Is it just a scratch? Or a crack? Scratches can sometimes be buffed out. Cracks, not so much. If you use a solvent-based anything, be careful that what you use will not attack the plastic.
Only a scratch thank goodness, I am going to try buffing next weekend. No chemicals will be used in removing this flaw other than maybe some, ok maybe a lot of Leinenkugel ( https://www.leinie.com/av?u...ps://www.leinie.com/ ) lol.
I finally got around to looking into my code 32 on this one, and used the bluetooth ALDL unit I got from phonedawgz along with a rather nifty ALDL app for my tablet. It seems that I really do not know what i am looking at as far as data.... lol, go figure, but I will get there eventually.
The data below is from the moment I connected to the bluetooth unit with the tablet, and I had no SES light. EGR code 32 showed up immediately.
Time (this is in seconds and how long I was connected) 0.842
Vehicle Speed 0
Engine Speed 950
TPS 0.75 (looks like my TPS voltage is .25 volts high?)
Coolant Temp 99.05
32 EGR ERROR
Any instights on this from anyone?
I can get the vacuum switch to come on and go off by applying vacuum, and the coil checks out properly when reading ohms, or it is a dead short. I just may try a different unit I have on hand to see if another EGR solenoid will work any differently.
This is new ground for me, so bear with me. Love all the ALDL readings....... just need to figure out what they are telling me.
Woo Hoo! No more code 32! I bought a bracket and used EGR solenoid recently for the T-top, and decided what the heck, try it on the solid roof to see what happens. Just got back from a test drive of 15 miles, and no more SES light! (no, the bulb did not burn out lol)
My old one tested, checked, and looked just fine, but there must be something wrong with it as this one I never took apart, and tested the same way is I did the original and it tested identically. I even used all the old hoses from the original one, so that is ruled out.
Forward progress finally.......!!!!
ok, maybe just more old fart ramblings.... but, you get what you pay for...... heheheheh Somebody has to post some "entertaining" stuff here!
As James Brown once sang.... "I feel good".... (google it for you "younger" members).
Yes, I am still having fun even after spending a good hour last night tightening the alternator belt on the T-top.
Alternator belt tightening procedure by railshot:
Remove right rear tire (after jacking the car up and putting it on stands of course) remove the inner flap (make a note to order new ones from Rodney, these are getting pretty shall we say "lame"), lay on back looking at the crazy way they designed this setup while pondering investing in a lift or shooting the next engineer I come across (I can say that because everyone in my family is an engineer, and I am part of the engineering department...... lol, no, I am not an engineer on paper, just an old farm boy with a lot of common sense and someone that looks at things as.... "what if I had to do that"....) loosen adjusting nut, place 3" c-clamp on end of bracket, tighten a bit, start over because clamp slid off, repeat 2 more times....... you get the idea, and if you have done this all on your own you know what I mean.....
Some day I will be inventing a device to make this so much easier..... actually, a very simple concept I have in mind already, stay tuned.
Just in case anyone is interested....... Yesterday I had planned on tightening the A/C belt on this one as it was squealing like a banshee when I turned the A/C on, and decided to see what the dealership would charge me for doing the job. I already knew it was loose as a goose because last weekend I was under there looking at it and pondering how I was going to get at the top two mounting bolts to tighten it.
Called the dealer early in the morning and they squeezed me in early on a very busy pre holiday Saturday. I am a long time customer at this Chevrolet dealer, so that helped.... free plug for Lake Geneva Chevrolet here.
All said and done, it took them 1/2 hour total from the time it was driven up on the ramps (I made them put it on the drive up ramp instead of their usual lifts) and the time I was paying for it. This also included them tracking me down while I was looking at the new and used Camaro's in the lot (nice cars, but still way overpriced as far as I am concerned), and taking me under the car to be sure the belt was tight enough.
$61.20 to tighten the belt.
I know a lot of you have that "shocked" look on your face right now, and I don't blame you, but to be honest, it was actually quite worth it to me.
It would have taken me at least 1/2 hour to get all the tools, ramps, etc. together, put it on the ramps, jack it up even further when on the ramps, get the jack stands positioned, and then fight with the top two mounting bolts.
As I have said in my posts about the T-top, I am choosing my battles wisely now, and because this was done so efficiently by them, I was able to play with the T-top the rest of the day and go for a 110 mile cruise in it. Anything I have to lay on the ground to do that is under the car is going to be done by this dealership.
And..... the young mechanic that did the job told the service manager to not bring any more Fiero's in for him to work on. I guess he had quite a time with those two top mounting bolts for who knows how long, and they have far more of the correct tools to do the job than I do. LOL! Guess who I am going to request to do any more work on my GT.... heheheheh He did a nice job, and did not damage anything, so why not.
The A/C works wonderful by the way, and no more belt squealing.
Next will be to identify the odd clunk in the right front suspension..... This one, I will do while sitting comfortably on the top side of the GT in the sunlight.
I really hope someone does. I use this as seriously more of a "dear diary" thing than anything, and try to make them as positive and fun as I can. Like I say, "Just an old mans ramblings" lol, with a bit of wisdom for whomever cares to read them.
[This message has been edited by railshot (edited 05-28-2017).]
Odd clunk identified! I had everything ordered and ready to pick up from Rodney when I decided I should take a quick look before I bought all new ball joints etc. for this one.
Jacked it up, took the right front wheel and tire (of course they are pretty much together... duh) off, and decided to see if I could find the "clunk". Using a prybar I started to get the suspension moving front to back and in and out. The only movement I could see was in the upper control arm at the bushings. While playing this game, I put my other hand on the washer on the end of the upper control arm, and I could spin it freely..... hmmmmm.
A quick trip to PFF (thanks to everyone for posting this kind of data) and I found that the nuts for the upper control arm should be tightened to 66 ft. lbs. Ran back to the garage, grabbed the torque wrench, set it to 70 ft, lbs. and got almost 3 turns on both nuts before I heard a click!
Literally threw the tire (and rim of course) back on, drove 30 miles and the clunking is gone!
Now I know this is more than likely an indication the bushings are going, but it is sure nice to get rid of that clunking for now. Add this to the list, but I tell you this, I love this Fiero!
Went to Rodney's anyway yesterday, and bought a new cat for the T-top (the exhaust still does not sound "right" to me and that is the only thing left) and "kickdown" cable for the solid roof.... I just cannot get the one on there to adjust (aftermarket replacement someone had installed). I still need to replace the TCC solenoid (it sticks after driving more than 20 miles) and 3rd gear switch, so while I am in there, why not the TV cable also?
Yay, another problem identified!
Rodney is great when it comes to understanding plans change, and I will say this, I for one appreciate all he does.
Almost a month since I posted anything here, but I am on vacation and tomorrow I will be tackling the TCC solenoid along with the 3rd gear switch. This is my baby now, so keep an eye on this section. Dash is lined up and ready when the seller is ready, so all it will need is paint after this fix.....
I truly love driving this one! It sounds right, drives right, and it seems to like me also which is so important to me.
Only smiles every time I drive it, and lots of thumbs up from people as they drive by me.
Almost a month since I posted anything here, but I am on vacation and tomorrow I will be tackling the TCC solenoid along with the 3rd gear switch. This is my baby now, so keep an eye on this section. Dash is lined up and ready when the seller is ready, so all it will need is paint after this fix.....
I truly love driving this one! It sounds right, drives right, and it seems to like me also which is so important to me.
Only smiles every time I drive it, and lots of thumbs up from people as they drive by me.
Have fun with the TCC!
I'm glad you are getting enjoyment out of it...especially considering the frustration the T-Top is giving you. Once the TCC gets fixed then you shouldn't have any real issues with it (well....no issues until the next thing breaks!).
I'm glad you are getting enjoyment out of it...especially considering the frustration the T-Top is giving you. Once the TCC gets fixed then you shouldn't have any real issues with it (well....no issues until the next thing breaks!).
Hey Mike! Finally got around to actually doing the TCC this morning. Started at 6:30 am and finished at 12:30 pm. Works wonderfully now! Took a 50 mile drive, and no more stop sign lockup!
A quick side note.... on an '88 GT you can get the pan out through the bottom!
I guess the suspension is just different enough to allow this to happen.
Everything I have read so far was for an earlier model ('87 and down) so this really tickled me to have it happen. All I had to do is rotate it 90 degrees, and it came right out between the long arm of the rear suspension and the frame. Going back in was the same! I put every bolt back into the new gasket with the pan out after cleaning up, rotated it 90, and it slid right back in!
The beginning.......
This is where I started, everything I read said take this that and the other thing off... all I had to do was remove the bracket for the coolant line, and tuck the skirt up out of the way..
Cleaned the outside first.... stupid me did not realize that all the cans of cleaning stuff I had on the shelf were empty, so quick trip to NAPA fixed that.... ok, that took me 45 minutes. LOL
It was loaded with a lot of road grime, but we fixed that!
Old solenoid still in place as a reference shot.
Here is the tricky part..... unplugging the old one was a snap, but plugging the new one in cost me almost one hour! I did have to use the old plastic race as the new one did not have it included.
The offending part!
Its new replacement with the old.
The only difference I see is that the new one has a screen on the port that has the o'ring going into the valve body.
Glad this is behind me as at the same time the PT Loser also lost a shift cable.... talk about a real PITA! To replace the cable on a PT, you have to remove the cat heat shield and pull the cable through that area........
Made the TCC actually fun.
PT Loser and medium red GT are now whole again and happy!
Time for a few German style beverages.
Edited 7/7/2017 after reflecting on a few things....
German beverages are outstanding, but PIP is the bomb! If I only would have known this a few years ago, all of my now long lost images would be available to me.... oh well.... I am still amazed that nobody wants an '88 GT T-top that runs and drives outstanding for $2900.00 with all the extra stuff I am throwing in. Guess I need to expand my "market" beyond PFF.... I was really hoping someone here would jump on it at that price!
If nobody is seriously considering the T-top, I will post it in several other places for $2900..... or may even go the Ebay route come this fall. It really is a good base, and I paid $2500 for it before having the front end rebuilt, and buying floor mats, sunshades, etc. for it. Shame really...... but I still have a place for it in my life if nobody wants it. It will be treated as well as the red one, but postponed a bit until this one is "acceptable" by my standards, which are pretty high.
[This message has been edited by railshot (edited 07-07-2017).]
It does feel very good, and now that I am down to only one GT, I can focus on this one.
Looks like photobucket is holding your pictures "hostage" also! I am sure that when I don't pay for my account come August, all of mine will go bye-bye also, a shame really and is why I finally figured out PIP.
With under 85,000 miles on it, it does not need a lot and will be almost ready for a re-spray by this fall! It has been painted once during it's life, and I do believe it was a single stage by the way I have to keep polishing it.
Coming soon will be the dash replacement (if olejoedad or I can ever remember that I am buying one from him.. lol, we both keep getting buzy with other "stuff" ), shift surround re-gluing, front speaker replacement, headliner replace / reglue (it is just starting to droop a bit in the middle, not horrible, just noticeable), find a hood (the one on it has a chip near the nose), replace all 4 tires, and that is about it!
That really is a nice short list now that I read it!
Then, next summer after I finally do "retire", it will be all set for a few adventures I have in mind for my wife and myself.
Guess I am going to have to start a new thread for this one all by it's self, as the title of this one just does not fit anymore? heheheh