Douglassr

Friend Frank, I don't think they'd know the difference. What have you got to lose if you go in there as is and see what happens? Most folks looking under a hood would never know it's a mod. Thanks, Douglas

Douglassr

I hope my problem is now solved, crossing my fingers. To back up a little bit, two years ago when I installed the Delteq, it sat on top of the valve cover towards the firewall. When the 10-32 screws holding the coils to the aluminum base loosened up, the whole thing slid off and rested on the exhaust manifold, frying the ignition module. What happened is a combination of things; first the 1-1/2" long 10-32 screws provided with the kit are too short; second the aluminum base plate provided with the kit has 10-32 female threads tapped into it and these threads easily stripped out. My first attempt at a solution , after I got a junk yard module, was the elevate the coil pack using 1-1/2" long spacers and longer valve cover bolts, thinking get it as far away from the manifold heat as possible. This worked fine for about a day and a half, and then it failed again. I put my hand under the base and it was hotter than a firecracker, fried another module. Then I got to thinking, when the kid at the junk yard took off the module from a "95 Oldsmobile, the coil pack sat on the top of the engine just behind the intake manifold, no excessive heat there. I'm sitting there looking at the engine, with homeplate off, and then it dawned on me. The brackets that hold homeplate on are spaced almost the same as the Delteq aluminum base, a 1/4" difference. It was an easy job the slot out the aluminum using a rat tail file to fit the same spacing as the base. I got the base fit on in no time using 1" long metric cap screws and a couple washers to get it up off the throttle linkage. Back to the junk yard, told them the module was no good and they exchanged it with one from a Cadillac. I put the new module and coil pack on the base using using 2" long socket head cap screws and nuts where the the base threads were stripped out. So now I got the coil pack sitting on top of the engine, right in the middle, and it's away from all the heat. All the wires were long enough to permit this and it also clears the hood closing. I did this yesterday, the next few days will tell the story, pretty sure problem solved and it looks kinda neat too. Thanks, Douglas

DAVE00

I agree, give it a shot and see what they say. Here in Houston they're pretty strict as in California and they do visual too, even got caught in the past with a straight pipe instead of a cat before they did sniffer tests too. They just told me to go put it back on and bring it back and they would inspect it again for free. FYI - They havn't given me a problem on the Delteq setup and I've had it 3 years also it burns cleaner now so it tests better than a new car on the emissions computer. Good luck.

DAVE00

Hey Douglas, here is a pic of mine with the old valve cover bracket you had, can you post a pic of the new install you did? I'm very curious. FYI - I don't have the problem you did as it stays pretty cool and also my valve cover bolts are longer keeping it firmly in place. I hope this new setup works for you as it sounds pretty cool. Take care.

Douglassr

Post pictures, are you kidding, I can barely hunt and peck this keyboeard with one finger?!! Well, it puked again today, I waited a half hour and drove home. Tomorrow I'm going to install the Delteq opti-box that I paid $450 for, if that don't work I'm going to buy from Advance Auto a new ignition module for $260 (no more junk yard). If that don't work, it's gotta be the coils, nothing else left? I know the old original still plays some role in all this, just don't know what? Man, this is getting frustrating and expensive, this is my only car. I could prolly drive from here to northern Wisconsin like this if I wanted to stop for half-hour increments along the way. Hindsight is always 20/20, shoulda stuck with the factory opti, but who knew? Thanks, Douglas

JFR

Thanks Douglassr,
I got thru two years ago, the guy said next time. So I'll try it again.
California sucks.
But I'm tooooo old to leave, and at lease my 67 camero rag top, does not need smog.
Frank with a 95 z28.

Douglassr

Friend Dave, the valve cover bolts weren't the problem. It was the 1-1/2" X 10-32 screws that hold the coils/module to the aluminum base; and also have to go through the angled heat shield. This is just a suggestion, get eight 2" or 1-3/4" X 10-32 socket head cap screws and replace the 1-1/2" screws one at a time; 2" screws will prolly be too long with the valve cover set up, 1-1/3/4" will be perfect. At the very least, check to make sure each screw is snug, don't over tighten, you'll just strip out the threads in the aluminum base. What happened to mine is over time these screws began to loosen up and eventually all of them came loose and the coils/module/heat shield slid off and came to rest on the exhaust manifold.

Right now I'm at wits end, I don't know if frying the ignition module caused the Delteq opti-box to fail, or I got a bad junk yard ignition module or the coils failed due to excessive heat too.

Does anyone know what role the original otpi still plays with the Delteq system?

Thanks, Douglas

DAVE00

Sorry Douglas, sounds like you are having quite a time at it. I hope it's just the bad ignition module. FYI - The only part the opti plays in this delteq setup is the crank trigger which is built into the opti or in the timing cover if you have a 96' or newer. No high voltage is going thru the opti anymore with this setup and theoretically your car would not even start or it would run very very badly if the crank trigger part of the opti had crapped out. I would stick with your original idea and troubleshoot the module, delteq box and then coils. Good luck.

Douglassr

Mine is a '95, does that matter? Problem is it's impossible to use diagnose the opti-box if you're by yourself; can't turn the ignition key and look for the once red LED blink. Thanks, Douglas

Anyone can call me anytime 630-365-2204

DAVE00

Yeah you're right on that one, maybe get a friend or a neighbor to help you out. As to the car mine is also a 95' and that means the crank trigger is built into the opti. Probably not your problem. I pulled this off delteq's installation manual - maybe it will help if you don't already have it?

Diagnostics

Note: If the SES (Service Engine Soon) light is on, a trouble code is present that may interfere with proper operation. Fix any trouble codes before starting Diagnostics.

• Opti-Box Diagnostic LED (right side of front label)
Key On: The LED will flash only once, briefly, then turn off.
Cranking: The LED will pulse on and off until it synchronizes with the Opti-Spark sensors. Once the Opti-Box has synchronized, the LED will stay on.
Running: The LED should remain on at all times. If the LED blinks at all while the engine is running, it indicates that the signals from the Opti-Spark are out-of-sync and the Opti may be failing. Note: Opti-Box S/N 213 and below do not have this feature and will blink continuously during running or cranking. The Opti-Box serial number is on the top of the Opti-Box and on the end of the shipping box.

• LED Fails to Flash Briefly at Key-on (No power at Opti-Box)
1. Verify that the ECM fuse is OK and all the harness connectors are fully seated.
2. Unplug the 6-pin connector on the Opti-Box (Connector A in Figure 3) and measure terminals C and D. With the ignition key ON, pin D should be Ground and pin C should be battery voltage. If not, there is a wiring harness or ignition switch problem.
3. If the voltage level on Pin C and D are appropriate, but the light still does not briefly flash when the key is turned on, you may have a bad Opti-Box. Please contact Delteq.

• LED Fails to Flash/Turn Solid while Cranking (No Opti Signal)
1. If the LED flashes on when the unit is powered up, but there is no flashing during cranking, the proper signals are not reaching the Opti-Box from the Opti-Spark. Use the wiring schematic to check for continuity between the three connectors on the “T” harness.
a. If any wire fails a continuity check, contact Delteq for a new harness.
b. If the harness checks OK, the Opti-Spark sensors may not be functioning.
2. If the LED flashes on and off while cranking, but does not turn fully on after cranking for more than 2 seconds, your Opti-Spark may be functioning improperly. A bad bearing in the Opti-Spark or a severely worn timing chain can cause this. Please contact Delteq.

• LED Working Properly, but Not All Coils are Firing
If the LED flashes properly during key on and cranking, but the car won’t start, the coils should be checked for proper firing. Refer to Step 8 of this manual to conduct the coil test.
If some but not all the coils fired, the coilpack has a bad driver(s) or coil(s). Please contact Delteq. If you bought a Barebones system, contact your coilpack supplier for a replacement.

• LED Working Properly, but None of the Coils are Firing
If the LED flashes properly during key on and cranking, but no coils fire, there is most likely a power problem or a module problem.
1. Check the Ignition (IGN) fuse. If it is blown, there may be a short circuit inside the coilpack or the harness. Disconnect the 3-pin connector (Pink/White/Black) at the coilpack and retest with a new fuse. If the fuse blows, the problem is in the wiring harness. If the fuse is OK, reconnect the 3-pin connector and repeat the test. If the fuse blows now, there is a short circuit in the coilpack.
2. At the coilpack, disconnect the 6-pin connector that has two wires going into it (not the 6-pin with 4 wires). Crank the engine and check for spark. If there is now spark, you likely have a bad EST (engine spark timing) connection. This is pin E (white wire) on the 6-pin coilpack connector. Check continuity on this circuit. If continuity is good, check that the TAN/BLK wire on pin D of the same connector has over +5V with key on, engine off. If it does not, please contact Delteq.

• Cranking Concerns
Your vehicle may take ½ of an engine revolution longer to start after the installation of the Delteq Opti-Direct System. The Opti-Box has to sync with the Opti-Spark signals, then the coilpack must sync to the Opti-Box signals. In most cases, the increase in starting time is minimal.
If your vehicle takes much longer than normal to start, please contact Delteq for support.

• Other Common Problems
A dead miss in a single cylinder is a bad injector, cracked park plug, bad ignition wire or intake manifold leak.
A miss at a certain RPM is usually a tuning problem or an aftermarket or modified airflow meter.

Douglassr

Delteq friends, well folks, I found out something significant yesterday doing some experimenting, good thing I don't work or I wouldn't have time for this nonsense. I you have been following my saga, I mentioned that I had acquired a NIB Delteq barebones kit, which is basically just the opti-box. I removed the original opti-box off the header, left it all plugged in, just hanging there for easy access. Then I did a couple errands, came home, let the car idle in the garage, hoping it would fail. Sure enough about 20mins it sputtered and stopped. I got my wife to sit in the driver's seat, had her operate the key as I observed the LED. Ignition on, the LED blinked once; cranked to start, LED glowed steady but would not fire. In less than a minute I swapped out old with new opti-box, the engine fired right up.

Conclusion, the LED functions properly even though the opti-box has a fault in it and won't operate. So if your LED glows as designed, don't be misled into thinking it's okay.

What I'm going to do today is splice the one factory connection to make it longer so I can relocate the opti-box somewhere away from the direct heat.

Talking to other Delteq users, the opti-boxes only last about 20-30,000mi if they are installed on the head as designed.

The saga continues, thanks, Douglas

DAVE00

Hey great news Douglas glad you figured it out. Guess our wives are good for something every now and then, LOL. Take care.

ssbowtie1

Yep, I didn't even get that much mileage out of mine. Sorry to hear that the guy is going through rough times, but it also sucks for me and alot of other owners that are now out 600+ for these units with no one to contact.

stlws6

you need to space the unit off the head with washers

Douglassr

Okay friends, next turn of events. I spliced the four factory wires that originally went to the factory coil so that I could move the opti-box up onto the top of the engine. It took a while but I wanted to do a very professional job, i cut the factory connector off leaving as much wire left as possible (you only got about 4" to play with), put a different color tape on each wire, color coded four pieces of new wire 14" long and and used crimped lugs to make the connections. Got a new connector at the auto parts place, spliced that in same way, used heat shrink on all the connections, taped the four wires together and put black heat shield on the whole thing. Now the harness is about two feet long. I put the NEW opti-box on top of the engine and just held it in place with a zip-tie and off I went. It failed!! had to wait 'til cooled down and came home. as you may remember, I had a junk yard ignition module, I went to Advance Auto and bought a new one made by Borg Warner $280.

Now I've got a new opti-box, a new ignition module and the same four coils i Got with my Delteq kit.

I'm convinced heat is the enemy to these parts, so I had some asbestos fire blanket and put a double layer under the ignition module and on top of the base, which is now attached to where homeplate once sat. I made a bracket out of 2"X3"X3-16" aluminum angle iron to put the opti-box. I put the bracket off the alternator bolt towards the center of the engine, put the opti-box on the bracket, using a double layer of fire blanket.

Now the whole set-up sits on top of the engine. I'll keep posted if my efforts work.

Thanks, Douglas