Hi,

I have an 85 Fiero SE w/112K miles that's been sitting in the driveway (in the HOT Phoenix sun) for about 3 years.

It looks nice and ran better than great for me back then, but needless to say, it won't start now.

Any advice on process of what to do/check to in order to get it going? I'm assuming the gas needs to be drained (how?) and the other fluids as well

I'm not even sure if I'm going to keep it or sell it but I would like to at least get it started if possible to find out what it might need if I decide to keep it.

Thanks!
Laura

yeah, the gas is probably all varnish sludge, the filter dried solid & injectors totally stuck. you can try to dump in some injector cleaner & some fresh gas & change the filter.

welcome to the forum. the gas may be ok, try it before you drain it. or you can put in a gallon or so of hi-test. charge your battery, check your fluids (oil and coolant) and see if it will crank.

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'84 2m4 se, a work in progress http://www.mtsu.edu/~mkr2c/fiero.htm

Thanks for the speedy replies.

Ok, oil/coolant are full. I added gas (the gage showed it was half full before I added anything).

I took the cover off, the air filter is a dirty so I need to get a new one of those. Anyway, it just cranked but didn't turn over. After a few attempts it just went to clicking so guessing the battery needs to be charged or.......?

I'll change the fuel filter and then add injector cleaner and see if that helps at all.

Hey Gia , that clicking noise may be that the solinoid/starter went south while it was sitting there for three years . Give the solinoid on the starter a couple of light taps with a BFH before you try starting it again and see what happens .

Galen Smith
Red 85 Sport Coupe
Founder of Suncoast Fiero Club
Florida Fiero Council

Trickle some gas down the throttle body. If it doesn’t try to start you need to check for spark. If your battery died that quick it is probably toast.

Batteries only last an average of 4 years...in a running car, so its junk. You may have to pull the tank if the pickup is sludged over, while there make sure fuel pump works. New fuel filter for sure before you even try starting any more. Youll just push goop into the injectors and lines. Put a double dose of fuel injector cleaner in the new gas and spray some throttle body cleaner into the intake. May have to get someone to crank it after you done all that while you spray a little starting fluid into the intake. Keep a fire extinquisher handy. Also id change the oil really soon if you get it running. It has to be full of condensation. So far the good is it did crank over so its not seized up with rusted rings and bearings.

is it a 4, or 6 cyl?
if you wanted to drain the tank, you could un hook the fuel line and plug a rubber hose off of the fuel line and run it into a gas can and let the fuel pump pump out all of the old gas, if its a 4 cyl, id unhook it right before the fuel filter, ,6 cyl, you could do the same or on the fuel rail would be easier

id throw in a good battery, and a new set of plugs
good luck

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Rich
97 Eclipse 17lbs. of boost on the Rad, Bad t-25
92 325i-- intake, exhaust, and suspension
White 86 SE V6-- WCF 2" drop springs, coil-overs, KYb's

Thanks all

I put my shopping list together:

Battery
Air Filter
Fuel Filter
Oil Filter/Oil
Coolant
Throttle Cleaner
Injector Cleaner (2)
Spark Plugs
Fire Extinguisher
BFH to wake up Solenoid
Excedrine (Extra Strength)

Hopefully I'll start this tomorrow. Will keep you posted. Thanks again!

quote Originally posted by gia: Thanks all I put my shopping list together:

Don't forget some bubbly to celebrate! Doesn't have to be champagne...

[This message has been edited by Gokart Mozart (edited 04-17-2003).]

mine sat for 3 years as well. I had to fix the clutch that was why it had been abandoned. I found the original owner(boy he was surprised)and after I replaced everything that had been stolen from it. I found that all the injectors were clogged(I bought some good used ones from MrJ) and since the gas tank was empty the fuel pump was shot as well as the sending unit for the gas gage. And the heater core had coroded through. After all that it ran perfect.

Same here .. save your money on things like air filter, plugs, wires and such .. they wont stop your car from running .. it'll just run like crap.

Even the battery should be fine .. to start it. If you have a charger then charge it, if you dont have one, buy one. Charge your old battery then continue with the diagnosis.

My money is on the injectors being clogged. As was the case with mine after sitting for 3 or 4 years.

You can have them cleaned in a week or so for 10-12 per injector. Check my previous postings for the fellow who did mine.

You will have to take the plenum off and pull the injectors. Not that big a deal.

The shop manual has an excellent troubleshooting guide for this very problem.

You simply go down the chart checking each piece it says till you reach the problem.

ie. check for spark, check for fuel, check for fuel pump, check for pressure.

Like spark .. simple pull one and hold it next to some metal. Should see a nice spark.
ok .. next thing..

Check for codes..
Check for fuel pump running..
check for fuel pressure at schraeder valve.
Check for injector firing (use a node light abt $5 at auto shops).

If you have spark and you have injector firing..

Injectors!!

Ok, here's where I'm at a week later......

I ended up having the "Mechanic on Wheels" (great service in the Phoenix area) come out to the house. He's a friend of the family and I trust his diagnosis.

Anyway, he said it needs a starter, a fuel pump, new belts, plugs/wires etc. Everything else seems to be fine. Total will be about 350.00. Does that seem reasonable?

Any suggestions on the best way to go with the starter & pump? New or rebuilt? OEM or generic? Suggestions on where to buy these things?

Is the only way to get to the pump by dropping the fuel tank?

Thanks!

I always get the rebuilt starter with a lifetime warrenty, always get a new fuel pump and for now just get the cheap plug wires and ac delco plugs (dont want to get the expensive ones if the car isnt going to act right

im going to assume its a 4cyl SE.

the filter shouldnt be but a couple bucks and 10 minutes to change out. the starter on a fiero takes about an hour to change out of you have alittle mechanic abilities, but you need to get the car off the ground high enough to get under it. battery is a 10 minute job at most.

the fuel pump is a 2-3 hour job for most people, again you need the car atleast 2 feet off the ground to be comfortable. if that guy will do it all for $350 then that doesnt seem too bad at all for most mechanics. (does that include the parts?)

let us know how it all goes about.

matthew

Yes, it includes the parts.......new starter and new fuel pump with lifetime warranties is what the quote included. And yes it's a 4cyl SE

I have him scheduled to do it all a week from Thursday. This weekend I'll be in Vegas winning the repair bill

[This message has been edited by gia (edited 04-22-2003).]

Gia, my only suggestion is to go ahead and go with the AC/DELCO starter if you plan to keep the car for any amount time. You live down here in the southwest like me where it gets really HOT! I've been burnt by trying to get cheaper starters and they don't last as long as OEM. I know they may have lifetime warranties, BUT you still have to take em off and put on yourself...it gets old after awhile. Just my 2 pennies.

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XRacer Pro

quote Is the only way to get to the pump by dropping the fuel tank? Thanks!

click link in sig for pump info.

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'84 2m4 se, a work in progress http://www.mtsu.edu/~mkr2c/fuelpump.htm

[This message has been edited by lurker (edited 04-22-2003).]

OMIGOD! IT STARTED! I am sooooo happy!

My mechanic replaced the fuel pump & screen (the old looked almost melted!), replaced the starter and voila! It was like Christmas morning!

The starter is missing the long bolt. Is this something I can only get via Pontiac? That's what the mechanic said but figured you all know better

Plugs, wires etc are next and an injector cleaning. In the meantime, the check engine light is flickering on and off when driving but no codes are showing up. Any ideas?

The battery light is staying on (dimly). Power windows are really slow to go up and down and no dash lights but the others work fine. All the fuses are good and the battery is new. Could this just be loose connection at the battery?

Thanks so much for all your help!

Laura

The cable to battery could be loose or dirty, but with new battery and starter, Id think thats unlikely. Drive it to somewhere like Autozone where they give free alternator test, just to make sure alt is working properly. If yours has the alt/batt gauge, does it show a charge over 13.5 volts? At worst, you need a new alt. Pretty ez to change and $50-70.

i would say one of your chassis ground's are loose. and the question about the starter bolt. No you dont have to buy them from pontiac. alot of us forum members have extra nuts and bolts. ive got one i can send ya. but i dont normally goto the post office much. but email me your address and ill ship it to ya next time I go. its hard on the starter to only hold it up by one bolt. they have aluminum housings and there is always a fear of it cracking or binding up. this could have caused premature failure of the old starter.

I would say that sitting for 3 years caused the battery cables and/or ground's on the car to oxidize makes everything alittle harder to work on. Hopefully you can get it straightened out.

matthew

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I tried to drain my tank last night by taking off the fuel lines and put them in a gas tank but it will only pump for a couple seconds and then stop does any one know why?

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84 2M4

Hello Gia, I'm glad your car is up and running again. Another Fiero resurrected, and another one in the Phoenix area .

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Brad
86 GT 5 speed
Aren't all Fieros project cars?

good to hear ya got it going

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Rich
white 86 se, 2" drop, coil overs, KYB's. CRX intake, ported manifolds

How many chassis grounds am I looking for? General location?

The main ones ground the chassis to motor. Look for braided ones, take out the bolts and clean them and replace. Follow the battery cables and clean those ends too. Wire brush is good. Clean the bolts and washers too.

quote Originally posted by fierogsmith: Hey Gia , that clicking noise may be that the solinoid/starter went south while it was sitting there for three years . Give the solinoid on the starter a couple of light taps with a BFH before you try starting it again and see what happens . Galen Smith Red 85 Sport Coupe Founder of Suncoast Fiero Club Florida Fiero Council

Hey Laura , glad to see that you got your " Baby " up and running again . For $350 , which encluded parts and labor ,not bad . It's a PITA to pull the gas tank , and then re-install .

Best of Luck !

Galen

Well I took my first cruise up and down the freeway to give it a good blowout and I'm amazed at how tight it is. I almost forgot how fun it was to drive!

Only issues now are

1. When the tach hits over 3.5 the check engine light flashes on and off and the engine skips/surges (not sure what the correct terminology is). No codes though.

2. The Elec windows are craaaaaaawling up and down. The passenger side goes down about 1/4 of the way and stops. Then I have to help it back up.

3. How hard is it to add freon (or whatever)

4. I'll be taking it for emmissions testing this week. Any last minute advice on anything? Does the 91% alcohol in the gas tank theory apply here?

Any updates on this ?? My car has been sitting for about the same time, so I am likely to run into the same problems.

I'm very surprised you didn't have to replace the battery.

You might want to have the acid tested with a battery hydrometer, just to be sure. The battery might have enough juice to start the car and such, but it still could be weak. I'd check it out just for peace of mind - you don't want to be left stranded one day.

A weak battery COULD contribute to the slow operation of your power windows. But, after sitting in the elements for three years, it's quite likely something is binding - especially since you state that the one window gets stuck and needs "manual help."

quote Originally posted by noodle: I tried to drain my tank last night by taking off the fuel lines and put them in a gas tank but it will only pump for a couple seconds and then stop does any one know why?

The ECM trips the relay for 2 seconds, if there is no crank the ECM shuts off the pump.

If you want to drain the tank, here is a really easy way.

Disconnect the hose at the fuel filter and attach a length of hose to reach a 5 gallon can.

Then you need to apply 12V to ALDL terminal G it's the only terminal in the bottom row of the ALDL connector. I have a modified lighter adapter for just such a task.
I plug the adapter lead into the ALDL terminal and slip the adapter into the cigarette lighter.