I just dropped my 2.8 engine from the car; cradle, suspension and all and I need some advice.
As of right now I am changing:
Clutch assembly, pilot bearing, sparkplug wires/plugs, distributor cap + rotor, IAC valve and the fluids. What else should I concider doing to her while she is down that would generally ensure that she will run better once I get the engine back into the car. Is there anything I should change while the engine is out, anything that needs maintainence...Anything
The exhaust manifolds bolt to the heads. They are production pieces and are welded together with slight restrictions in the openings. What you do is take a dremel or die grinder and grind the restrictions back until the ports are fully open. Once you look inside you will see what I'm talking about. The costs are new exhaust gaskets and your time. Tests have shown a 7-8 horsepower increase.
The Y pipe restriction is where the 2 pipes are welded together coming off the exhaust manifolds. This is another area where excess material is left by the factory. You cut the excess material back so the pipes are more open and free flowing.
Use heat and PB Blaster on the exhaust manifolds bolts. A broken bolt in the head is no fun. If this intimidates you then better off not touching the manifolds. If you have some extra money then Rodney Dickman sells an exhaust manifold stud kit.
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08:19 AM
Doc John Member
Posts: 749 From: Fayetteville, Arkansas Registered: Feb 2007
Select "Articles," and scroll down most of the way. IIRC, you need to bolt the manifolds to something that won't let them warp, then add a weld bead around the outside before you port them on the inside (or they will leak). I think Car Craft did manifold porting to a Fiero back in 87 or thereabouts, and got about 9 HP from it.
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08:19 AM
Doc John Member
Posts: 749 From: Fayetteville, Arkansas Registered: Feb 2007
Darrell Morse used to do porting of the lower, middle, and upper intake manifolds. He also bored out the throttle body. This was worth a few HP. I think Darrell is out of the Fiero biz now, check the mall for his throttle bodies. If you have a dremel or other grinder you could probably use a set of gaskets as your guides and port out the manifolds on your own.
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08:32 AM
m0sh_man Member
Posts: 8460 From: south charleston WV 25309 Registered: Feb 2002
just so you know, fiero's dont use pilot bearings, i learned that when i put a 3.4L pushrod motor in my fiero, the 3.4L from a firebird does use a pilot bearing since its got a front engine rear wheel drive setup, when i bolted the engine/trans together with the pilot bearing installed, i cracked the bellhousing on the transmission, $50 worth of welding later i was ready to re-install my transmission
learned the same lesson with an automatic, i learned that the torque converter attaches to the tranny first, not the flexplate. expensive to learn that mistake.
With the drivetrain out, this is a great time to inspect all the gaskets and seals for leaks. The distributer shaft, lower intake, valve covers, oil pan, and front/rear crankshaft seals are common leak points.
This also affords you a chance to closely inspect the suspension parts, like the ball joints and tie rod ends. Also, if the control arm bushings and cradle bushings are deteriorating, they should be replaced.
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08:51 AM
Doc John Member
Posts: 749 From: Fayetteville, Arkansas Registered: Feb 2007
Heres a pick of what needs to be ground off,when porting the exhaust manifolds.If you look at this photo,the Dark Grey portion,is not what is ported,it's the two metal flanges inside,it's hard to see both of them in the photo,but you can see them.
Allso grease the ball joints while you have the car in the air.
[This message has been edited by James Bond 007 (edited 10-28-2007).]
Dittos on the gaskets and any seals you can get to. They don't cost much and new ones give me peace of mind, which I have yet been able to put a price on. Check anything plastic or rubber that may be nearing the end of it's life.
Oh, I forgot to add, the first think I would do if I pulled my engine again would be to replace that ugly firewall insulation. Man, I wish I had done that.
[This message has been edited by 87GTSleeper (edited 10-28-2007).]
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10:52 AM
pontiacman63383 Member
Posts: 819 From: warrenton, mo Registered: Jun 2007
Port the exhaust manifolds and open up the Y pipe restriction.
Replace all exaust Manifold bolts with Rodney's studs and bolts. you will be very happy that you did later.
Also if you remove the heads you MUST replace your head bolts with new ones. they are torque to yield and can not be re used even if they look new.
replace the water pump, get an all metal one, refuse any water pump with plastic parts.
how good are you at engines? I'd suggest dropping the oil pan and checking your bearings, replace oil pump with high volume one, replace the seals as well.
[This message has been edited by timgray (edited 11-02-2007).]
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04:55 PM
Doc John Member
Posts: 749 From: Fayetteville, Arkansas Registered: Feb 2007
The Trueleo intake eliminates most of the restrictions in the V6 upper, middle, and lower intakes. It also has smoother turns, rather than than the sharp turns in the stock stystem. I think it's good for 10-12 HP, probably more if you port the exhaust at the same time.
The stock cam is a good compromise between emissions, mileage and power. If you are willing to slightly compromise the first two, you can gain power. By installing a slightly more agressive cam, you increase the lift and duration of the intake and exhaust valves. Basically you can cram a little more air and fuel in there, hence more power. You might notice a slightly lumpier idle. Check out the performance cams at the Fiero Store; also check out Jegs and Summitt Racing.
If anyone out there has done a cam swap on a 2.8/3.1/3.4, lets hear about it!