My Fiero was engine swapped (I4 to V6) (Page 1/1)
The_Q42 AUG 27, 04:41 PM
Hi . . . so I bought my Fiero as a project car, and I've just realized that it was, at some point in the past, engine swapped (yeah, I should've checked more carefully into this). Specifically, it came with an Iron Duke, but now has a stock (as far as I can tell) 2.8L V6 in it.

My questions to the community are: what are the things I should be looking into to make sure they didn't do anything horrendously wrong during the swap? Is the swap from an I4 to the stock v6 pretty much plug and play? Basically, what are the gotchas?
Raydar AUG 27, 04:58 PM
I have done that exact swap. For the most part it is plug and play, unless the car is an 84. That opens a whole different can of worms.
What year is your car? 87s and 88s are even easier, due to the fuel line routing. (The fuel lines should come from the tank on the right side - up from the tank, sort of under the battery tray, and then up to the engine. 84-86 Dukes had the lines on the left side.)
The fuel pump has to be swapped, but if that hasn't been done, it wouldn't be running at all.
There are some "incremental" gotchas, but nothing too ugly. Nothing that is a show stopper.

Have details and/or pics?

[This message has been edited by Raydar (edited 08-27-2020).]

The_Q42 AUG 27, 05:56 PM
I will grab some pics this weekend, but it's an '86 SE, and it DOES run (and the engine and transmission both feel relatively smooth). The only quirks I've noticed are that it seems a bit anemic off the line (but the power kicks in decently around 35 MPH), and it doesn't slow down as much as I would expect when coasting with my foot off the pedals . . . on a flat road, it'll barely slow down at all at around-town speeds.

Other than that, the drivetrain feels . . . solid while driving. I think my alternator is having some issues, and the suspension needs reworked (along with a host of other things--this is a project car purchase), but the engine and the transmission seem like the best part of the car right now. :-)
Patrick AUG 27, 07:20 PM

quote
Originally posted by The_Q42:

The only quirks I've noticed are that it seems a bit anemic off the line (but the power kicks in decently around 35 MPH), and it doesn't slow down as much as I would expect when coasting with my foot off the pedals...



I'll make the assumption that it's an automatic. If so, the 3-spd slushbox will make most engines feel "anemic"... but it shouldn't take reaching 35 MPH before you feel any power.
Mike in Sydney AUG 27, 07:35 PM
Unless I'm sadly mistaken, all '86 SE's came with the 2.8L V6. Are you sure the engine was swapped? If so, was it swapped from a V6 to an L4 and back to a V6? Check your VIN number. The 8th character should be a "9" if it was a V6 from the factory and an "R" if it was a stock L4. Use this VIN decoder to help: http://www.nytmare.org/fiero/vin/fierovin.htm.
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Mike in Sydney

Edited for spelling.

[This message has been edited by Mike in Sydney (edited 08-27-2020).]

The_Q42 AUG 27, 09:13 PM
The VIN is how I'm sure it was swapped. The 8th number in there is the "R," which, according to my mechanic's guidebook means the I4. CarFAX also says it came with the I4, so it seems likely?

I may be overstating "anemic," but it definitely has more juice if I gun it at 35 vs 0 or from a rolling start. Yes, it's the automatic . . . though, I'm wondering if they swapped it out for the 4 speed auto at some point too, since it doesn't rev very high whilst on the highway . . . though, that could just be the tac being off?

[This message has been edited by The_Q42 (edited 08-27-2020).]

Mike in Sydney AUG 27, 09:38 PM
Hmmm. That's interesting. Are you sure it's and SE and an '85 model? I thought the only from '85 onward all SE's were V6's. I think that in '84, the Indy's had the SE nose and wing with a 4-cylinder and they were called SE's.

Hey, BTW, I note your use of the term "whilst" Are you from the UK, Australia, or New Zealand? Those are the only places I heard / seen anyone use the term "whilst".

Good luck with your swap plans

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Mike in Sydney

The_Q42 AUG 30, 02:21 AM

quote
Originally posted by Mike in Sydney:

Hmmm. That's interesting. Are you sure it's and SE and an '85 model? I thought the only from '85 onward all SE's were V6's. I think that in '84, the Indy's had the SE nose and wing with a 4-cylinder and they were called SE's.

Hey, BTW, I note your use of the term "whilst" Are you from the UK, Australia, or New Zealand? Those are the only places I heard / seen anyone use the term "whilst".

Good luck with your swap plans




No, it's an SE and it's an '86. It does have the GT nose though. By the VIN, it's definitely already been swapped.

Also, nope, I live in Cleveland and grew up in Ohio. :-) I'm just a language nerd.