As far as the corrosion on the dist cap terminals...Do I believe that alone would all of a sudden cause a no start condition...nope, run rough and/or miss fire maybe. Can the opti decoder or the ignition module fail and cause a no start...yes. Many times (but not always) a technician can use a scan tool and find either a high or low resolution code which leads them to opti replacement. I don't know what steps your mechanic used to arrive at opti dist. replacement. There are techs in the repair business who are very skilled at diagnosing and making repairs and some who are more or less just parts replacers. In my 40 years in the business I've seen both ends of the spectrum. The opti is certainly known to give problems on the LTX engines. I've replaced the opti on my C4 twice....the first time because of a seeping water pump...6 months later the second time because of what I believed to be a high quality/well known manufacturer of "optis" turned out to be not so high quality.

 

 

 

 

If a owner is capable of diagnosing and wrenching on their own car they can save $$$.  That's the great thing about the C4VR and car forums in general IMO....there's usually a member who "has been there and done that" to give help and tips on most repairs. There is great info right here on C4VR for replacing the LTX opti distributor if the owner can do the work themselves.

 

                                                                                                                    JMO

 

Thanks again for your great and fast response.