93zstartedme

I just went through a nightmare after doing a simple opti replace on my 94z. Once I got everything back together it wouldn't start, as I've seen so many times on this forum. If your car has higher mileage double check the splined dowel between the cam and the opti. Mine looked ok but let me install the opti without it being properly positioned. I didn't have to use any force whatsoever to put the opti back on and it went flush with the block. After chasing much B.S. I pulled the dowel out from the cam. Much to my surprise I discovered that it fit easily into the opti no matter how it was positioned. Apparently over time wear and tear causes the little weld GM used as the key on the dowel to become ineffective. Once I made sure everything was REALLY lined up properly, the car, of course, started right up. Later I found the cam end of the dowel to be worn also causing the same type of postioning problem. If your car seemed to be running fine(except for the usual opti miss)before the opti install and now won't start(it'll probably just backfire like mine did, because it's out of time)make sure to check that little seemingly innocent dowel. Hope this saves some time, money and frustration.