I was so happy to get a chance to drive my 87 GT to another Mn Fieros forever event. . A shoulder injury meant two hand shifting to get it into 5th. This was my first drive of the season. I had worked on the car during the winter replacing the cooked valve guide seals on my 400 mile Dart 427. I cooked them last fall when the computer decided not to turn the fan on. I wasn't keeping a close eye on my gauges because a TPS had died at the fall Fiero car show. See a trend here? I just wanted to limp home and put in a new TPS.
We proudly pulled into the parking lot with all the other great looking Fieros of the club members. We did notice the smell of burning plastic ! I decided to look at all the cool cars and let mine cool down. Several of the members were smelling the car and had ideas of what it could be. I looked later and didn't see any damage to the harness or computer wiring. After a great lunch and then the judging we left to make out 20 mile ride home. I noticed my 140 amp alternator was having trouble making over 13 volts? The engine was running a little hotter than the normal 160 degrees but nothing to worry about. Well, we had to stop for every stop light on the way home. At one of the lights we heard the distinct sound of my serpentine belt shredding. We still had voltage and no excessive engine heat so I made a run for it. I got home and pulled into the garage. The car really stunk from burning plastic now! I let her cool down and then did some detective work. The 420K5 belt was now a 420K4 belt. The belt was glued to the pulleys. I had to cut what was left of the belt to try and pull it off. I had to use a screw driver to peal it off the pulleys.
Like everything on my car, good or bad, the serpentine belt drive is home made. My guess is not enough wrap on the crank pulley. I'm going to put a new belt on and drive it for short drives the rest of the summer. Next winter the motor comes out again for a redesign of the belt drive. This car has never ever made it to a MN fiero club event without some kind of failure. I hope to brake the curse next year!

A big thanks to 2.5 for making me realize I mixed up the vacuum lines from the throttle body to the vacuum advance. A bog thanks to GT Jeff for the nice pictures of my car he posted.

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woodys 427

If it was just a belt or pulley problem that's actually pretty great! The way the post started out I was thinking it was gonna be baaaaad.
So what you actually smelled was hot melting serp belt?
Maybe you can just add a tensioner on the right area to give it more wrap.

[This message has been edited by 2.5 (edited 06-23-2016).]

I think I need to change the arc of the tensioner and add another idler between the water pump and the crank pulley on the rear side.
I have some World Products aluminum heads that will perk up the new V8 Fiero of yours if your interested. You are always welcome to come and have a look at them.
One of the things that added noise to the cabin was the use of poly cradle bushings/mounts. My engine is solid mounted. I'm going back to the factory rubber bushings for the cradle and have a few other ideas to cut cabin noise. Looks like I have another full agenda for winter!
By the way, I really like the wild green paint on the new Fiero.

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woodys 427

quote Originally posted by woodyhere: I think I need to change the arc of the tensioner and add another idler between the water pump and the crank pulley on the rear side. I have some World Products aluminum heads that will perk up the new V8 Fiero of yours if your interested. You are always welcome to come and have a look at them. One of the things that added noise to the cabin was the use of poly cradle bushings/mounts. My engine is solid mounted. I'm going back to the factory rubber bushings for the cradle and have a few other ideas to cut cabin noise. Looks like I have another full agenda for winter! By the way, I really like the wild green paint on the new Fiero.

Thanks, if the heads work with a TPI 305 I may be interested. Though this one is so new to me I don't even know whats on it. Probably stock. Something else that perked it up since the show, welding the large crack in the headers!

[This message has been edited by 2.5 (edited 06-24-2016).]

Welding cracked headers can be challenging to be sure. I'll have to look up the bore of the 305. I have a feeling the heads need a 4 inch bore but I'm just guessing. I had the heads on a GM 400 in my 87. That dig could hunt! The heads were too small for the 427 that's in there now. I got a miss ground cam from Competition products for the 400 that shredded a lifter in about 15 minutes of break-in running. Competition wouldn't admit they ground a flat tappet cam on a roller blank. The roller blanks have an extra bump that a narrow roller misses but a flat tappet hits.
I'm looking forward to having a better look at your new set of wheels.

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woodys 427