Make sure to pull the blower motor and resistor pack out of the front, and clean out whatever leaves and other mess might be in there. Don't want to end up with a fire right after you got her running again.
Also, the spare tire tub is not secured. Might want to pull it or rivet it back down, so it doesn't bounce around while driving. The washer tank was disconnected and pulled as well, so make sure you clean the windshield good before driving, if you haven't got that connected back up and working yet. And new wiper blades would be good if you haven't replaced them yet, too. No idea how old the ones on it were, but I'm sure they're totally useless for anything other than scratching the heck out of the glass, at this point. I'd also be a bit untrusting of the tires if you haven't replaced them, as I've no idea how old they are, and they've been sitting a long time.
Oh yes those wiper blades were TOAST. Already been replaced with a set of Trico Flex all-weather beam styles. The only things left on the list are the washer fluid tank and two more calipers.
All 4 calipers were totally seized...at least O'Reilly has a good price on calipers and a decent core return.
Well, I just got back from my first drive in a Fiero ever. My face hurts from smiling. Still got a couple bugs to work out but it does run, drive, shift and stop!
Well, I just got back from my first drive in a Fiero ever. My face hurts from smiling. Still got a couple bugs to work out but it does run, drive, shift and stop!
Haha Id be willing to bet when she was sitting in your yard totally lifeless, you never imagined it with a new engine and brake system rolling down the street this year
That will come with time I suppose. First i need to figure out why the Trans is overheating. The engine seems to be running at a decent temp but im sitting at the bar waiting for the trans to cool down, it started acting up so i checked the casing temp with an infrared temp tool and it was at 190 on the case so i would imagine its considerably warmer inside.
I knew something was up when she stalled at a stop. As soon as i put it in gear it would stall back out. I topped off the fluid and now it has trouble going into and staying in gear. Its pretty strange. Im gonna go ahead and let it cool down and baby it back home but my guess would be TCC lockup issues.
Pretty sure the trans is shot. I have a thread over in Technical Discussions titled "TH125 gurus?" better describing the symptoms. After taking a stab and removing excess fluid to bring the trans to the correct level, she was still giving me problems. I drained the fluid and dropped the pan. Low and behold after around 10 miles the magnet was covered with black goop and a few small, flat, black chunks of some sort of composite material that I would guess is clutch packs. UGH. I suppose a trans that's been hibernating for around 10 years doesn't like to be abruptly awakened.
Oh well, at least I got the gratification of enjoying the fruits of my engine replacement labor for a few miles before the trans totally took a dump...
Looking back on the drive it's very strange. The car went from driving and shifting great to... "Eff you bro I was just fine sleeping in dobey's yard."
Originally posted by virtuetovice: I suppose a trans that's been hibernating for around 10 years doesn't like to be abruptly awakened.
Looking back on the drive it's very strange. The car went from driving and shifting great to... "Eff you bro I was just fine sleeping in dobey's yard."
I suppose if moisture got into the trans at some point, it may have caused damage when put to use. It was probably worn out before I ever saw the car though, if the engine had the issues it did.
I had a previous 85 GT about 17 years ago, that was a salvage title and I was going to get back on the road. It had a very similar problem when we got it running and tried to drive it. Would drive a few miles, get hot and lock up. Never pulled the pan on it though. Sounds like the bands on that one got torn up. :-/
I knew I was getting into a lot of potential issues when I got it lol. I'd much rather be riding around on things I've fixed, versus having the feeling in the back of my mind that it could leave me stranded somewhere at any given time. Now, to replace or rebuild...I guess cost will be the main factor...lol
Got a good lead on a used 3 spd. Hopefully i will be able to go check it out this weekend. It's another VA Fieros member out in Virginia Beach that swapped his sons Fiero for a 440T4. Supposedly its in fine working order.
I don't know if you got my SMS, and I don't recall if the spare was in that car. Let me know if you need a spare for it (well, the tire probably needs replaced since it's 28 years old…).
Yes I actually finally got her going last Sunday the 19th. Sorry for the delay in reporting....been too busy driving it!!! I've put nearly 300 miles on it in a week.
The reason it took so long was waiting for someone to let me use their garage since the guy next door kept calling the city on me last time I dropped the cradle for "working on a vehicle outside of a garage". Well....that Friday I received news that Mr Angry got kicked out for digging around in peoples cars stealing their personal info! Good job Dudly Do-Right...
So I went ahead and dropped the cradle the next day, threw the trans in and had it buttoned back up and on the road Sunday night. So far it has been running, driving, shifting and stopping with absolutely no issues. Today's adventure included yanking that disgusting carpet from the rear compartment and cleaning it. Took it to the spray n wash, drowned it in wheel/tire cleaner and then blasted it with high pressure. Looks fantastic now. I have to stop back by Asa's rod shop soon and check the condition of his front bumper cover, as well as some other odds and ends that the car needs. He's got a ton of parts for sale.
I also installed a Pioneer stereo that has built in bluetooth...awesome stereo and I have to say for a set of 30 year old speakers they don't sound terrible!
I will be sure to make an appearance at the next VAFieros meet, since I have a way to get there now! More on that later...lol
I tore down the old transmission and it was absolute toast! Most of the clutch plates were rusted and void of friction material. Gonna try and get these pics off my phone.
[This message has been edited by virtuetovice (edited 04-27-2015).]
Okay so after a long day of driving the car decides to wig out and throw a couple codes... 22 and 35. TPS error and Idle error. It did this once before except last time the idle slowly dropped until the engine died. After swapping out the TPS and IAC, 200 miles or so and the problem seemed to clear up. Such is not the case...the problem seems to be extremely intermittent. One difference however, the idle is a little high now and seems to skip a beat every so often. After another diag session, I shot a few bursts of starting fluid around the plenum and got an idle surge in a couple spots which is indicative of a vacuum leak. Side note...I'm also getting an extremely high reading from the CTS. I know for a fact it';s incorrect but don't know how to tell whether it's the CTS itself or the infamous lying dash. So my question is....will a vacuum leak fool the ECM into thinking there is a problem with the TPS or have I got everything totally twisted and have no idea? lol 2.8 problems. Cousin is a mechanic and has ALL KINDS of "nice words" for this motor.
I did manage to get the weird idle sorted out for the most part. I was right, there was some vacuum leaks somewhere. I had a spare vacuum line assembly and after swapping that out it seems to have leveled itself out a lot. The car now has 1001 miles on it since I replaced the engine and trans and seems to be doing very well. I got up with another member of VAF and acquired the front bumper cover and all the necessary hardware today so tomorrow it will be a complete car. The only thing left not working is AC and the power mirrors.
