venting a non vented opti

[JD1964]

I'd like to tag this article and I hope Super Chevy keeps it published forever.

Opti-Spark Options

The Opti-spark distributor is positioned on the front of the engine underneath the water pump, and works well in its designed environment--when it works. It isn't a matter of if your

www.superchevy.com

venting a non vented opti

 

[303'505rollin]

Yeah 90's super chevy was still great at showing you things that real car owners can use when it went to just Corvette and Camaro tech I lost interest and went to GM high performance(turbo Buick builds, cobalt ss builds and more) but I still have a few issues from back then and are still more informative today than some Videos and links

 

[Texas82GP]

I think I would convert to the vented Opti, if it were me. Plastic vacuum tees in the metal distributor housing and burning through the cap seems a little hokey to me.

If you aren't already familiar with it, the MSD cap kit is very nice. I put one on my 96 Roadmaster last year. Very good quality with brass contacts. It has an extra screw and "backing block" to clamp the cap to the distributor housing where there was no screw from the factory. It's a nice enhancement. I did have to shorten that screw slightly as it was hitting the timing cover but otherwise, I would characterize the kit as flawless.

I recommend the low strength, purple Locktite on those rotor screws. Since you have your Opti apart, I guess you've overcome the tiny torx tool issue.

 

[Bonnewagon]

I can see the benefit of venting a non-vented Opti. Someone had put an MSD Opti and water pump in my daughter's '95 Formula. Both failed. I found a new Delphi unit for a decent price and I replaced it with that. I loktited the rotor screws and also sealed the gasket with marine grade sealant. The venting is nice but water had got in anyway. I was taking no chances that any moisture would ever get in there again. It has been almost 10 years now and it still runs. I scored the LT-1-only damper removal tool on Fleabay. I changed the timing set since I was already in there. No way would I have pounded it off. Probably the hardest spark plug wires in the world to service.

 

[Texas82GP]

Probably the hardest spark plug wires in the world to service.

Totally agree. It took me a day per side on the Roadmaster but I was fanatical about it.

 

[JD1964]

The Super Chevy article says to make t’s and connect all three drains into a group for a vacuum connection. Instead I just plugged two of them, enlarged the third one an installed a vacuum nipple from a donor vented Opti. I also used the cap from a low mileage vented Opti. Sealed it all up and done.

 

[Supercharged111]

Totally agree. It took me a day per side on the Roadmaster but I was fanatical about it.

Strip it down to a race car and suddenly the LT1 becomes an easy to service engine. Looks like a nightmare on a street car. Those back 2 plugs on the driver's side can be plucked from underneath. It sucked the first time but now it doesn't take me very long at all. I got lucky and found some NOS GM wires with the 90 degree boots on the 4 passenger side wires that go on the cap.