The Project begins here..... Picture Heavy 56k No way

[jwrape]

LOL! Yea. Just couldn't find the dually fenders for it.

[Fierofool]

I'm sure you already know this, but for those who don't:  When replacing the fuel pump on a Fiero, be sure you get one that is correct for your engine.  The 4 cylinder pump won't supply enough for the V6 engine and the V6 pump will overpressure the 4 cylinder cars. 

[jwrape]

I'm sure you already know this, but for those who don't:  When replacing the fuel pump on a Fiero, be sure you get one that is correct for your engine.  The 4 cylinder pump won't supply enough for the V6 engine and the V6 pump will overpressure the 4 cylinder cars.  

Yes, I verified it. It's Part Number AC Delco OEM replacement EP386. Shows on all the online infor that is made for my year and size motor. I should be good. Don't wanna over pressurize anything on the ol' girl. LOL

[jwrape]

In the last two days I've gotten a lot done. I first had to borrow my Dad's jack stand to get it up off the ground in the rear.

Then a friend and I proceeded to remove the gas tank. WOOO! That was fun, for the main reason of all the Acorns and leaves and dirt falling in our eyes. Oh, and the fuel lines are not easy to get to and get off. But we did and after removing the fuel pump instantly found why the PO said it was running funny. Look at these photo's and the nastiness that had become of the hose.



The hose was a sticky, rubbery mess and litterally was just sitting there only because there was no movement to it in the tank. After I tried to pull it off I got this.

And that stuff got on EVERYTHING on my work bench.
Then I wanted to see if the tank was rusty or dirty so I stuck my phone inside and took some pics
Just a couple specs of rust that I eventually wiped out

Then I saw this and thought it was funny. It's cracked but when I stuck my hand in to feel it, it's not brittle and wouldn't come off like I would have assumed so I just left it.


Then we dumped the nasty 5 year old gas as we choked on the smell that still reaks throughout the yard even though it's long gone.
We rebuilt the pump with the new pump, new Real Clamps and real double resistant fuel line inside.
We took apart the float mechanism and lightly cleaned it til it had a shine on the coiled wire and the slider. (afterwards the Fuel Gauge is still pegged at FULL.
We had the tank back in with the new fuel pump and the pump works perfectly. We go to start it and figured out that the wires were on totally off from the 1-3-4-2 order they should been in. So after some reading we figured out which wire is #1 and once they were in order the motor fired up.

At first it ran rough and even shot out a hay bale from the tail pipe. Something was living in there at one time

After a little smoking through the PCV valve and a lot of blow by, some smoking out the tail pipe due to oil in the cylinders, it started running smoother and smoother. Eventually it ran like a Honda, Very Smooth.

THEN, all the sudden it started running rough and spiratically making this knocing noise but I could tell it wasn't a ROD because it was very spiratic and wasn't exactly with the rythm of the motor. Then finally we lost a cylinder firing.

I'm like, OH SH**! I think I trashed the motor. (Yes, I admit it, you guys were right, I should have pulled the head but I REALLY didn't want to. I was stubborn)

So the next day I pulled the head off. Here is what I saw.

Here is the #4 cylinder that had a broken plug in it.

Seems to be NO problems with this cylinder at all.
Next I looked at #1 and didn't see anything obvious

Then I wiped it out and looked closer and saw this

Dings all over two sides of the cylinder, mainly close the rear window side of the piston and close to the trunk, no marks on the right or left of the piston.

And here is a closer look with it at TDC

So I cleaned and cleaned and cleaned some more.
 Then I dried it out and blew it out with compressed air.
Then I went over to the head hanging from my motor lift and checked it out for damage. Nothing really notable there.

Then I try my hand at removing the Coolant Temp Sensor from the head with a EZ out. That Failed as I figured it would. So now instead of a rusted CTS locked into the head, I also have a EZ broke off in it as well. Getto I know, but I don't know how to get out a EZ out. You can't drill through them. Luckily it sealed the water chamber back up.


So anyways, I got the head back on the car and reassembled it. Hoping and crossing my fingures the whole time that I didn't damage it to much.

I got it all back together and turned it over a few hundred times with it spittin' and spuddering and then it finally cranked and ran PERFECT. It is back to running like a foreign car again. Suprisingly smooth and healthy.



And then here is the Video of it running
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3NwY6btEdU

[jwrape]

Oh the compression in the #1 cylinder where the piece of porceline was after the new gasket and cleaning went from 115 to 120 psi. So It's getting stronger as it gets used to running again. I would say the Valve seals are feeling healthier as well as the rings.
During my work this weekend I was looking for an alternative place for the Coolant Temperature Sensor. There is one un used space behind the Coil in the head that can remove the cap and use a adapter to add the sensor there or there is another unused spot on the intake.


I am wondering if either of these will work for that sensor cause the original place will never work again. :-)

During my head removal there is a small hose from the bottom of the intake to the rear wall of the engine bay. I ripped it apart as I removed the head and just happened to have this new Heater Core Hose from working on my Conquest Tsi that worked even better that the original.

[TopNotch]

The swollen little gas hose on the fuel pump is because immersible hose wasn't used. If your replacement wasn't immersible, it will do that also.

[jwrape]

The swollen little gas hose on the fuel pump is because immersible hose wasn't used. If your replacement wasn't immersible, it will do that also.

Yea, I used the immersible one this time. I went to Napa and got a little piece. Goes to show, you gotta do it right.

[Fierofool]

That was probably the original hose and with the increasing use of gasahol, it just ate it up.  The original was never expected to be bathed in ethanol. 

Jason, you're moving right along.  That's looking good. 

[jwrape]

Yea, getting that motor running was a large hurtle I am happy to be getting over. Now onto the suspension.

[Donster]

Man Jason, you really are going the whole nine yards on this, eh? And seem to be doing it right also.
Awesome thread!

\D

[jwrape]

Man Jason, you really are going the whole nine yards on this, eh? And seem to be doing it right also.
Awesome thread!

\D

Thanks, I am jumping into it so hard because I wanna drive it for one but I need to save on gas. My G35 only gets around 20mpg. I need to save more and also after I get this driving I will get my wife driving the G35 instead of her 13mpg Navigator and I will save up for her toy and my next semi build, a Widebody Miata that gets close to 40mpg.
Here is what it will look like with the body kit.

[jwrape]

Just had my 86' Brake Rotors turned down to remove the disc here in Dacula, GA for $70 for the pair. Seems reasonable.
I will post pics later.

Should be getting on those brakes soon. Now I gotta pick up the calipers and pads.

[jwrape]

So I got some pics of the cut down hubs.
One of them, the machinist was cutting it from the front and a chunk of steel flew off and nearly took off his head. LOL!
So he had to weld back on some material and machine it back down.
They turned out great.
The learning from this is to turn off the disc from the hub from the rear of the hub first so that the weak part of the steal doesn't go flying at your head.

The second one turned out perfect and now he's got it down.
I'm gonna have him do another set here soon if I get this 86' GT I'm looking at.
 

[TopNotch]

A bit late now, but did you know that the Fiero Store sells a kit that has everything you need for this brake conversion? The kit includes turned down rotors with new bearings, disks, calipers, brake pads, and caliper mounting brackets. (The caliper mounting brackets need a bit ground off at one place where they would otherwise rub against the new disks.)
The kit is very reasonably priced, considering all you get with it. It makes the conversion a simple bolt-on procedure.

[jwrape]

A bit late now, but did you know that the Fiero Store sells a kit that has everything you need for this brake conversion? The kit includes turned down rotors with new bearings, disks, calipers, brake pads, and caliper mounting brackets. (The caliper mounting brackets need a bit ground off at one place where they would otherwise rub against the new disks.)
The kit is very reasonably priced, considering all you get with it. It makes the conversion a simple bolt-on procedure.

Yea, I think I remember seeing it, but I have less spending money at different times of the month so I was just collecting the parts as i go a long. Just to not spend a ton of money all at once. So far i think I have something like $257 in the car since I started taking it apart. Not to mention the $400 for the car itself. But so far I haven't spent all that much for parts and I need about another $400 + alignment to get it rolling down the street. Not to bad for a gas saver. :-)

Fiero's remind me of a VW Bug in the way that the parts are pretty cheap and they are easy to work on. The Fiero Looks 10x better though to me.