One of the many annoying design features of the 84 is the fusable links coming off the starter motor...right behind the exhaust...the HOT exhaust...GM engineers, I'm talking to you.

anyway, there are two wires, one is 10 guage and one is 12 gauge. When my link blew I just spliced in a new link of the same size. It blew again a month later. At this time I figured that the heat tape wasn't up to snuff or there was a short somewhere down line or both. So I checked every circuit, no ground faults! NONE, ZIP, ZERO, NADA. So I replaced the heat tape. It blew again a month later....the day before yesterday, in fact.

Thank God I have my own Tow Dolly. OK, so I pull the wires up and check for continuity, cracks, ANYTHING that might explain the problem when BANG, I notice something. The fusible link wire I used was the same as the one that was there before. I didn't give it any thought. But then the words of my high school electronics teacher started ringing in my ear, fusable links should be 2 sizes smaller than the wire it protects. Which means the link on the 10 gauge wire should be 14, not 16 gauge. I was just replacing the wire with the same size that was there assuming it was correct. Clearly a previous owner muffed this one and left me with a mystery.

So the lesson is NEVER assume a previous owner knew what the hell he was doing!

Thanks for the advise. This will save me from another fire. Good thing the car didn't totally go up in flames.

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Thank for the sig. Bobadoofunk
1984 Fiero Sport Coupes x2
1988 Buick Reatta
1990 Buick Reatta
1993 Grand Prix LE

Here is another tip, don't waste money buying those little fusible links that are individually packaged for $3.50 each.

Instead buy this:



10 FEET of fusible link wire for $3.99!

[This message has been edited by Toddster (edited 05-31-2007).]

Previous owners + ANY kind of wiring = BAAAAAD things

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1984 Fiero SE

After the original links at the starter went on my 84 a friend replaced them and we heat insulated them.

That lasted about a year and they went bad again due to the high heat in that area.

I pulled them up from the starter and re-routed them over to the battery away from hot areas where I attached them to the positive post using this from a local Radio Shack that handled aftermarket stereo installs, no more heat fails.

I did a similar thing but I routed them to a terminal strip that I mounted on the passenger side strut tower. I also routed the wire from the alternator there and one other wire with a fusible link. The terminal strip had 8 terminals. I crimped spade connectors to each end of 4 fusible links and attached them opposite the 4 wires on the terminal strip. Then I ran 4 individual wires from the terminal strip to the positive battery. If I lose a fusible link while driving, I just have to get out my tool box with spare links and connectors and I can repair it without crawling under the car

[This message has been edited by William Federle (edited 06-01-2007).]

Great ideas...both.

I've actually been considering mounting a fuse block like the newer cars have and tossing the links altogether. It is not easy to replace the starter links on the side of the road, that's for sure. A fuse block would make it a plug and play solution.

Or your could relocate the fusible links (they really never should need to be replaced) to a terminal block like the 85+ Fieros have.

The '84 cars have lots of fusible link problems due to the extreme heat and weather exposure they get in the factory location.

I am still looking for a Maxi-Fuse block to replace my links. I can find singles, but I would really like to locate a 6 spot fuse block. Anyone know where a person could find one of these gems?

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carpe diem

I guess I'm just lucky I've never replaced a fusible link in my 25 some odd years of driving.

I agree that most Fieros at this point have hacked up wiring. At least the previous owner put in links that were safer, (more likelly to blow) versus a link less likely to blow or worse a straight piece of wire. That could lead to a fire.

quote Originally posted by jscott1: I guess I'm just lucky I've never replaced a fusible link in my 25 some odd years of driving. I agree that most Fieros at this point have hacked up wiring. At least the previous owner put in links that were safer, (more likelly to blow) versus a link less likely to blow or worse a straight piece of wire. That could lead to a fire.

Part of the problem is that the insulation cooks, flakes off, and now you have exposed wires...which LOVE to touch metal thingies under the hood.

I wrapped my new fusable links in heat sheilding. I think I'm good for a while.

Around here anyway, if any car dies.........you get it towed right away. After a few hours sitting it gets stripped or vandlized.......

quote Originally posted by rogergarrison: Around here anyway, if any car dies.........you get it towed right away. After a few hours sitting it gets stripped or vandlized.......

I believe that. We have a sales branch in Columbus and they strip our box trucks at least once a month. They really love the catalytic converters on those trucks.

quote Originally posted by rogergarrison: Around here anyway, if any car dies.........you get it towed right away. After a few hours sitting it gets stripped or vandlized.......

A few hours? In downtown Oakland you can't run in for a pack of smokes without coming out to find nothing but a chassis sitting on a set of cinder blocks!

quote Originally posted by Toddster: So the lesson is NEVER assume a previous owner knew what the hell he was doing!

no, ALWAYS assume that they did NOT know what they were doing.

quote Originally posted by frankenfiero1: I am still looking for a Maxi-Fuse block to replace my links. I can find singles, but I would really like to locate a 6 spot fuse block. Anyone know where a person could find one of these gems?

Would this work:

http://cgi1.ebay.com/ws/eBa...95249&Category=50550

and what fuses to use for the 10 guage and 12 gauge wires off the starter? What other fusable links are also on the 84's?

Josh

my 84 wont start, its turning over extra fast so no battery problems or starter/solenoid problems, but wont start. it was running fine 2 day ago. could it be the fusible links? i only see two (on one wire) by the battery. where are the others? which ones to check first?
thanks
jon

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I'm the original owner of a white ' 84 2M4 purchased Dec 10, 1983 from Pontiac. Always garaged, no rust, 4-wheel drifts are fun!

If it's turning over, "extra fast", like you said I'm wondering if your timing gear went bad.

Take off the oil fill cap on the valve cover and shine a flashlight at the rocker arm inside the valve cover, have a friend try to start the car and see if there's any movement from the rocker arm.

If you have no movement it's a bad timing gear.

Plenty of threads here for replacing it how to's.

Let us know what you find.

Steve

Timing gear is my guess too.

OK, here is the update as requested (sorry for it taking so long, cant work on my car everyday yano?) i figured it was fuel related as it would start with gas or quickstart in throttlebody. i replaced the fuel pump relay, and the oil pressure switch because of this thread:

https://www.fiero.nl/forum/A...0050119-2-055184.htm

it started once, ran normally but threw a code 21 (throttle position sensor), and now wont start UNLESS i put gas or quickstart in the throttlebody, and then it wont continue running. could it still be a bad timing gear?

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I'm the original owner of a white ' 84 2M4 purchased Dec 10, 1983 from Pontiac. Always garaged, no rust, 4-wheel drifts are fun!

If the timing gear is bad the engine will not run at all, no matter what you spray in the throttle body. The ignition module has the ability to fire the coil when cranking even if the ECM is dead. Will it still give you trouble codes? If the TPS is way out of range then the ECM won't give a mixture close enough to run the engine on gas. When cranking you should see a shower of fuel coming out of the injector on the throttle body. If it's dry then either the injector is bad or the wiring, or the ECM isn't seeing the engine crank because there's bad wiring between it and the module, or the ECM is bad. You can borrow a noid light that plugs into the injector harness to check for the ECM sending pulses to the injector.

JazzMan

quote Originally posted by JazzMan: When cranking you should see a shower of fuel coming out of the injector on the throttle body. If it's dry then either the injector is bad or the wiring, or the ECM isn't seeing the engine crank because there's bad wiring between it and the module, or the ECM is bad. You can borrow a noid light that plugs into the injector harness to check for the ECM sending pulses to the injector. JazzMan

there is definitely NO fuel coming out of the injector into the throttle body. what is a noid light? it wont run long enuf to throw another code. i just filled up with high octane fuel when this problem started, so it has gas, bad gas maybe? the tachometer moves when im cranking. i dont hear a fuel pump turning on when i turn the key to "run", but i hear a click after a few seconds. hope this information helps you diagnosticians

[This message has been edited by longjonsilver (edited 08-13-2008).]

If it sparked when the wire was bare you may have fried something that is tossing the code. ECM? Injector? Fuel relay? I'd be testing everything just to avoid dropping dead along the road side.

The code is most likely just caused from it running rough before, or just after you fixed the problem.

First thing to do is clear the ECM and see if it comes back.

i just found (again) this thread in which i asked something about my problems last summer, those problems are fixed!!!!
thanks guys

however i now have the fusible link problem as described toddster in the opening post. i moved the battery to the front so i have a huge space open under the right side vent. i plan on building a hot terminal block on the right side with the starter, battery and alternator all joined in.

quote Originally posted by ly41181:and what fuses to use for the 10 guage and 12 gauge wires off the starter? What other fusable links are also on the 84's?

anybody know?
jon

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I'm the original owner of a white ' 84 2M4 purchased Dec 10, 1983 from Pontiac. Always garaged, no rust, 4-wheel drifts are fun!

quote Originally posted by RWDPLZ: Previous owners + ANY kind of wiring = BAAAAAD things

I can attest to that. Some idiot tried to make his own wiring harness to convert the GM one into the newer standard on my 87 coupe, and it would blow fuses constantly.

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I used long wires to reroute the fusible links to the (former) area of the battery. now if they blow they are right there easily visible and repairable.

quote Originally posted by Toddster: Part of the problem is that the insulation cooks, flakes off, and now you have exposed wires...which LOVE to touch metal thingies under the hood. I wrapped my new fusable links in heat sheilding. I think I'm good for a while.

Now that this has been bumped I can add that now I HAVE replaced links...and in my 84 no less. But not the ones by the starter but I've replaced the ECM link twice now.

Oh and I agree that my PO has hacked up my car so bad I'm half looking for a new engine harness just to be rid of these hacks once and for all.