Hey guys, as a couple of you may know im planning on purchasing an 1986 Pontiac SE with a 2.8 and muncie 4 speed. Unfortunatly, some complications have set me back money wise. Im hoping to have it when income taxes come back, if not before. But this gives me some more time to research the cars. I have read the fieros are prone to start on fire. Why is it, and how can i prevent it? Also, what other recalls were there for this type of car, and how can i prevent them? Also, are these things safe to drive on dirt roads? I have heard they suck up alot of dirt and stuff. Dont know what he meant by that, probably should have asked him.. thanks for all the help

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1991 Geo Prizm - daily driver
1991 Chevrolet S-10

anyone?

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1991 Geo Prizm - daily driver
1991 Chevrolet S-10

The ones that were known for catching fire were the '84 models. The 4 cylinder motors that year had sub-par connecting rods in them that had a nasty habit of breaking and tearing a hole in the block. Then the oily mess that poured out of the engine would usually hit the catalytic converter (which was nearly as big as a barn) and ignite. This problem was further agrivated by the fact that the engine had to have a smaller oil pan in order to fit in the Fiero, so the engine was something like a quart low even when full. This didn't leave much room for error, and if you neglected to check the oil level once in awhile you could easily starvew the engine of oil and sieze a bearing which would break an already weak connecting rod. The "fix" is to check the oil everytime you fill up for gas, and to use a larger oil filter to boost capacity.

Since you are looking at buying a 2.8 6 cylinder you have nothing to worry about with respect to fires, but we do like to use a larger oil filter on the V6 too. You'll have to check around the forum for the part number when the time comes. Somebody else will have to chime in with info on recalls for you.

They are definitly safe to drive on dirt roads. The dust thing you mentioned is because of those grates behind the rear window. As you drive you create an incredible low pressure zone over the decklid behind the rear window which sucks a lot of air through those grates from underneat the car. A Fiero probably gets dustier than a "normal" car going down the same dirt road, but it definitly won't break anything.

One thing you should know is to check for rust before you buy any Fiero. Due to the plastic body panels a Fiero can look pretty good on the outside and be rotting away to nothing underneath. A good indicator is to go to the trunk and peal the carpet back in the corners (pretty much the whole shelf area on the sides) and check for rust. That is usually the first place to go bad when the frame starts rotting. Good luck and happy hunting.

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^^ Yeah, we totally are.^^

thanks alot for your help..it completely answered my questions..im sure i can find the recalls somewhere on the internet..as for hunting, i dont have to do any of that, ive already gotten it spotted

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1991 Geo Prizm - daily driver
1991 Chevrolet S-10

84 also had Magnesium grill grates over those air vents. They burn wonderful-ly. 85's up had something else

I seem to remember a problem with the 86 2.8l cars that had something
to do with a fuel line being flexed and fatique cracking......spraying fuel
well.....onto the exhaust manifold.......

Any one else?

I don't believe there was a "recall".

[This message has been edited by 86_IRM_TURBO (edited 01-06-2007).]

quote Originally posted by josef644: 84 also had Magnesium grill grates over those air vents. They burn wonderful-ly. 85's up had something else

Post 84-Fieros have vented louvers.

Also, I wouldnt want to be around a burning Fiero when you want to put out the engine compartment with water. Magnesium explodes when contacted with water.

Recall 86-C-16 Is for '84 - '86 manual trans Fieros. This recall is for new design parking brake adjusters. I had this done on an '86 I had a while back and the parking brake actually worked for the first time when they were done. This is the only recall I know of for '86 but there may be more.

What year did they do away with the deck-lid wheather strip and that larger tube that runs the length of the firewall, the one thats below or above the one that feeds the egr solenoid. I think dust gets sucked into the fuel system on any car, so its good to change out the fuel filter as regular maintence. Ohh here it is...Looks like our own Brian Lamberts was a contributor here , if someone has an extra A+ please give it to Brian, they won`t let me give more than one...
http://www.calgaryfieros.com/OSGdocs/recalls.ht...

thanks guys

ok for the 86 fiero the tsb's where :
MAR 91 : 91V055000 parking brake defect
JUN 90 : 88C24 potential for engine compartment fires
1986 Pontiac Fiero V6-173 2.8L Copyright © 2005, ALLDATA 8.40 Page 1 Technical Service Bulletin # 88C24 Date: 900601 Recall - Potential For Engine Compartment Fires Number 88-C-24 Date June/90 PRODUCT SAFETY CAMPAIGN - 88-C-24 Subject: LACK OF ADEQUATE SERVICE OR MAINTENANCE MODELS AFFECTED 1985-88 PONTIAC FIERO MODELS WITH 2.8L V6 ENGINES (RPO L44) TO: ALL PONTIAC DEALERS The National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act, as amended, provides that each vehicle which is subject to a recall campaign of this type, must be adequately repaired within a reasonable time after the owner has tendered it for repair. A failure to adequately repair within sixty days after tender of a If the condition is not adequately repaired within a reasonable time, the owner may be entitled to an identical or reasonably equivalent vehicle at no charge or to a refund of the purchase price less a reasonable allowance for depreciation. To avoid having to provide these burdensome solutions, every effort must be made to promptly schedule an appointment with each owner and to repair their vehicle as soon as possible. As you will see in reading the attached copy of the letter which is being sent to owners, the owners are being instructed to contact the Pontiac Customer Assistance Center if their dealer does not remedy the condition within five days of the mutually agreed upon service date. If the condition is not remedied within a reasonable time, owners are instructed on how to contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Defect Involved General Motors has determined that a defect which relates to motor vehicle safety exists in 1985-88 Pontiac Fiero Model vehicles with 2.8L V6 engines (RPO L44). An interaction of the engine compartment environment in 1985-86 Pontiac Fiero's and maintenance or service related factors results in the potential for engine compartment fires. If combustible materials come in contact with the exhaust manifold, an engine compartment fire can result. Engine compartment fires can spread to the passenger compartment and cause injury to occupants. To greatly reduce the possibility of this condition occurring, all vehicles will have changes made in their underhood environment. Specifically, all as necessary) of underhood fluid and wiring systems. Additionally 1985-86 model year vehicles will have a new exhaust manifold installed to bring them up to 1987-88 specifications. Vehicles Involved Involved are 1985-88 Pontiac Fiero Model vehicles with 2.8L V6 engine (RPO L44) produced within the following VIN breakpoints: Involved vehicles have been identified by Vehicle Identification Number Computer Listings. Computer listings contain the complete Vehicle Identification Number, owner name and address data, and are furnished to involved dealers with the campaign bulletin. Owner name and address data furnished will enable dealers to follow-up with owners involved in this campaign. These listings may contain owner names and addresses obtained from State Motor Vehicle Registration Records. The use of such motor vehicle registration data for any other reason is a violation of law in several states. Accordingly, you are urged to limit the use of this listing to the follow-up necessary to complete this campaign. Any dealer not receiving a computer listing with the campaign bulletin has no involved vehicles currently assigned. OWNER NOTIFICATION Owners will be notified of this campaign on their vehicles by Pontiac Division (see copy of owner letter included with this bulletin).

more
1986 Pontiac Fiero V6-173 2.8L Copyright © 2005, ALLDATA 8.40 Page 1 Vehicle: Recalls Recall 90V104000: Fire Risk PCV GROMMET OIL LEAKS, TRANSMISSION OIL COOLER LEAKS, PISTON CONNECTING
ENGINE WALL CAUSING OIL SPILLAGE, FUEL RAIL LEAKS, COOLANT LEAKS, ROCKER
OR SERVICE RELATED FACTORS, COULD CAUSE ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES. AN ENGINE
TO THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT AND INJURE OCCUPANTS. CORRECT OR INSTALL
UNREASONABLE FIRE RISK. SYSTEM: ENGINE. VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: FIERO PASSENGER CARS WITH 2.8L 6 CYLINDER ENGINES. 1985 PONTIAC FIERO 1986 PONTIAC FIERO 1987 PONTIAC FIERO 1988 PONTIAC

Technical Service Bulletins Recalls:
Number Date Name
NHTSA91V055000 Mar 91 Recall 91V055000: Parking Brake Defect
88C24 Jun 90 Recall - Potential For Engine Compartment Fires
NHTSA90V104000 Apr 90 Recall 90V104000: Fire Risk
NHTSA89V232000 Dec 89 Recall 89V232000: Danger of Engine Compartment Fire
86C13 Jan 89 Campaign - Engine Splash Shield/Coolant Hose Inteference
86C08A Jun 88 Campaign - Supplemental Parts Ordering Information
86C08 Oct 86 Campaign - M/T Sticks in First Gear
there are more im sure for the other years but that was what i pulled up on a quick check with my shop programs. so yes there were recals dealing with fires with the v6 in 86. but keep in mind any car of this age WILL catch on fire if its not taken care of

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COMING SOON: 4.9 complete rebuild with buds outback northstar pistons , delta cams E303 cam , full ported , polished , and flow tested heads and manifolds. rockcrawl's custom chip , polished crank
86 and 87 fiero database www.geocities.com/cwandall/fiero.html

[This message has been edited by wiccantoy (edited 01-07-2007).]

quote Originally posted by AP2k: Post 84-Fieros have vented louvers. Also, I wouldnt want to be around a burning Fiero when you want to put out the engine compartment with water. Magnesium explodes when contacted with water.

Those mag grates aren't really that bad. They are actually some magnesium alloy with a rather low percfentage of magnesium. I got one out of a junkyard awhile back to burn just for kicks. It does burn white hot, but very slowly and not as spectaculalry as the sample you remember seeing in chemistry class.

There was a recall with respect to the breathing tube that goes from the valve cover to the air intake. On earliest Fieros, the tube went to the air box, and as a result, the air cleaner could become saturated with oil. The next stage was to connect the tube to the air tube just past the air box. The final version, seen on most V6 Fieros, used a new shorter tube that connected to a new air tube close to the throttle body. My 86 SE had version 2 when I bought it, and I changed to version 3. The new air tube in this version is also less restrictive. There were also recalls involving heat shields, the stuff wrapped around the wire bundle forward of the engine, etc.

quote Originally posted by AP2k: Also, I wouldnt want to be around a burning Fiero when you want to put out the engine compartment with water. Magnesium explodes when contacted with water.

um, that's sodium that explodes on contact with water. magnesium could' care less, but does corrode very quickly. and does burn underwater too!

when I took my 86 in in the early 90's the recalls of concern were the parking brake fix, which gave me new calipers too, and they wrapped the harness in heat tape. they also added a couple of heat shields, I don;t thinkg they did anything with the fuel system, that may have been a check for xxx condition type recall.
there may have been others that were already on the car. you can take the vin to a dealer and they usually can look up what recalls were done.

quote Originally posted by tjm4fun: um, that's sodium that explodes on contact with water. magnesium could' care less, but does corrode very quickly. and does burn underwater too! when I took my 86 in in the early 90's the recalls of concern were the parking brake fix, which gave me new calipers too, and they wrapped the harness in heat tape. they also added a couple of heat shields, I don;t thinkg they did anything with the fuel system, that may have been a check for xxx condition type recall. there may have been others that were already on the car. you can take the vin to a dealer and they usually can look up what recalls were done.

quote Magnesium powder ignites and burns as a class D fire -- exhibiting sparking and flare up if sprayed with water. The production of hydrogen is possible.

http://www.blazetech.com/Products___Services/Fi...

*The more you know*

quote Originally posted by AP2k: http://www.blazetech.com/Products___Services/Fi... *The more you know*

yup. And obviously you need to do some more reading, so read about magnesium here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnesium
or this one :
http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/sci/A0859421.html

it DOES NOT explode when put in water. sodium does (really nicely too!! ). go look it up.
It will continue to burn in water. as I said.
powdered materials react differently than a solid material, Alloys react even differently. that link you provided is for a chemical reaction of differrent compounds, one of which happens to be magnesium.

if magnesium exploded when contacting water, the oceans would be boiling, mag wheels would explode when driven thru puddles. what a fun world.

My Wifes doctors office is requiring ---hmmmm--how do I say this? Bathroom type test. What could she put in it to blow up the lab that does the testing--I had some ideas--but the chemicals I know would melt a hole in the container....