What the heck is the pipe for on the firewall that isn't connected to anything? It runs from the drivers side over to around the middle somewhere, looks like a water pipe, but is not connected at either end? I've pulled the engine to do a V8 swap and am cleaning all the unneeded stuff from the engine compartment; looks like I can add this to the list.

Rick

If your car is pre 1988, it is an air cooling pipe. There is a fan behind the trunk carpet on the right side that blows air onto the coil and another pipe blowing air onto the alternator when the radiator fan come on.

If you are doing an engine swap with a V8, the fan and pipes are not needed.

The pipe you are referring to is not needed, but look closely, there is a vacuum line that is also attached to it. This is one of those "off the shelf" parts GM scavenged from other cars when they put the Fiero together. The large diamater pipe was never used for anything, but the vacuum line runs over to the canister by the V-6 aircleaner housing.

OK, that makes sense, I did see a vacuum line running with it, I guess it is attached to it. I know they wanted to use existing parts, but what a strange way to do things.

The blower and piping stuff I'm familiar with, but this pipe is running on the panel between the engine and drivers compartment, not the engine and trunk.

thanks,
Rick

The pipe was the origonal PCV system crankcase air supply from the air cleaner. The air supply was relocated as part of "the Great Fiero Burning Recall" and abandoned in place because of the attached vacuum line.

[This message has been edited by Tinkrr (edited 05-05-2008).]

AHA! Mystery solved - hadn't heard that.

quote Originally posted by Tinkrr: The pipe was the origonal PCV system crankcase air supply from the air cleaner. The air supply was relocated as part of "the Great Fiero Burning Recall" and abandoned in place because of the attached vacuum line.

Yes- what Tinkrr said. ( :

There is a tube assembly consisting of a large tube that runs from the middle to the air cleaner side of the front firewall and a small tube that runs from the air cleaner side all the way over to the passenger side. The large tube is the old PCV fresh air supply, it is connected to the air filter housing on the clean side of the filter and the other end was connected to a rubber tube that ran to the forward valve cover. The recall removed that rubber tube and capped the steel tube with a rubber cap, then installed a new steel tube that ran from the valve cover straight up to the intake snorkel just ahead of the throttle body. The smaller tube is the fresh air supply (note, not filtered) for the EGR solenoid. If you remove the tube assembly you'll need to cap the nipple on the air filter housing since it's on the clean side of the air filter. The EGR fresh air supply isn't as critical since there's a filter inside the end of the EGR solenoid itself (though it's probably turned to dust now, see Buddycraigg's EGR thread for more on that).

JazzMan

quote Originally posted by JazzMan: If you remove the tube assembly you'll need to cap the nipple on the air filter housing since it's on the clean side of the air filter. The EGR fresh air supply isn't as critical since there's a filter inside the end of the EGR solenoid itself (though it's probably turned to dust now, see Buddycraigg's EGR thread for more on that).

Since I'm swapping in a carb'd V8, I'll remove the tube assembly, the air filter assembly, and the EGR will go out with the old engine.