Hello everyone - I just bought a 1986 SE 2M6 with 105k. I paid $2200 for it and picked it up in Huntsville, AL last night. I drove it 3.5 hours back to Knoxville only to have it die on me at 1am, a mile from my destination. About a quarter of the way into the trip the voltage light came on and the needle flickered a little bit. As I drove, I watched the needle creep from the right side of the gauge to the other. The seller had boasted about all the NEW stuff he put on it, including the battery. He didn't tell me the alternator was bad.
I am amazed I made it as far as I did on battery juice alone. Anyway, it's in the shop getting a new alternator as I write this.
I bought the car as a second vehicle to putt around in and drive back and forth to work. The engine seems to run strong and I love the way the car sounds. All the power accessories work. The tires have good tread, but they look old and are cracking a little. The car has a little vibration at all speeds. The brakes are VERY weak and the shocks are pretty much shot from what I can tell. Also, it's a ***ch to get into reverse. I have only been able to do it twice of the 4 or 5 times I've tried. The other times I resorted to pushing the car.
The body's in pretty rough shape, but the interior is very clean and looks great! The dash is a little warped in some places, but I don't care. All in all, I like the car a lot and hope I can keep it running a couple years. We'll see!
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04:10 PM
PFF
System Bot
BlackGT Codde Member
Posts: 1107 From: Gallup, New Mexico Registered: Mar 2008
lemme guess 4 spd manual? i have the same one. its actually inside of the shifter console there is a spring loaded roller that hits a detent. i used to just smack as hard as i can until i took the center console apart and adjusted the bolt for the detent. well good luck with the car . the alternator is actually an easy fix with any of the v6 manual transmissions. I could have it out, rebuilt, and back in the car in about thirty minutes; ten of those minutes is just finding all three tools i need.
oh and welcome to the madness. you are actually part of a cult now that you have registered on PFF
------------------ 1985 gt notchie auto (pic)| 3800 SFI N/A coming soon 1986 se notchie standard 4spd | 5.3 vortec soon
Lukemo... Hey cool man another Knox area Fiero owner on Pennocks!! Good luck with your new ride, I am down in the Maryville area as are a few other posters. We are actually having a little fun run this weekend on Saturday Morning running up to the Pancake Pantry in Gatlinburg and then down thru the mountains to Cades Cove. Several posters here are planning on attending and you are welcome to come with us if you like. If you cannot get your car in shape in time you can bring your daily driver if you want... Just a little fun get together and some meet and greet with fiero folks. Sounds like you got a decent car there, I had to trailer mine home when I bought it. This forum is a WEALTH of knowledge about these great little cars and if you need anything I will help you if I can... peace
Pete
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05:17 PM
Nazareth Member
Posts: 730 From: morristown, TN Registered: Aug 2003
EDIT: When I refreshed the page, the ad was gone. Is it a silver 2M6, 4 speed, 2 owner car that was just east of hutnsville?
i saw that car and started to go look at it but since I already have one silver Fiero, I didn't figure I needed another one.. The car looks good in the pictures and sounds like a good deal - proves you can't always go by the ad.
Good luck with your new purchase. When you get everything fixed on the car, it will be worth it.
Robby
[This message has been edited by RobbyH (edited 05-12-2011).]
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11:47 PM
May 13th, 2011
lukemo Member
Posts: 71 From: Knoxville, TN, USA Registered: May 2011
Robby - That's the one! It is running now and I drove it to work today. I really don't think I got a bad deal, I just think it's crummy the guy let me drive 3 and a half hours without telling me the alternator was bad. Oh well!
Pete - Thanks for the invite! However, my brother is graduating from UNC Charlotte on Saturday so I'll be out there all weekend. It's good to know there are people close who are willing to help me.
Thanks for the warm welcome, everyone!
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08:54 AM
Axdrenalin Member
Posts: 478 From: Mountain City, Tennessee Registered: Mar 2011
Hey LukeMo, welcome to the madness. Looks like Pete beat me to telling you about the Gatlinburg thing tomorrow, but it looks like your day is already covered. Maybe you can get together with everyone on the next one. Anyways, good to see some more East TN Fiero blood on the forums.
Originally posted by lukemo: I really don't think I got a bad deal, I just think it's crummy the guy let me drive 3 and a half hours without telling me the alternator was bad.
Thanks for the warm welcome, everyone!
Welcome Lukemo. I wouldn't blame the previous owner about the alternator. All the heat soak from the trip probably killed it. The 84-87 years used an unreliable alternator called the SI model. You just never know when an SI is about to croak. It was large and underpowered and suffered from heat soak death. The 88's used a more modern CS model with higher output and no need to have a trunk fan blower piping air to it.
The good news is it's an easy retrofit with a SI to CS conversion plug but the bad news is you went ahead and replaced it with another SI model without consulting with us first.
Check the linkage at the transmission. Check to make sure the C clips are securely holding the cable and the nut fastener is tight. If you remove either end of the shifter you will find the shifter will move just fine but the binding sensation you are experiencing is from years of dry lube in the cable. You can try unhooking the cables and spraying silicone lube and working it down the length of the cable. Also make sure the cable is not kinked and ensure its smoothly routed around obstacles. You can try using a vacuum at one end and spraying the lubricant in the other to help work it down the entire cable. The problem is from water entering the cable sheath on the engine side and drying/rusting into place. The heat soak doesnt help. You can buy replacement cables from www.rodneydickman.com which are correct length and width.
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10:10 PM
TopNotch Member
Posts: 3537 From: Lawrenceville, GA USA Registered: Feb 2009
. the alternator is actually an easy fix with any of the v6 manual transmissions.
