hey anybody here know how to work on fieros? just got one for free from my uncle so i figured with the current gas ripoff, i'd try to get it running and save some money.
here's some history... it has been sitting for about 10 years. the guy my uncle bought it from said his son used to drive it then they ended up just parking it for a long time. it supposedly ran when they stopped using it. it's a 1984 2M4 SE model. pulled the valve cover off and surprisingly no sludge. still gotta pull the head to see what else i can see. but this car is in pretty good shape. it looks like crap from sitting in the sun for all it's life. but the important thing is everything is there. nothing is missing.
anyway, just wanted to know if anybody had any experience working on these cars cuz i have none. but luckily, since it's early 80's model, i don't think the computer should be a pain and i think i can get it running fairly easily. lemme know if y'all have any advice. i gotta go find a fiero forum too...
thanks in advance
Posted by 2002Z4CSS (Member # 1393) on :
That engine setup is basically what you would find in any 1982-1990 GM "A" body such as a Chevy Celebrity or Olds Cutlass Ciera. They are easy to work on for the most part. If the car was sitting for 10 years, the coolant tubes that run from front to back may be rusted.
Posted by Mirage (Member # 2234) on :
Anything and everything you ever wanted to know about Fieros:
I know Mike Bonte had one earlier in his life. He might be of some help. Posted by SunsetHawkSelena (Member # 2197) on :
cool thanks so much for the links and info. any little bit helps. keep it coming! once i figure out how to post pics i will post some pics of the car. i hate to have to email em to people everytime...
Posted by mattp (Member # 2140) on :
quote:Originally posted by mattp: I know Mike Bonte had one earlier in his life. He might be of some help.
i sent the link to this thread to mike. hopefully he will pop in and have some words of wisdom for you. Posted by KevinA (Member # 139) on :
Buy a manual for it and look up some fiero forums. You will want to make sure you have the heat shield in place so it doesn't go up in flames. They are relatively easy to work on, and the Tech 4 engines are nearly indestructable. As long as it's not rotted out it should be fine. You will want to check out all the coolant lines from the radiator back.
I still want to get an 88 GT myself.
Posted by Mike Bonte (Member # 1892) on :
quote:Originally posted by mattp: I know Mike Bonte had one earlier in his life. He might be of some help.
Yes it is true... we salvaged an '87 Fiero SE from a neighbor down the street. Bought it for $50 and pushed it home, it was a 2.8 v6 with a 5speed and had just under 240k on the clock.
Not sure if I can add much to what has been said, as we had the v6 car which had some very unique characteristics.
Sneezy made a great point about the coolant lines, they are long (radiator in the front) and may be rotten on you...If I remember they were expensive to replace (if not impossible to find), a good mechanic or radiator shop should be able to repair any small leaks. I would check them out before you even try to crank it up, because as soon as the thermo opens it'll leak like a sieve.
If you need any interior, Mr. Mike's makes a spectacular leather kit for a reasonable price. http://www.mrmikes.com/
Basically, as said above, the driveline is the same as most mid 80s fwd cars, it's just turned around backwards. Parts are reasonably easy to find. Did those 4cyl motors have the head gasket problems like the J bodies did? I'm not sure if it's the same motor or not.
What else... well if it has a sunroof, you can pop the whole glass out and store it in the front, there are clips above the spare tire.
One thing you may want to check in to, our 87 had a series of air tubes that blew cold air onto various parts of the ignition. This may have been to help dissipate heat (you may recall earlier cars had fire problems). May want to investigate that.
On our v6: oil changes were a royal pita it had a bad pulley, would burn up a belt in about 7k miles, and changing the belt was not fun Other wise it ran like a top. They are fun little cars, and after driving one for a bit the fbody will feel like an 18 wheeler. Good luck with it.
Mike
Posted by Mike Bonte (Member # 1892) on :
Just wanted to add...
We did have a small problem with the computer in our '87... it had trouble controlling the IAC valve and maintaining a consistent idle, so we just bypassed it with a switch. The computers ARE NOT CHEAP, even used, as they are hard to find in good shape.
Posted by SunsetHawkSelena (Member # 2197) on :
thanks so much for all the good info. i will definitely check coolant hoses. as far as the head gasket problems, i'll have to check into that. it's a 2.5L and i'm pretty sure it was the same one in the jbodies. oh and it does have a sun roof but man i have a feeling that weatherstripping from sitting in the sun so long is gonna be shot and it's gonna leak like a son of a gun! but i've already started applying some zaino what is it? z15 the tire dressing stuff? anyway i've been putting that on all the plastic i can find and it's been soaking it up! so dry, but luckily no cracks in the dash at all!
oh and i found info on the recall for the fires. the recall had been performed on this car, but basically it looks like all they did for the recall was put a sticker inside the gas door to remind you to check the oil level with each fill-up since something about if it drops below the 3 qt level that's when the fires happen. i dunno, i'm just beginning to find out stuff on the car. oh and yeah this one has a ton of air hoses to keep it cool so hopefully i won't have any problems.
thanks y'all so much for the info. i'll be doing lots of research in the next few weeks and let y'all know when i have any particular questions. i love you guys cuz y'all know your stuff. i wouldn't even bother to ask anybody in my local car club cuz they all suck and half don't even know how to work on their own damn cars. pathetic. so that's why i came back to hang with all my SLP peeps. you guys ROCK!
Posted by 99PewterSS (Member # 564) on :
I've owned three Fieros in the past, all V6s, but here's what I can tell you from memory:
The 4 cylinder recall also invovled removing a rubber or plastic (can't remember) drip shield piece from the front of the decklid, near the rear window, in order to let more heat vent. You'll probably notice the mounting holes (4 or 5 of them) that are just sitting there doing nothing. I believe they also updated the design on some cooling hoses to help manage heat.
The '84s also suffered a lot of electrical anomolies. Check the fuse block near the battery and make sure everything is ok there.
Check the battery tray. 99% of the time it's completely rotted away.
Contrary to popular belief, Fieros can and do rust severely. Pull back the carpeting in the trunk and see what's lurking back there.
For certain make sure all of the heat shielding is in place and that all wires and hoses are routed properly. That includes making sure wire loom conenctors aren't broken, allowing wires to lie where they shouldn't.
On the V6 cars (not sure about the 4s) alternators tend to go out routinely.
I know this sounds like a cliche joke, but keep a working fire extinguisher in the car at all times. This is good advice in general, but especially for Fieros. I mis-routed the AC lines in my '86 GT after a rebuild and they ended up touching the exhaust headers while I was driving and caught fire. Not the cars fault by any means, mind you, just stupid owner mis-assembly. If you have an extinguisher, you'll never need it.
I still have a real soft spot for Fieros, regardless of the bad reputation they earned. I think the 86.5 - 88 GT (fastback) is one of the best exterior shapes ever to come out of GM Design.
All of my cars were V6 automatics, which were slugs in comparison to cars on the road today, but they were a blast to drive and that exterior shape (with the wing) was awesome ...
Good luck!
Posted by SunsetHawkSelena (Member # 2197) on :
thanks for the tips. all good info that i will need. once i get the title transferred to me the real work will begin. for now we're just kinda pulling it apart and seeing what's up. keep your fingers crossed that this title transfer goes thru tho cuz my uncle can't find the paperwork... ugh! and if i don't get the title, i'm selling it for parts.
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