Ok So I have had my V8 Fiero for going on 7 months now. I have been constantly changing things. Different exhaust, Tuning, intake, you name it. Recently I had to do the air scare thing, so I put in the tiny 2" exhaust with a cat and I noticed it was a bit slower. I then poured in the normal 1 liter bottle of methyl alcohol before testing and the car passed with flying colours. Car is still low on power but I have not changed the exhaust back yet.

The car had been slowly loosing more and more power. I just chalked it up to the bad intake sucking in the hot engine bay air.

Well It got to the point that the motor would no longer even pull above 4000 it was like I was hitting a wall. From 1000-3500 or so it pulled like a freight train.

Again I just chalked it up to small exhaust and bad intake.

Well on a whim yesterday I popped out and bought a fuel filter. I jacked the car up and un bolted the old one. Funny thing was nothing came out of the exit side of the filter. (well a small amount did, but nothing compared to what usually comes out. I then undid the inlet side of the filter and a lot poured out. Hmm.

So I get it out and clean it off and attempt to blow from the inlet side of the filter through it. I can barely move any air through it. I have blown spit balls through drinking straws with less effort.

So I install the new filter, cycle the key on and off a few times and then fire it up. Throttle response is up. Hmm, ok so I take it out to the road and get on her a little bit. Wham to redline. Ok this seems to have helped a bit. I lift off the gas and grab 2nd, wham to redline. Lift and grab 3rd its like a hole new motor. Even with the crap exhaust and crap engine bay intake the fuel filter being semi plugged was enough to cause huge power loss in the upper rpm band.

So this just goes to show. Change your dang fuel filter at every other oil change. Especially if you run methylalchole in your fuel system. The methyl removes the crud from inside your gas tank and can plug up a fuel filter in short order. The Fiero Filter is $13CDN for a fram one at Wally Mart.

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85GT 5spd ,93 Eldorado 4.9 Dual O2 Custom Chip, Archie Clutch. Custom Exhaust. MSD Everything 245/50/16's Cant wait for Dyno Time and Track Results. Not Your Average 4.9 Capt Fiero Com --- My Over View Cadero Pics Delta Cam and Allante Intake Soon.

first thing i do when i buy a car.
change the oil, change the fuel filter, change the air filter and spark plugs

quote Originally posted by fierce_gt: first thing i do when i buy a car. change the oil, change the fuel filter, change the air filter and spark plugs

Amen.

I'm with you, first change the engine... THEN change the filter!

I read somewhere on PFF that several folks recommend changing the filter every other year. With that V8 I guess you'll have to do that every year.

This has me wondering if decarbonizers, fuel additives, that clean your system out would have the same effect ?? I have ran Lucas (thick stuff) and alot of others through mine looking for a erratic idle problem (thinking maybe clogged injectors) . When I pull the plugs--they have a black oily sticky gunk on the plug threads from the additives, if they look like that --maybe a fuel filter would look worse ?? Any Ideas ??? Maybe just hopefull thinking..........

All it takes is one bad tank of gas to clog a filter. Some fuel additives like to tear apart your fuel system from the inside out, and I'm sure methanol is one of them.

I usually change it out about once every year or two...

I just wish it wasn't such a pain in the ass to do it on a V6 (Don't you need to drop the tank?)

quote Originally posted by FieroRumor: I just wish it wasn't such a pain in the ass to do it on a V6 (Don't you need to drop the tank?)

If your still talking about the fuel filter then no. You just have to jack up the car and IIRC its right infront of the engine on the passenger side. Easy to change.

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Low 14 sec 99 Pontiac GTP, 3.2L V6 4 sp 86 Fiero GT

I had a problem with my 4.9 on the way back from Osage Beach. I left the show stoped in Topeka to get gas at that stop the car got 28.7 mpg in less than a half an hour latter the thing was runing on 7 cyl. a look things told me that I lost an injector I never did find out if it was the injector cleaner that I used about a week before the trip, bad gas or a failed injector or a combination of all of the above. Joe

Now after driving it for a couple of days. I can say the semi clogged fuel filter was definatly one of the causes of lower power. I guess 8x 19# injectors are much more sensitive to fuel filters than 6x 15# injectors. I guess max on a V6 is 90#'s of fuel per houre and on a Caddy it is more like 152#'s per hour. Never really thought about it like that.

I wonder if a 7 year old 2.8 oem pump is enough to run a 4.9. Hmm

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85GT 5spd ,93 Eldorado 4.9 Dual O2 Custom Chip, Archie Clutch. Custom Exhaust. MSD Everything 245/50/16's Cant wait for Dyno Time and Track Results. Not Your Average 4.9 Capt Fiero Com --- My Over View Cadero Pics Delta Cam and Allante Intake Soon.

I have a 87 Buick Grand National pump in mine. Works really good.

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88 Coupe: Modded 4.9L V8 5 speed
86 SE: 3.4 DOHC 4 speed
http://www.geocities.com/fast88fiero

Fram fuel filter from Wal-Mart U.S. is $10.95. Got one today! On the 4 cyl. it's the first thing you see when you pop open the rear decklid. At least ONE thing that is easier on the 4 cyl.!

AARRRRRGGGGGGG! Spoke too soon! Can't get the nut loose on the out flow side! Got some PB Blaster soaking in I hope..............

[This message has been edited by Trekker (edited 01-30-2006).]