it was a 1200 mile round trip, and my fiero died abruptly 300 miles from home. cruising along at mile marker 132 (perry, GA) , 7:00 pm, i hear a sort of POP! and the motor quits. pull over in the dark, get out the flashlight, check belt and oil, no problem, sleep in the car, in the am walk 4 miles each way to Advance to buy a spark plug (to check for spark), roll of wire (so i can crank the engine from behind the car), can of starting fluid and a noid light, because there doesnt seem to be any fuel, though i can hear the pump prime. apparently no spark and no injector signal, so i gave up and walked another 4 miles to the u-haul place to rent a truck and trailer to get the car home.

it's late and i'll look at it tomorrow. i wonder, since i apparently lost spark and injector signal simultaneously, if it's in the distributor, like maybe it's not turning at all, or the pickup is fried, or maybe the ignition module?

I will take a stab at it. I will say it is either your coil or ignition module. What you metioned sounds a lot like what happened to me. Good luck!

[This message has been edited by WisconsinGT (edited 01-16-2007).]

I don't know about injector signal, but I was happily cruising at about 70 down I5 when my engine just stopped firing and wouldn't re-start. 3 hours later with a new coil, I was happily cruising at 70 again the rest of the way down I5 ....

I`m in line also for the coil or ignition coil. Perry G.A. is a speed trap isn`t it? They nailed me a couple of times while heading to Florida and back , this was back in the 70`s so who knows

That ignition module in the distributor has left me stranded more than once.

I agree with the others, it's probably the module or the coil. Good luck.

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Vin

Registered since March 2003
Fieros at The Glen 2007
86 SE 2M6 Deceased
86 SE 2M4 Burned
87 GT Black
87 GT Med. Red over Silver

Ya did check the fuses right ??

Get a coil and an ignition module. You'll need a 5.5 mm nutdriver, too, for the module. And a 13mm socket, extension, and ratchet for the coil.

Good luck!

I've lost several modules over the years and never had one just quit while going down the road. They usually just won't start when warm (so you're stranded away from home), and most of the time they will start after they've sat awhile. The "pop" bothers me also, I would check out the fuses and fusable links.
I have to add, the last time mine just quit while driving, the connector on top of the coil "popped" off.

[This message has been edited by triker (edited 01-16-2007).]

Long Fiero trip and no tools?? Not good. There are some basic ones needed for any long haul. Definitely problem is electrical. A fusible link may affect many areas too other than the ones mentioned. Never heard a module pop but they do fail while running. Hope the cost of repair is much less than the UHaul cost.

no fire and no injector.
i say the computer is not getting an ignition signal.
IIRC, i think you have a coupe with a duke.

does the engine crank over faster than normal or have a higher pitched sound?
if so take the cap off and make sure the rotor turns when you crank the engine.
the cam gear could have stripped.
if your rotor turns then you can thank your lucky stars.

next would be the pickup or the module.

if you have a old needle type multimeter set it on a low AC volt scale.
connect it to the two leads from the pickup and crank the engine, you should see the needle bounce. most digital meters cant read that fast.
if that checks out OK then the module is really all that's left.
i have seen a bad (failing) module kill a good coil so you might still have to get one of those too.

good luck.

quote Originally posted by buddycraigg: if your rotor turns then you can thank your lucky stars.

fresh out of lucky stars. rotor doesn't turn. thinking it might just be a sheared distributor gear pin, i checked to see if the rocker arms move, but they dont. nothing to do but pull the engine and change the timing gears, unless it can be done in the car. correct me if i'm wrong here, i could probably weasel the timing cover off, but i doubt i could get a gear puller in there.

quote Originally posted by buddycraigg: good luck.

looking on the bright side, this is an opportunity to change all those leaky gaskets and clean up everything. and while the gears wont be expensive, ($39.99 at the Zone) i was afraid i'd feel stupid for paying big bucks to tow it home when it might have been a loose connector or a $25 part i could have swapped on the roadside. i feel better now

+ s all around, except for those of you who already had them.

Time to go rent a car dolly or a trailer and borrow a pickup. A tow service would probably charge a grand to tow it home.

Sorry for your problems. It isn't a terrible repair, but not something you can do in the Autozone parking lot. I think I'd drop the cradle and completely redo the seals and gaskets (and clean all the little plastic chunks out of the oil pan.) While you have it out, you might replace the water pump and the clutch.

quote Originally posted by Brian Lamberts: Time to go rent a car dolly or a trailer and borrow a pickup. A tow service would probably charge a grand to tow it home. Sorry for your problems. It isn't a terrible repair, but not something you can do in the Autozone parking lot. I think I'd drop the cradle and completely redo the seals and gaskets (and clean all the little plastic chunks out of the oil pan.) While you have it out, you might replace the water pump and the clutch.

i got it home monday night. cost me about $500 all together.
ive had the engine out before so i know it wont be too bad, once i get everything ready.
i had been thinking of pulling the engine after i got a 5 speed gearbox to swap in, and refreshing the engine bay, motor mounts, gaskets and seals while i was in there. anyone nearby got a 5 speed isuzu to trade for a good 4:10 4 speed?

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

quote Originally posted by Brian Lamberts: It isn't a terrible repair, but not something you can do in the Autozone parking lot.

Don't bet on it....I'm an Auto Zone Store Manager and I've seen tranny swaps, I had a guy pull his heads, take a cab to the machine shop, and when I came in the next day my guys told me he drove it home just after the store opened........NEVER underestimate the power of the Auto Zone parking lot.......just do us a favor and throw away your trash when your done.


-T

quote Originally posted by Puckhead: Don't bet on it....I'm an Auto Zone Store Manager and I've seen tranny swaps, I had a guy pull his heads, take a cab to the machine shop, and when I came in the next day my guys told me he drove it home just after the store opened........NEVER underestimate the power of the Auto Zone parking lot.......just do us a favor and throw away your trash when your done. -T

i KNEW it! the Zone has spies everywhere!
i'm a commercial driver at store 185, ive never seen a tranny swap there, but ive seen some pretty extensive repairs in the lot, head swaps, brake calipers all around, timing gears.... they even come in to borrow our loaner tools. there's a guy who seems to be running a repair business out of his truck in our lot. i had to explain to him that dumping used oil in the grass was illegal, and to bring it inside for disposal.
i love my job! gimme an "A"!

[This message has been edited by lurker (edited 01-20-2007).]

quote Originally posted by lurker: i had to explain to him that dumping used oil in the grass was illegal, and to bring it inside for disposal.

This is SERIOUSLY sad!! You HAD to tell him this? Aren't there big banners stating to take used motor oil there for recycling?

quote Originally posted by AquaHusky: This is SERIOUSLY sad!! You HAD to tell him this? Aren't there big banners stating to take used motor oil there for recycling?

mexican. english not very good. he's very cooperative and friendly, just didnt know.

Oh, well, at least he's cooperative about it. But, what I think is bad is that when I lived in Pa., I used to a lot of people pour their used oil down the storm drains all the time. They'd print this ad in the paper every week, "Don't pour used oil into the storm drains" Sad really.

quote Originally posted by Brian Lamberts: Get a coil and an ignition module. You'll need a 5.5 mm nutdriver, too, for the module. And a 13mm socket, extension, and ratchet for the coil. Good luck!

a 7/32nd worked for me to pop the module out earlier today. Was expecting metric but it wasnt, at least on mine.

need help with this one. cant get my camshaft out.

ive got the engine hanging from a hoist, distributor off, timing cover off, oil pan off, lifters and pushrods off, oil pump off, thrust plate off.

the cam comes out about 4 inches, then stops, no matter how i turn or jiggle it. it's hanging on something, cant tell what. i gave up because i'm tired and dont want to break anything. should i remove the oil pump drive too?

i have an aluminum cam gear, cloyes part # 2524, which appears to be identical to the fiber cam gear. it was listed for a '72 chevy nova 250 6cyl. pics to follow.


edit: yes, the oil pump drive needs to come out, then the cam just wiggles out.

[This message has been edited by lurker (edited 02-11-2007).]

it's all back together, and running, though i'm still getting a few bugs out.

as promised, pics: first, the destroyed fiber gear

next, the new fiber gear. unacceptable.

and the new metal gear: cloyes part # 2524, for a '72 chevy nova 250 6cyl.


today i took it around the block, and halfway out i heard "flap, flap, CLANG! clink, clink.."
naturally, i shut it off right away and pulled over. no smoke or flames, this is good. thrown belt, no biggie, but what's this? where's the pulley?
i walked 20 yards back up the road, looking in the ditch, no pulley. i look under the car, and there it is, on edge, jammed between the road and the AC pipes. durnit, that's where those 3 leftover bolts came from! fortunately, of the 2 wrenches i had with me, one was 13mm, and i made it home just fine. note the 3 bolts on the 2X4 in the lower right of the pic, next to the pulley. doh!

this pully?



heres what mine looked like when it decided to take a crap on me....


curious, heres my old thread:
https://www.fiero.nl/forum/A...020825-2-018751.html

this is the set of gears I got:
Timing gear set (aluminum cam gear and steel crank gear) bought off Carparts.com a division of JCWhitney,
Set, 2.5-R (151) ENG; 1982-86 Alum. Includes 2524 & 2537
• Usually ships in 7 - 10 business days.
MELLING
Part Number: 2538S
Price as of 3/9/02: $35.98
Took about 3 weeks to get from the factory.

quote Originally posted by Back On Holiday: this pully?

yep.

nice thread, wish i'd seen that earlier.

my gear (just the cam gear) cost me more but i had it in 24 hours. it came with a sheet suggesting putting it in a pan of boiling water for 5 minutes to expand it. i got a shop to press the old one off and new one on for $10.

quote Originally posted by lurker: yep. nice thread, wish i'd seen that earlier. my gear (just the cam gear) cost me more but i had it in 24 hours. it came with a sheet suggesting putting it in a pan of boiling water for 5 minutes to expand it. i got a shop to press the old one off and new one on for $10.

with all the materials I bought at the hardware store it cost me upwards of $20 for new tap, bolts etc, but I did do it while it was in the car.
the 3 week wait for the gear set really hurt, 24 hours where did you purchase it for those who have the same problem in the future?

quote Originally posted by Back On Holiday: the 3 week wait for the gear set really hurt, 24 hours where did you purchase it for those who have the same problem in the future?

ordered it from autozone. they didnt have it at my store, but they had it in franklin. came in the next day on the hub truck. since the crank gear had no visible wear, i didnt bother to replace it.

now i have a new problem. shifter works fine, tranny shifts at the linkage, but it acts like ive got the clutch all the way to the floor, no power to the wheels. i'll start another thread about it. it's always something.

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

If its an 84, the pedal is probably bent... aka its aluminum and not later year steel pedals, or you could just be lucky and have air in your clutch line or the slave is bad, easier and cheaper than replacing a bent pedal imho

quote Originally posted by Back On Holiday: If its an 84, the pedal is probably bent... aka its aluminum and not later year steel pedals, or you could just be lucky and have air in your clutch line or the slave is bad, easier and cheaper than replacing a bent pedal imho

i replaced the bent pedal years ago. the hydraulics appear ok, but it's acting like either the clutch isnt engaging the flywheel at all, or it's not actually going into gear, although it seems to shift just fine, no grinding, but no power to the wheels.

edit: all fixed, cv axle popped out of hub somehow.

[This message has been edited by lurker (edited 02-07-2008).]