine, I also did the timing chain, yes a good idea to do alot of other stuff too

@SteveO95 I assume you mean the gasket for the cover and not the actual chain right? If you mean you put a new chain on then you completely wasted your time effort and money! The LT1 actually all SBC engines have a very strong timing chain I've never heard of anyone having timing chain problems on a LT1 or anything that isn't overhead cams! If you have overhead cams or a timing BELT (not chain) then definitely but absolutely no need to change the timing chain on the LT1 or any OHV engines.

@SteveO95 a timing chain should last the whole life of the engine without needing to be changed as long as regular maintenance has been done. But if regular maintenance hasn't been done regular throughout its life other issues will arise! If you're rebuilding the engine of course throw a new one in.

@@C4VETTELT1 I replaced the cover, and looked at the chain and said why not.

No, if you take out the passenger side electric fan you should have the room you need to take out the water pump. You have to rotate it a bit but it will come out without removing the whole radiator. Hope this helps, thanks for watching.

Yes thank you very much