Pennock's Fiero Forum
  Technical Discussion & Questions - Archive
  Please Help

T H I S   I S   A N   A R C H I V E D   T O P I C
  

Email This Page to Someone! | Printable Version


Please Help by sandringa
Started on: 01-17-2004 06:30 PM
Replies: 5
Last post by: JazzMan on 01-18-2004 02:01 PM
sandringa
Member
Posts: 21
From: Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin
Registered: Apr 2003


Feedback score: N/A
Leave feedback

Rate this member

Report this Post01-17-2004 06:30 PM Click Here to See the Profile for sandringaSend a Private Message to sandringaDirect Link to This Post
Hello everyone. I haven't been in the forum for a while, to busy I guess. I have a long and involved ignition system problem. I got the car in march of last year and it showed up about a month later, and I have been dealing with one thing or another on it since then. Apparently a fiero isn't the best car to get when going to college. He is an explaination of what I have observed and replaced on the car to date. All parts were either from Champion or Checker if that makes a difference.

4/03 Distributor Cap and Rotor replaced ( had moisture in it )
5/03 Noticed that the car would miss slightly and the tach would jump if you got on it directly after a cold start, but would be fine after it warmed up. So I ignored it and didnt' think that much of it.
Then the voltage regulator in the alternator went bad and put out 18-20V
The Ignition Module died while driving because of alternator
A couple days later I was sitting in the car for about 30 minutes with the key on but the car not running ( replacing speakers ) I got out of the car and saw slight smoke coming out of the engine bay. I opened it up and it was coming from my coil. I have no idea why it would be drawing current while the car wasn't running so I replaced the coil, pickup, and the problem went away. Spark plugs and wires were also replaced at the same time.

6/03 Diode in alternator went bad. Alternator replaced again.
10/03/03 Engine was running fine all summer went to start the car in the morning and ignition module was dead again no signs of misfireing or alternator problems this time.
New ignition module (2nd)
11/03 Tachometer started to jump more on cold starts for first 5 minutes or so. Engine would miss when the tach jumped until it warmed up. When warm the tach is fine and the engine never misses. You would never know that it had a problem if you drove it when warm.
11/30/03 Went to start car in the morning and Ignition module dead again
New ignition module (3rd)
12/03 Starting problems. Have to crank the engine for ~15secs before it would catch at all. When it finally caught it has a rough idle around 2000rpm while in the cold start mode.
When the engine drops down to the normal idle it runs rougher sometimes dies. It now takes longer to warm up but will eventually run fine.
1/04 I replaced the fuel filter and the starting problem didnt' change. I had a neighbor hook it up to his computer in his shop. It's not setting any trouble codes and the only thing that he saw out of place was the tempurature sensor.
Tempurature sensor replaced. (Problems didnt' change.)

**O2 Sensor does not stay steady at a constant idle it jumps around from 50mV to 900mV I haven't replaced it because the car does run rich and it could actually be jumping around that much?
I had the car running and shut off the lights to see if anything was arcing. I saw two spots that would light up as the engine missed. The first was inbetween the square part and the round part of the ignition coil and the other one was the plug wire that goes from the coil to the distributor cap. (at the cap end).
Replaced the coil with a new one and there was no change seems to be a side effect not the cause.

I was at a loss after 6 months of this problem so I broke down and took it to the local pontiac dealer. They were optimistic at first because they thought they found an internal short in the ecm. They ran some more tests the next morning and decided not to change the ecm because they didnt' think that was the cause anymroe. As of now they have about 5 - 6 hours ($300) of diagnostic charges but no answers at all. They replaced the coil, ignition module, carb?( the service consultant said carb but I dont' know what he meant by that) with known good gm parts and the problem persists.

I told them to pack it up monday morning and I'll take it home. If you guys can think of anything to help or have them look at while it's still there let me know. ( andr0402@umn.edu )

Steven Andringa

IP: Logged
PFF
System Bot
sandringa
Member
Posts: 21
From: Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin
Registered: Apr 2003


Feedback score: N/A
Leave feedback

Rate this member

Report this Post01-17-2004 06:34 PM Click Here to See the Profile for sandringaSend a Private Message to sandringaDirect Link to This Post
P.S. It's an 1986 2.5L with a 5sp.
IP: Logged
fierofetish
Member
Posts: 19173
From: Northeast Spain
Registered: Jul 2003


Feedback score: N/A
Leave feedback





Total ratings: 277
User Banned

Report this Post01-17-2004 07:00 PM Click Here to See the Profile for fierofetishSend a Private Message to fierofetishDirect Link to This Post
You have bad insulation problems around the distributor cap,which I also had on my 89 Firebird Formula tpi: the spark jumped from the coil-to-distributor lead to the nearest sparkplug lead,which meant that plug fired out of time, and the plug that should have fired didn't...two misfires on one revolution.It did it far more in the mornings, when condensation would form around these places, but would run alright when warm, because the condensation had dried up.But the fault was replicated under hard acceleration, because a much higher tension voltage goes through the cables, and so jumps across in the same place.because although it may not show, the insulating capability of the cables has been reduced considerably by the constant jumping of the spark.I renewed all cables, and making a note of where the spark jumped across between the cables, I slid an extra rubber sleeve over the coil wire and plug wire.This cured all the problems.Your comment about changing the distributor cap because it was damp, would also point to the direction of damp causing misfiring.
Sincerely hope this helps
fierofetish
Edit: if you leave the ignition key in the run position, the coil will have power running to it, and thus generates an HT current which has nowhere to go, and so will eventually burn out the primary windings.

[This message has been edited by fierofetish (edited 01-17-2004).]

IP: Logged
PURPLE REIGN
Member
Posts: 4080
From: Minnesnowta ------------------ Land of White Gold
Registered: Sep 2002


Feedback score: N/A
Leave feedback





Total ratings: 303
Rate this member

Report this Post01-17-2004 08:48 PM Click Here to See the Profile for PURPLE REIGNSend a Private Message to PURPLE REIGNDirect Link to This Post
Just a side note...............stay AWAY from those champion & checker parts. They SUCK.

If you REALLY have problems I'm in the Twin Cities, not too far and specialize in Fiero's

------------------

IP: Logged
sandringa
Member
Posts: 21
From: Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin
Registered: Apr 2003


Feedback score: N/A
Leave feedback

Rate this member

Report this Post01-18-2004 11:43 AM Click Here to See the Profile for sandringaSend a Private Message to sandringaDirect Link to This Post
I have put new plug wires in and the problem was there before and after. I guess I can try again.

The other question that I have is the wires I put in were 7mm and the ones I took out were 8mm which ones are correct?

Steven

IP: Logged
JazzMan
Member
Posts: 18612
From:
Registered: Mar 2003


Feedback score:    (7)
Leave feedback





Total ratings: 653
User Banned

Report this Post01-18-2004 02:01 PM Click Here to See the Profile for JazzManSend a Private Message to JazzManDirect Link to This Post
The factory wires were 7mm. Any good brand of wires will work fine, 7 or 8mm. The 7mm wires have the avantage of fitting into the stock loom clips.

JazzMan

IP: Logged



All times are ET (US)

T H I S   I S   A N   A R C H I V E D   T O P I C
  

Contact Us | Back To Main Page

Advertizing on PFF | Fiero Parts Vendors
PFF Merchandise | Fiero Gallery | Ogre's Cave
Real-Time Chat | Fiero Related Auctions on eBay



Copyright (c) 1999, C. Pennock