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So frustrated losing interest

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Old 06-17-2019 | 11:08 AM
  #31  
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Re: So frustrated losing interest

Originally Posted by zootzee
5 hours later and she lives!

Thank you all that supplied great input
Originally Posted by SteveC
Sorry to hear you are having problems, it may be pointing to the Opti Spark unit, I have not read all the answers to this thread. Good luck
.......
Old 06-19-2019 | 08:16 AM
  #32  
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Re: So frustrated losing interest

I have bleed the bleeder screw for the coolant like 5 times and have added coolant/water. My lower coolant light keeps coming on, How many times have any of you done this before the light stops coming on?
Old 06-19-2019 | 09:42 AM
  #33  
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Re: So frustrated losing interest

Have you actually opened the cap to see if the coolant is low?

If coolant is low, are you following Shoebox's procedure?

if coolant isn't actually low, the sensor is a common problem. You could try cleaning it, but that seldom works. The coolant penetrates the seal and corrodes the circuit board. Shoebox has the replacement part #.
Old 06-19-2019 | 09:53 AM
  #34  
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Re: So frustrated losing interest

Originally Posted by Injuneer
Have you actually opened the cap to see if the coolant is low?

If coolant is low, are you following Shoebox's procedure?

if coolant isn't actually low, the sensor is a common problem. You could try cleaning it, but that seldom works. The coolant penetrates the seal and corrodes the circuit board. Shoebox has the replacement part #.
Thanks you

Yes everytime I open the cap I add some coolant. I was just wondering how many times you guys bled the air out and added coolant. I changed the sensor last year and the light never came on before the water pump change.
Old 06-23-2019 | 06:33 PM
  #35  
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Re: So frustrated losing interest

And it's dead again!
Old 06-24-2019 | 10:30 AM
  #36  
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Re: So frustrated losing interest

Originally Posted by zootzee
Thanks you

Yes everytime I open the cap I add some coolant. I was just wondering how many times you guys bled the air out and added coolant. I changed the sensor last year and the light never came on before the water pump change.
First off, don't add coolant to your radiator! Add coolant to your reservoir! Second, the hose that connects the reservoir to the radiator at the base of the cap sometimes gets kinked and pinched by the other two radiator hoses and this has sometimes turned off my low coolant light since the reservoir was not taking overflow or during cool down it was not returning the overflow back to the radiator.

Third, the sensors do go bad on a yearly basis and I have had two which literally blew out from the back due to **** poor construction. They don't make Delco sensors that I am aware of but I have so many other brands and they all were of poor quality and construction with coolant leaking from the back from apparent pressure blowout. I did splice a new connector plug on and I am going to re-crimp the wires since they may not be making a solid connection. I have been chasing this problem for three years now and my coolant system is definitely working and has no issues with fluid loss so it is the sensor or the wiring to the sensor that is now my focus.

I hope this information helps.
Old 06-24-2019 | 10:39 AM
  #37  
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Re: So frustrated losing interest

Originally Posted by Phoenix'97
First off, don't add coolant to your radiator! Add coolant to your reservoir! Second, the hose that connects the reservoir to the radiator at the base of the cap sometimes gets kinked and pinched by the other two radiator hoses and this has sometimes turned off my low coolant light since the reservoir was not taking overflow or during cool down it was not returning the overflow back to the radiator.

Third, the sensors do go bad on a yearly basis and I have had two which literally blew out from the back due to **** poor construction. They don't make Delco sensors that I am aware of but I have so many other brands and they all were of poor quality and construction with coolant leaking from the back from apparent pressure blowout. I did splice a new connector plug on and I am going to re-crimp the wires since they may not be making a solid connection. I have been chasing this problem for three years now and my coolant system is definitely working and has no issues with fluid loss so it is the sensor or the wiring to the sensor that is now my focus.

I hope this information helps.
Coolant light is off but the car is dead again
Old 06-24-2019 | 11:04 AM
  #38  
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Re: So frustrated losing interest

Originally Posted by zootzee
Coolant light is off but the car is dead again
Do you have any symptoms to give us? I suspect it is the optispark, again. What brand did you buy?
Old 06-24-2019 | 01:18 PM
  #39  
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Re: So frustrated losing interest




Originally Posted by Phoenix'97
Do you have any symptoms to give us? I suspect it is the optispark, again. What brand did you buy?
I think so too. It was running great. Stopped and talked to my neighbour and stalled. Started up little back fire sounded like from the intake. Black smoke from exhaust. Then wouldn't start again just cranks.
Today I put the spark plug tester to see if I was getting spark and it fired right up. After about a half hour running stalled. Started up 2 more times stalled and won't start just cranks.
Used a Bluetooth code reader and this is what it says
Old 06-24-2019 | 03:47 PM
  #40  
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Re: So frustrated losing interest

I'd be really interested in learning how replacing the distributor fixed an MAF code. Defies all logic, But I'm open to learning something new.
Old 06-24-2019 | 03:56 PM
  #41  
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Re: So frustrated losing interest

I think the MAF code came up originally when I started it with the air intake off?

It started up again and it looked like the spark was almost intermittent?

I tried to share the video but this site won't let me upload the kind of format my iPhone saves it in.
Old 06-25-2019 | 01:53 AM
  #42  
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Re: So frustrated losing interest

Originally Posted by zootzee
I think the MAF code came up originally when I started it with the air intake off?

It started up again and it looked like the spark was almost intermittent?

I tried to share the video but this site won't let me upload the kind of format my iPhone saves it in.

Yeah, you want to have the air cleaner assembly back on the car since it may throw codes since the MAF is not reading air being sucked into the throttle body, it is being bypassed. Clear those codes and try to get new ones with the air cleaner assembly back together again. I could be wrong about the Optispark but bizarre things have been known to happen with faulty ones or low quality ones. Let us know what you find.

I know it must be frustrating as hell but you are close to resolving the problem and you will take away so much knowledge from this experience, I did with my own.
Old 06-25-2019 | 08:27 AM
  #43  
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Re: So frustrated losing interest

Originally Posted by Phoenix'97
Yeah, you want to have the air cleaner assembly back on the car since it may throw codes since the MAF is not reading air being sucked into the throttle body, it is being bypassed. Clear those codes and try to get new ones with the air cleaner assembly back together again. I could be wrong about the Optispark but bizarre things have been known to happen with faulty ones or low quality ones. Let us know what you find.

I know it must be frustrating as hell but you are close to resolving the problem and you will take away so much knowledge from this experience, I did with my own.
I guess I'll start with the ICM then the coil then the OPTI. Plan is to let it run until it dies and won't start them change it the ICM same with the coil.

Old 06-25-2019 | 10:18 AM
  #44  
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Re: So frustrated losing interest

Did you loc-tite the screws on the Opti rotor?

Without codes for the Opti and the ICM, it's possibly a problem with the rotor. There are no codes related to the high voltage side of the Opti.

And of course, check again for spark at the plugs, and work your way backward with diagnostics (rather than random parts replacement) toward the distributor.

And as far as refilling the coolant system, use Shoebox's procedure - if t’stat is out, fill engine first through the t’stat opening, then move to the radiator neck, insuring the radiator stays full, then move to the reservoir. All covered in his procedure, and proven to be a reliable method, over more than 20 years that people have been using it. I have always followed it, and never had a problem.
Old 06-25-2019 | 10:54 AM
  #45  
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Re: So frustrated losing interest

I just figured that it would be easier to plug in a another ICM see if that was the issue. It wasn't.
And now I'm running it ( send good for a half hour then dies) then I'll take the coil off and check that.

No I didn't lock tight the OPTI screws. I didn't read anything about loc tite


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