A friend called me yesterday, he is now willing to "part with" 2- 1988 fieros he's had sitting for 3-4 years. both are 4 cylinder stick, no rust, complete (1 has a wing) but I'm sure have the usual issues of cars sitting that long. 1 was his wifes car, got "Parked because the slave cyl went out, the other was just parked. $500 each !I "Wish" I had an extra 500 or the place to "Put it" what are the major differences in the 88s, (besides the suspension)?(& the front & rear bumper covers)? Didn't the engine have a "Balance shaft or something to make it "Smoother" ? Were the Transmissions strong enough to put up with any other engines ? Thanks

Different spring rates and no rear swaybar

The isuzu is the same as all the other years. You'll tear up 2nd gear in no time with any other engine

O and the engine was neutral balanced as opposed to previous years which were externally balanced

[This message has been edited by FriendOfYours (edited 08-10-2011).]

I could've sworn the 88 4 cyls had an internal balance shaft which was known to cause problems. I'll need that verified by someone who knows for sure. I like the 87's because they got the DIS and didn't have the balance shaft.

The big Chiltons shows some sort of balance thing, but not a 3rd shaft like a cam, & the oil filter is in the inside of the oil pan ! (Why would they do that ?? So, are these cars worth "bothering with" ? I don't particularly Like the front & rear covers.

IIRC, the 87 and 88 have the same 2.5 Duke.

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88 Formula CJB Arrived Finally. #689 of 1252
Time to start Working TONY!
There are Two kinds of Fiero's : Notchies and Donors!

Does the 88 engine run any SMOOTHER ?

Not enough to make a difference

quote Originally posted by Lou6t4gto: Does the 88 engine run any SMOOTHER ?

When they were new, there was a noticable difference in the smoothness of the Tech 4 with the balance shaft compared to the one without it. The engine would also rev higher. The filter inside the pan is a pain to change and messy as well, compared to the spin on filter.

The 88 Duke had a combination oil pump and force balancer in the pan, driven off of a gear in the middle of the crank.
The balancers have been known to lock up and destroy themselves. Rodney Dickman sells replacemants, I believe.
Other than that, and the oil filter location, the 88 Duke is identical to the 87. Both have coil packs instead of a distributor.

The 88 coupe suspension is essentially identical to the GT and Formula suspension, except for the absence of the rear sway bar and the 14" wheels.

The Isuzu tranny is a bit fragile for engine swaps. 2nd gear doesn't like shock loading.
Having said that... If it's not beat on, it will likely be just fine with any engine it's bolted to.

If I was closer, I'd really be tempted...

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Raydar
88 4.9 Formula IMSA Fastback

Read Nealz Nuze! Praise the Lowered!

Darn....I have an 88 that i will be looking to sell maybe just because it is an auto. LOL

Steve

quote Originally posted by FriendOfYours: O and the engine was neutral balanced as opposed to previous years which were externally balanced

ALL Iron Duke engines are internally balanced.
88 and newer FWD engines have a balance shaft assembly in the oil pan to reduce the vertical "shaking" forces present in all four cylinders.

The crankshaft has a single plane, and pushes two pistons up at the same time two come down, which would theoretically balance perfectly on it's own, BUT the connecting rods create a situation where the acceleration of the two downward moving pistons does not match the acceleration of the two upward moving pistons. They both cover the same amount of distance, but the pistons motion is not quite sinusoidal.

The balancer spins at twice the engine speed and cancels out the uneven acceleration forces present each time the crank rotates through the TDC/BDC area.

SO, if running correctly, Will the 88 duke run as decent as ,say, a 4 cyl nissan or such ? They don't shake. Thanks

quote Originally posted by Lou6t4gto: SO, if running correctly, Will the 88 duke run as decent as ,say, a 4 cyl nissan or such ? They don't shake. Thanks

interesting comparison...
an 88 2.5L 4 cylinder Iron Duke 96 horse power TBI Engine with DIS (coil packs instead of distributor)
which is what In have in my 88 coupe is a very smooth engine. as far as vibration, each engine has it's own characteristics...
I've owned a 1984 SE 2.5L, a 1987 Base Coupe, a few parts cars, 4 V6 Fieros, and my 88 fiero. out of all of them the smoothest were the 87 and 88. maybe because of the different ignition system, or possible just because of up-to-date maintenence.

as far as your comparison...I have no god answer...

if you can get a rust free fiero for $500 go for it, even if it doesn't run. if I had someone in Florida heading back to wisconsin I'd have them pick up both of those 88's. and both being stick? SWEET!!