The holiday weekend was just what the project needed. Lots of days all in a row to focus and get stuff done! My neighbor has a business doing all kinds of things, one of which is welding. So I had him TIG weld my water neck, and it turned out pretty good. He said it was a paint to weld and was hard to get an arc on but I'm happy with the results. I also went out and got some fuel line, and figured out how to assemble the -AN fittings. They are pretty darn cool. Then it was back to the wiring! I put all the sensor plugs back int he sensors and carefully routed all the leads back towards the stock PCM location. Of course the interior was a mess with all the wires and little tape flags with their location and stuff written on them. Its been in the 40s most of the days so I did what I could outside and headed inside for the majority of the wiring project. I've got everything ready to go back in the car a final time and I'll be ready to split loom and hook up the last of it. Lot of progress, and I'm pretty close to having things ready to fire the car up. I'll send the computer off to get tuned in the next few weeks Jessica
Well I ended up having the flu/cold from after the Thanksgiving holiday, right through my birthday and over the weekend. It was not what I had planned to do on my birthday. I managed to make it out to the car twice and take some measurements for wrapping the roof in vinyl and checking some of my wiring loom. Everything looks good and is covered enough to put it back in the car now (once I feel up to it). If I'm feeling up to it I think this weekend I may just finish a big chunk of the stuff. Jessica
Well we got a couple inches of snow and ice here the other day so I was lucky enough to have no work and felt good enough to get out to the car. I got the wiring in the engine bay, and I put together my spark plug wires. I used a universal V8 set and they were just barely long enough. I'm going to tuck and fasten the wiring in the engine bay more but its looking almost all hidden as it is now. I still need to get under the car and hook up all the wires to the starter and stuff, If this weekend goes well I'll be ready to test fire the engine Jessica
I finished the wiring! Although I don't have the PCM tuned yet I did plug it in and checked for a voltage drain. At first there was one so I opened the trunk up all the way to investigate and realized I'd plugged the deck lid back in and my trunk light was on. I flipped that off and the drain was gone I filled up all the fluids the best I could without the car running. I even cranked the engine over (obviously without a re-tuned pcm it didn't fire up) Everything looked and sounded OK and nothing bad happened! I'm so happy to be just about done with this swap, I can't wait to drive this car again.
Car should start and run for 3 seconds with VATS but on stock 98 PCM VATS isn't enabled and should run the car with a few codes. Did you make sure you are getting fuel/spark?
I'm not sure on spark or fuel. I only cranked it twice before the battery started to die (it wasn't charged). The Regal I got the engine, computer and wiring from had a chip in the key so I just assumed it would need to have the VATS removed.
I plugged the PCM back in after getting it tuned and the car runs It even looks like all my gauges work on the dash so far. I haven't driven the car so I don't know if the speedo works though.
The only issue I'm having now is that the PCM is throwing a P1336 code, and I think its just because I've swapped the engine and replaced the trans. I didn't modify the internals of the engine, and I didn't even change out the supercharger pulley or anything. So I've got to get a code reader that can do a CASE relearn (meaning a crank angle sensor error relearn) and see if that clears up my issues. Its also idling really rough, I've tried some trouble shooting and so far the only code is for the crank sensor problem.
All things considered I'm really happy with the outcome of the swap, nothing leaks, the car sounds amazing (maybe a little loud), and it runs better now than the 2.8L ever seemed to. I'm not sure how I'll proceed at this point, I'd like to figure out why my idle is so rough, I'm not completely sure its because of the P1336 code. I'm going to check for any vacuum leaks, as well as check the fuel pressure to be sure that is within the range it should be.
So I'll either get someone to come out and do the case relearn if its not too expensive, or I'll buy HP Tuners. I had planned on buying HP Tuners in the future for my El Camino but this would just mean buying it sooner when I wasn't planning on spending that money yet. Who knows when all this will happen but I'll post up what I do and hopefully a picture of the car in some other location than my driveway Jessica
Congrats. Take this as a compliment, but I'm amazed you need help from someone else. You have a broad range of expertise. Your unexpected limitation is humanizing.
Thank you for the kind words. I'm not special by any means, I get stuck and confused with these cars just like anyone else. I'm really thankful for all the good info on this site that has helped me though a ton of the issues. I also think because I'm always trying to do stuff on such a tight budget that it forces me to learn new skills. Anyways its been a lot colder here in the Portland area than it usually is so I've been avoiding going outside to work on the car after work in the dark. I might be able to do some trouble shooting this weekend but I don't really know yet what my schedule looks like. Jessica
Well my weekend got wrecked by Mother Nature! A couple inches of snow pretty much put a stop to all my fun plans this weekend. A canvas carport isn't the place to be for too long in the snow, so I wasn't out there for long. The garage without insulation is pretty bad as well so I didn't work on my other project either. I did pull the PCM back out and I'm going to ship it out to get re-tuned. After talking with the tuner it looks like that was my issue all along. I checked everything else and he went back through and looked at what he did and I guess something was overlooked. No harm, no foul. I'll hopefully get the PCM back soon and I'll be back on my way to seeing how successful this engine swap turned out. Luckily all the snow turned to rain just in time to go back to work, so I can get some more work done in the evenings. I also think I figured out how I want to do my battery hold down so I may work on that while I'm waiting. The only other lingering issue I know of is my intake is really short and the filter sits below the louver, so I may work on relocating that behind the 1/4 panel vent. I think I only need another elbow and some straight pipe. I might have to cut some sheet metal but I'm not positive yet. Jessica
Well the winter here in the Portland area has been crazy! Luckily where I live only got about 4-6" of snow. So I was sufficiently stuck from Tuesday evening till Friday. The temp hasn't really gotten above freezing. I did finish my battery hold down though (many short trips out to the garage and the car port). I still have to see how the spare tire fits over this, but I figured I'd throw the pics out here to at least show an option. The battery is super solid and easy to get in and out with the wing nuts. Back to spending some time in the house knitting and hanging out with these two floofs. I should have my PCM back later this week and it sounds like all the issues have been resolved and I should be ready to hit the road (if its good enough weather). I've also been working on plumbing the frame of my El Camino, I finished the soft and hard brake lines and am about to start on the hard fuel lines. Thats a heck of a job and due to the custom/modified nature of the build I had to do it all from scratch. I'm thrashing to get the frame done and the welding on the body and paint on the bottom done this spring. If that happens I can put the body on the frame together and have a roller
You made me laugh. Don't take this the wrong way, but knitting? No welder or wrench involved? I had to read it again to be sure you were serious. Then I had to remember that you are a girl, but I didn't know girls still knew how to do that. IIRC, knitting involves fabric/yarn/textile and some sort of needles/hooks. I've seen it done, but always get confused between knitting and crocheting. One has 1 needle, and the other 2, I think.
From brake lines from scratch to knitting. What a change of gears!
You made me laugh. Don't take this the wrong way, but knitting? No welder or wrench involved? I had to read it again to be sure you were serious. Then I had to remember that you are a girl, but I didn't know girls still knew how to do that. IIRC, knitting involves fabric/yarn/textile and some sort of needles/hooks. I've seen it done, but always get confused between knitting and crocheting. One has 1 needle, and the other 2, I think.
From brake lines from scratch to knitting. What a change of gears!
Yeah my grandma taught me to knit when I was a kid. It uses 2 needles with straight points, crochet uses one hook. She taught me both but I like to knit more. Really it just gives me something to do with my hands, otherwise I can't sit through a TV show or movie well. Looks like we're in for more snow or freezing rain here so I'll need something to keep me occupied. Portland usually has mild winters of mostly 40* and rain, this is a little much. Jessica
If the spare doesn't sit well over your hold down bracket , you might try what I have pictured. All you see in the pic is the stud sticking up that holds the bakelite/plastic hold down clip. I buy them in the help section or battery section of the auto parts stores, like NAPA. With some of the battery boxes I have shimmed the battery at a slight angle tipping toward the battery box openings for the terminals. That way, the battery is tight to the front of the box, to minimize any chance it will move and cause a dead short. Not had that problem in about 10 years of that type box, but always careful to make sure those terminals are well protected from any type of random short. We drove up to Longview from Astoria area yesterday . When we left Knappa/Astoria, it was 36 degrees, but once 15 miles east, we never did get above freezing the rest of the day. They still had plenty of snow there, and see that your area even has a lot more. Should start warming tomorrow, make sure the runoff drains are clear in your area. Gutters and downspouts, too! Your project keeps moving forward! Looking good. Have faith, spring weather will appear.
If the spare doesn't sit well over your hold down bracket , you might try what I have pictured. All you see in the pic is the stud sticking up that holds the bakelite/plastic hold down clip. I buy them in the help section or battery section of the auto parts stores, like NAPA. With some of the battery boxes I have shimmed the battery at a slight angle tipping toward the battery box openings for the terminals. That way, the battery is tight to the front of the box, to minimize any chance it will move and cause a dead short. Not had that problem in about 10 years of that type box, but always careful to make sure those terminals are well protected from any type of random short. We drove up to Longview from Astoria area yesterday . When we left Knappa/Astoria, it was 36 degrees, but once 15 miles east, we never did get above freezing the rest of the day. They still had plenty of snow there, and see that your area even has a lot more. Should start warming tomorrow, make sure the runoff drains are clear in your area. Gutters and downspouts, too! Your project keeps moving forward! Looking good. Have faith, spring weather will appear.
My area has been getting pretty clear already, the roads are bare and most of the snow is gone, it's just further towards Portland that things get really dicey.
Originally I built my box like that but when I cut the hole in the plastic tub for it I think I screwed up and it hit the sway bar. So I had to modify the box because I couldn't fix the plastic. Part of the modification meant losing that hold down that worked perfectly. Jessica
Let talk about this weather! Its really been wild here in Portland, and its kind of slowed down the progress. Its been pretty wild driving around in my little mini truck in this stuff, but it cleared up and I think we're through the most of it. Unless we get more this week. This last weekend it was nice and sunny (still cold in the 30s) and my PCM is finally all tuned the way it should be and the car runs! I found a coolant leak right as I got it out into my driveway, but I've managed to fix it (I just didn't seat or tighten the lower radiator hose well). I was really worried the car had a leak in the radiator but I'm hopeful thats not the case. If it does I'll get a new one when I can afford to. I only went for a short drive, but it was totally worth it, the car has a lot more power and it runs smooth, which it never did with the old engine. I'm sure there are better running stock Fieros than mine, so its more of a comment on how far gone my car was when I started, than on how Fieros are in general. I put it back in my car port and I've since fixed the leak I think. I also noticed the brakes were dragging on my short test drive. At least I hope its my brakes dragging and not something more serious, I didn't really adjust the e-brake cables I just tightened them so they wouldn't hang too low so I think thats the issue. I had an issue with the brakes dragging when I first got the car running and it sounds really familiar so I'll check into that this week I hope. The only other items left to address on the car are: Putting the interior back together now that the PCM is working Getting a case relearn done to get rid on the 1336 code Getting an alignment for the rear Making the spare tire fit (its getting hung up a little on some plastic edges in the tub) Extending the intake into the quarter panel Fixing the A/C lines and getting that all working with the new compressor and engine Clearing out the HVAC ducts and figuring out what is squealing in it before it burns the car to the ground
I'm hopeful the weather will keep getting better and I can get the car out on a few shake down runs to see if there is anything else to fix. So far I'm really happy with the swap, its quieter than the old cherry bomb on the 2.8 and it runs better and all the gauges work (I think), plus it feels like it has a lot more power (and I've only driven it about 100 feet!)
Thanks for the kind words. Looks like it isn't leaking from the radiator anymore so it must have been the hose seated wrong. I think I'll have some time after work this week to clear up the brakes and intake. Then its just a matter of taking it for a longer drive :-) Jessica
I probably won't be around to post much for the next week but I have made some progress on fixing all the issues left on the car. I got my dogbone to fit again, the mount I received had the hole drilled in the wrong spot and I had to slot it on my drill press to make it work with the stock dogbone. At first I thought I'd need an adjustable dogbone but the center to center of the bolt hole distance was under 3" and that was way off. I also figured out what to do about the intake, I'm going to extend it into the fender behind the scoop. I ordered another 45* elbow and that should be all I need. So for those reading this and want to copy my intake setup its as follows: 2 x 45* aluminum elbows 1 x 45* silicone elbow 1 x straight piece of rubber on the throttle body 2 x straight pieces of aluminum tube Then you'll need clamps and whatever filter you want to use All my pieces are 4" and I didn't have to cut any of the space frame to make it fit.
I had a lot of these parts laying around so I only had to buy the silicone elbow and another aluminum one. I think just 4" flex hose would work just as well and be cheaper. I'm also going to extend my IAT wiring so that I can mount it closer to the end of the intake where it'll be cooler. Tonight I'll adjust the brakes and put the center console back together, and then I'm just going to wait till my last intake piece arrives and I'll take it out for a drive again.
I'll let you all know how it goes in a week or so :-) Jessica
I'm hopeful tomorrow I will be able to spend a few hours working on the car (I'm planning to skip some work seeing as how I am traveling for work and get in after midnight tonight). The intake piece came in and all that leaves to sort out is adjusting the E-brake, so I should be on the road once I burp the fluid. I mostly wanted to post this picture of the car right after I bought it and cleaned it up a little compared to now. I'm tempted to change the title of the thread (if its possible or add something to it) this build has really come a long way. I went out and just looked at the car the other day I am just so happy it worked out. I really can't believe I have a late model (sorta late model anyways) engine in the car that should make it really reliable and fun. I also wanted to thank the forum for all the help in getting to this point. The next hurdles will be getting the A/C to work and replacing old HVAC components. I also may have headlight issues with the pop ups but I'm not worried as there is a wealth of knowledge here Jessica
OK an update! The car is aligned and driving around. There are still issues but its on the road, and its fast as heck. In case you don't remember I didn't change the pulley or anything so just going to a stock 3.8l is pretty darn cool. Here is the end result of the intake project So I got it out and driving and my headlights had some issues, my OBDII port was wired to a switched power source not constant So I fixed those. Then I thought things were going well, and since my daily driver broke down (my little S10 broke a motor and trans mount and thats a disaster to fix) I thought I'd throw the Fiero into service and it kinda tried to fight me. I got about 15 miles from home and visited my parents for the first time in the car, and it decided that was the time to start leaking coolant again (luckily it was just a burp). It also started leaking ATF from the dipstick tube so my Dad helped me tighten up and stop that leak. Then as I was about to leave it started leaking fuel, and the factory return hard line developed a pinhole and I had to leave it till the next day to fix it. I got it all buttoned up and took it to my mechanic friend and he cleared up the crank angle sensor error problem I was having and he caught the diagnostic port power issue. SO I got the car back to my house but my friend basically said I was having a TPS and/or IAC issue and on the way home I noticed the trans isn't shifting into 4th and that can be caused by a faulty TPS I also fixed the squeaking HVAC blower fan, I had this new one from one of my other cars and it fit and had the same p/n so I lucked out and saved a few bucks there So today I did some tightening of bolts and things before work and headed out. I planned to go to the junkyard but its closed due to flooding so I'll have to check out another to see if I can get another throttle body and swap over some of the sensors. Anyways I'm really happy with the swap and its really fun car to drive, it just needs a few more tweaks to get to be a good daily driver. Jessica
Well more news, I got a new TPS because mine had a dead spot and I cleaned the IAC. I may still get a new throttle body at some point (but probably in the summer when they are more likely to be dry and good). Now my idle is lower and more stable and my TPS engine code is gone and hasn't come back. If anyone does a modified thermostat housing on their 3800 swap it makes getting the TPS out a lot harder. Its especially annoying because they have security torx screws from the factory. Anyways the new TPS helped the engine but the transmission still won't shift into 4th. Looks like I need a new 4th gear shaft. Its a common failure in the 4t65s and can be replaced with the trans in the car. At least that is what I read but maybe it doesn't apply to a Fiero, we shall see! From '03 and newer the trans used a hardened shaft, but mine is a '98 so thats likely the issue. The bad news is my daily driver truck is really messed up so its going to be in the tent till I can fix it so the Fiero will have to wait. It gives me a good excuse to drive the Fiero, and its so much fun, plus not getting into 4th gear keeps the car in the power band for passing ;-) I'm going to be replacing the steering components, ball joints, bushings, and shocks. The truck has 205k miles so its no surprise it needs some attention, but its to the point its unsafe so I'm going to take care of it. Hopefully I'll have all the suspension off tomorrow and I'll have the A-arms ready for the new parts this weekend. If my parts come in when they are estimated to I should have it done by next weekend. Jessica
Doesn't the thermostat housing cap sit in an awkward place?
It's a little awkward, but if you have a funnel it solves most of the problem. I didn't like the idea of using an inline fill port and T but that would have been another option. Jessica
Slowly but surely the car is getting there. I was able to adjust the headlights and they go up and down reliably and don't bind up now. The trunk no longer leaks, it was just because I took the spoiler off when I wrapped it and didn't seal it up again. My IAT is working properly and the TPS is working still. The only other thing was the IAC and I think the cleaning helped its idling better now and I'm not getting a fast idle code. The only nagging problems are the speedo isn't working right. It gets power and turns on but it just stays at 0 The cylinder 3 is misfiring and it isn't the coil and probably isn't the wire. So I'm going to need to replace the plugs. I thought they looked pretty good when I had the engine out and it wasn't throwing a misfire code when it was in the Buick (I don't think so anyways). Everything considered its a really fun car and the swap was really worth it, I'm using it as a daily driver now. Luckily I have a short under 10 mile trip to work and I can go 45-50mph in the slow lane for now ;-) Jessica
I know nothing of your engine, but is the VSS working?
Have you checked the speeds the ECM shows?
TI have a scan gauge that reads in real time out of the obdii port. It shows the speed pretty much exactly like the GPS on my phone or navigation unit. So at least I know that works, and the Speedo worked before the swap. It's likely the converter I built, I'm a mechanical engineer and not an electrical for a reason haha. I just need to get the time to look at it. Jessica
OK so I asked in another thread in the tech section about the speedometer buffer and I got a good list of components to grab at radio shack. I'm not positive I had the wrong parts but I figured it was a good way to remove variables from the problem. Then I pulled out my breadboard and jumper wires I decided to take it for a drive with the jumpers to all the pertinent wires in the console with the interior out late last night. The idea was there would be less traffic and bothersome people around so I could just pull over and move wires and things. I got it to work and soldered everything this morning and put the interior back into the car.
I'm going to try and tackle the lighting problem I'm having with the sealed beams. I had original style ones that didn't work really well. Then I bought some conversion housings that use H4 bulbs knowing they would be probably bad, but they are much worse than I thought. In the next few weeks/month I'm going to break the housings open and replace the lenses with acrylic and put a bi-xenon projector in them. I like the flip up style, and I really don't want to go to a fixed light or a flush light. I did this on my S10 that has composite lights, as well as my old Camaro with composite lights. My 78 El Camino has 4x6 sealed beams and I did this on it, and if they would fit in the Fiero I'd just swap them over for the time being. The projectors are from The Retrofit Source and I usually buy the HIDs and ballasts from DDM tuning. Here are some pics of how I did it on the El Camino, there is some issue with space behind the light, but its nothing compared to the Fiero. I'll document the retrofit on here when I start, right now I'm trying to figure out depth of the housing and projector, and just where I can push the envelope to get them to fit and still operate like stock. For the time being I'm putting some 100watt bulbs in my fog lights to help out at night. Jessica
So I found this on craigslist the other day and picked it up last night. Once I get the body back on the frame of my El Camino I'll have the space in the garage I need to do the body work to bond this to the hood (without worrying about working out in the rain). I've still got my original hood so I don't have to take the car out of service to do this. I was told it is an old V8 Archie design, I don't really know, but I like it and it should be a good modification when I'm done. I'm also going to add some metal mesh screen to match my 1/4 panels. Still working on other little things, and getting the car sorted out. I'm still really happy with the little car, and its a blast to drive :-) Jessica
That is a V8 Archie Warber style hood scoop. I have done several from scratch, and I think it is easier than using Archie's molded insert. If you want a finished hood, Lucas has one I made and it is for sale. They work well to remove hot air from the radiator area. Mine require no cutting of the front compartment or radiator fan assembly. If positioned correctly, Archie's unit should clear everything as well, from what I remember reading. His is definitely a nice piece, was looking to buy that myself. Second time on Craigs. Glad you got it. A few pictures of the one Lucas has for sale.
Dang, I do like the single opening. I was looking to buy an angel vent from thadriver but this one was pretty cheap and I'm a sucker for a deal. I'll give this one a try and if it doesn't work out I may just do something else. The hood I'm working on has a few other issues anyways so its not like I'm going to ruin something I could sell. Jessica
Do you have installation instructions for the Archie vents? If not, you may find them on his site or on the internet. I know many use the Evercoat Vette Panel adhesive and filler for bonding that sort of project. Good luck, you can do it.
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