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Drive clean
First off, let it be known that I am not a mechanic, however I have been exposed to Drive clean, here is what I know;
One of the most common failures is due to a faulty gas cap. If your car is fuel injected, the fuel system is pressurized. If after you have driven your car and the engine is warmed up, when you release the gas cap, there should be a pressure release, if not, replace the cap.
Your engine must be properly tuned. Change older plugs, wires, cap and rotor. Change your air filter and breather element. If you see dark smoke coming out of the tailpipe, you should consider changing the oxygen sensor. If your car is slow to idle, it may be your idle air control valve.
Change your oil and filter, I recommend oils made for higher mileage engines, as it has additives to swell your seals.
White smoke is not as much a problem, I have seen cars with visible white smoke PASS the test. Good luck on your E-TEST!
For further information, your local Canadian Tire has pamphlets available to answer any questions you may have.
Window replacement
I searched all over for information
on replacing the side windows but couldn't find anything. Through practice,
I offer the following:
Yes , it is difficult to replace
the windows, but it can be done. Remove outer skin and inner panel. Bend
straight the tabs that are holding the rollers to the glass. Pull the gass
away from the rollers. Making sure that the window guide rail along the
top of the door is removed, tip the glass towards the front of the door.
You will notice a notch, the width of the glass, is cut out. You should
be able to slide the glass out through this notch. Installation is the
reverse of the removal.
Which Tranny
Before you invest any funds into a tranny, take a look at the information below.
The Getrag 5 Speed: The preferred transmission for the performance driver is known as the Getrag 282 in the Fiero, the 282, 5TM40 & NVT550 on the Quad-4 and later uses. The unit is designed for use up to 200 Ft. Lbs. of Torque, but if cared for and not abused will work with engines up to about 275 Ft. Lbs. of Torque. Available with standard transverse bellhousing or Quad-4 Bellhousing. If converting to a Quad-4 you will need the matching transmission. A close brother of this is the Getrag 284 that came with the 3.4 TDC Engine. It has a non-standard clutch that will need to be adapted to whatever you are upgrading to. It has a designed limit of about 250 ft lb. of Torque and with a lot of care can be used to about 300 Ft. Lbs. of torque . The 282 transmissions are built by Muncie Transmission Plant of G/M but are called Getrags because the design work on them was done by the Getrag Company of Germany...
What to look for ??? The Isuzu 5 speed has a separate bolt on aluminum casting that the shift arm shaft goes into, also both shift cables are on top. Both the Muncie and Getrag has the shaft ( almost vertical ) going through the main housing. The 5 speed Getrags have a stamped steel plate on the end opposite from the bell housing, one shift cable on top one on left side of case. The Muncie 4 speed has no such plate, just the aluminum of the main housing, both shift cables on top. This should allow you to pick out these main styles. Also be aware that the pulse sender has two styles, a gear driven ( needed for stock Fieros ) and a Magnetic Coil unit with no gears ( needed for engine conversions such as the 3800 ).. These pickups cannot be directly interchanged, an internal gear or pulse ring will not drive the opposite kind of transmitter. Externally the gear driven unit has a large unit extending out of the case, while the magnetic unit is almost flush with the case. Shift brackets are different between the rear drive Fiero and the Front Drive Cars so at times special shift levers must be fabricated.. Remember to choose wisely when it comes to replacement transmissions
Car wanders
On the steering rack you should see a small piston type mechanism that connects between the rack and wheel assembly. It actually looks like a small shock absorber or a hatch cylinder on steroids. Disconnect one end and try to compress it. If it slams closed or slides open real easily , it needs to be replaced. It should feel like a screen door closer (cylinder). Most Fiero Owners don't realize it even exhists, because in many cases they have rotted and fallen off. If there is no "steering control cylinder" , you will need one. There are very few makes of cars that have this, it is more common on pick up trucks.
If your inner tie rod needs replacing, two things will occur. First
your alignment will be affected, which causes lane wandering. If you
put your steering wheel at 12 o'clock and then view your tire
alignment from the front and see a "toe In"or "toe out" (tires are not facing
straight and square) you probably need to change a tie rod.Keep in mind that a properly alligned car will have a slight "toe out" of 2-3 degrees. The only
way to tell which one needs replacing is to move the wheels side to
side while the car is jacked up. The socket end should be stiff and
not "clunk". Even this may be hard to determine without removing the
tie rod completely. Since both inners are the same age, you might
consider changing them both anyway.
If your car seems to slip slightly to the side while turning at low
speed, it could also be your upper control arm bushings. This can be
determined when the car is jacked up. Put your hands at the 12 o'clock
position and the 6 o'clock position and push on one hand and pull on
the other hand. If you feel any clunking, it's probably your control
arm bushings. Having someone else watch for movement is a good idea.
One more thing to check out are the rear tie rods. If they are worn, you will get the sensation that the front end is wandering, but in fact it is the rear end.
Last, but not least is tires. If you have high profile tires, sidewall flex will cause the same problem, switch to lower profile tires. Older tires have a tendancy to have sidewall flex as well.
BEST WAX
Don't waste your time on those cheap waxes, they don't last long, they are a waste of time and money. Carnuba wax is the way to go. It gets down deep into the paint and you really only have to wax twice a season.
CLUTCHING PROBLEMS
If you are experiencing any kind of clutch problem such as slipping, not fully engaging, or not fully disengaging, check out the clutch rod between the clutch master cylinder and the pedal. It is common for these rods to bend in the 1984 to 1987 models, as the material is very soft. You can straighten this rod or replace it.
FIERO ENGINE SWAP INFORMATION
2.5 AND 2.8 ENGINE REMOVAL PROCEEDURES
Factory recalls, technical service bulletins, diagnosis and repair, proceedures, OEM part numbers, diagnostic charts, trouble codes, component locations and diagrams, go to the Alldata link below.
You won't believe the amount of technical information that is available for free at the floridafieros.org site!
MORE TECH TIPS HERE!
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