Hmm, just to be sure, I cannot use my GM tech2 for this ? ..no backwards compatiblity ? ..I know I got a bunch of adapters for it that I never used..

(..I have had a lot of SAAB's, therefore its very handy to have a Tech2..)

[This message has been edited by Repulsiv (edited 10-29-2017).]

The cables can't be oiled though I know of one person who connected a shop vac to the shifter end and taped the opening very well. He then inserted the transmission end into some oil and turned on the vacuum. It did pull some oil in and helped for a short while, but the cable eventually had to be replaced. Usually the wires splinter inside and hang on the inside of the cover.

You could drain oil into a 1 liter container then pour back the appropriate amount. Oil contamination comes from the combustion blow-by around the rings. If your engine is in good condition, it will take a while before it begins to get dark.

On the bottom of the thermostat, in the middle is a small bulb. it's usually stamped with the temperature. That's the temperature that the thermostat opens. Running a lower temp thermostat, like the 180 f thermostat can cause the engine to run cold, thus requiring more fuel. That may be the thermostat that came with the chip. If you are having overheating issues, Rodney Dickman's 210 f fan switch will allow the engine to operate within it's specified range, but will turn on the cooling fan before the engine really starts to overheat.

The fan switch is on the passenger end of the engine, near the base of the thermostat housing. It has a single wire harness. Unplug that and insert a wire into the harness. With ignition on, ground the wire to the engine block. The cooling fan should come on if the circuit, relay and fan motor are good. If it doesn't come on, press one of the AC buttons. If the fan doesn't come on at that point, your problem will be either the fan relay or the fan motor.


Before you decide to rebuild the calipers, be sure you can obtain the rebuild kits. I think the front kits are still available. The phenolic pistons should be replaced with metal pistons. I think there's one seal in the rear calipers that isn't available on the retail market, so it's best to get rebuilt calipers. However, the rear calipers are seldom a problem. They are just easy to damage when replacing rear brake pads if the wrong procedure is followed.

Yes, similar to my exprerience from parking brake cables, as soon as they start to rust inside they cannot really be fixed, maybe oiled so they work a bit better but never really good.

Anyway, i was out in the cold and put a charger on the battery, and was going to try to earth the fan temp switch, but I couldn't get down to it, I probably can when its not as dark and cold..

I tried to turn on the AC however, and then the radiator fan started, so that part is good.

It was a great "map" where the sensors are, is it possible to measure (ohm ?) the other sensors ? is there a map of temp-resistance ? ..I'm curious if the engine is really cold, or if its just the meter..

But I think I replace the thermostat anyway to be sure.. I know they can be tested (in hot water) but..


..The brakes, well I start with just removing the calipers and pads and clean everything, I think the calipers is the floating type ? if the pins on those rust it cannot float and doesnt work very well.

By the way my dad had a LOT of problems with the brakes when he bought the car he told me, the brakes where on all the time, several shops failed to find the problem but then finally one found the problem - the hoses.. they acted as checkvalves.. Its pretty strange that the first shops did not find that problem because its not all unknown.. but then they said they replaced all hoses, however three is rubber and one is a steelbraided teflon.. they also changed the pads and cleaned everything, probably even machined the rotors, so at least the pads should be like new..

[This message has been edited by Repulsiv (edited 10-31-2017).]

quote Originally posted by fierofool: The cables can't be oiled though I know of one person who connected a shop vac to the shifter end and taped the opening very well. He then inserted the transmission end into some oil and turned on the vacuum. It did pull some oil in and helped for a short while, but the cable eventually had to be replaced. Usually the wires splinter inside and hang on the inside of the cover.

If I were to try that I would use something non petroleum based. Silicone lube probably.

Why not petroleum ? is the inside of the wire shield coated with some plastics or similar ?

Repulsiv: When working on the brake calipers, you can press the pistons in with a C-clamp on the front ones, but to do that on the rear without following the proper procedure can destroy them.

I know from experience what you speak of as the inside of the hose acting as a check valve. My 86, with brand new calipers on the rear, caught fire in August due to just that situation. When the right rear caliper couldn't relieve the pressure, it overheated, boiled the fluid and blew the hose off the caliper. The resulting fluid on the red hot rotor caught fire. For various reasons, I just finished putting it back on the road about an hour and a half ago. New brake lines, rotor, caliper and pads.

If you have a pair of needle nose pliers with a 45 or 90 degree tip, you can squeeze the fan switch harness and lift it right off. Here's a chart for checking GM temperature sensors.

http://www.gafiero.org/bbs/...=641.msg4633#msg4633

I will take a look at the fan switch when the weather is a bit better (..that would be like in june or so if I am un lucky..) But great with the temp chart!

..So what is the correct procedure to push the pistons back in the rear ? ..is it because of the parking brake ? ..I know I had to screw back the pistons on my old SAAB 9000CDE that also had a parkingbrake working on the rear calipers (different from most fwd cars that have a separate drum just for the parking brake..) and it's self-adjusting mechanism had to be screwed back..

Btw i never heard of the method to put ATF in the intake to clean out carbon, dounds a bit dangerous ..I know some people have done it with wather but I wouldnt do that either ..but ATF is often great to lubricate wires with..

See CarQuest Rear Caliper Adjustment Procedure.
http://www.gafiero.org/docs.shtml

We used to pour a small stream of ATF down the carburetor while holding the throttle at a little higher rpm. If you did it just right and there was no wind blowing, you could camouflage the vehicle in a cloud of smoke. Usually when you were about to deplete your ATF, one would dump the remaining amount into the carb enough to choke the engine to a stop. Let it sit for a half hour or so, then start it up to burn the residual out.

I used water to break the carbon loose when I was building kit cars and working mostly on VW Beetles. On built engines, I learned to ask if the engine had sodium filled valves after I saw what had happened to a water cooled engine that dropped a sodium valve. A minor car bomb.

quote Originally posted by Repulsiv: ..but ATF is often great to lubricate wires with..

I would think motor oil would be better than ATF, due to it having more lube and less detergents than ATF.
I still would use a synthetic silicone lube though instead. I am actually not sure if there is plastic directly inside a wire cable setup that would swell or deteriorate with petroleum lubes. Since there is so much plastic and rubber in areas on cars it seems safer. I would rather not take the chance, and I have just had better longer lasting luck with synthetic silicone based lubes.

[This message has been edited by 2.5 (edited 11-01-2017).]

Hello! another "mainlander ( I am from Holland)
if you need tires and wheels in the future, Volkswagen, Audi etc used the same hub size et values and lug config, 5x100, 57,1 and ET35 ;-)
for parts I would recommend Raabspeed imports in Germany (saved me a lot on import taxes from America.

I redid my headliner myself, it is quite easy and yours doesn't look worse than mine did.

I am always happyt to help if you have questions, or need info.
greetings from Holland

!

fierofool: Hmm, more about adjusting, but I guess "The actuator lever must be removed before attempting to bottom any of these pistons with a ”C” clamp or damage will occur to the thrust screw." is the main thing here. but its good to know they cannot be just pushed back as in "normal" calipers.

2.5: ATF is not as agressive to rubber and plastics, and penetrates much better than normal oil, thats the main reason I think it works better, its also stay thin when its cold.

Erwin03: That was a great link, I have googled for fiero parts within the EU but did not find rabspeed, higher prices than rock auto, but its also much easier to buy from EU countries (lower shipping, and no customs/taxes), btw I been in holland several times, because my father in law lives there ..Also nice to know that some VW wheels fit !


Anyway, today I was out and did some work at one of the SAAB's and also had some time for the fiero, first of all I opened up the heater box since several persons warned me about it, to my surprise it was more or less empty, some dust but no leafs or other crap as I seen in pictures from other people.. anyway, good to KNOW that its clean and not guess that it is..

By the way, there is a naked bulb sitting there ? what is it for ? Is it to light up the "front compatment" ? ..very strange placement..

Then I removed the "shield" and opened up the air filter box, and found a washable mesh filter.. Not very dirty but I really do not like mesh filters, so I will replace it with a normal "one time use" filter.

I also took a look at the select-wire, I'm pretty sure that it have been replaced once, first of all its less than half the thickness of the shift-wire, and it seem to be too long too.. so I really should replace it with a good one, I sent a mail to rodney dickman and asked for shipping to sweden (and got a reply), i probably order one later, just have to find out if its more things that I need to replace and could order the same time.

Is it hard to remove the wire ? ..looking at the instructions it seem to be pretty easy, just hook it off at the shifter and back at the gearbox and then pull it out ? ..I still want to give it a try to oil it up.. but I do nto have much hope, espeically not if it is a bad model of wire anyway.

And talking about rodney, I heard that the flip up lights are troublesome on the fiero, but when reading up on it it seem to mainly be the older cars ? and the "only" problem with my '87 could be those plastic frictioon thingies, would it be wise to order them too, even if my flip lights working perfectly now ?

I also checked the oil, now when its colder its esier to see, I would say its about 8mm over the max line.. guess I have to remove some oil to be safe.. just have to find a good way

[This message has been edited by Repulsiv (edited 11-04-2017).]

Some Fieros have a front compartment light. This light illuminates when the parking lights are on and the front compartment is open.

The select cable is smaller diameter than the other one. It also has to be longer because of it's downward then upward routing. Pay attention to the routing before removing it. You might attach a length of heavy wire to the transmissikn end before removing to aid in tracing the routing path during installation

Remove the complete console including the radio surround. Disconnect the battery then remove the ECM and mounting tray. Remove the clips that holds the plastic console skeleton to the carpet.

Place the shifter into 3rd gear and locate the alignment hole in the side of the shifter lever. It's just forward and below the pivot pin of the lever. Insert a drill bit or Allen Wrench horizontally into the hole to lock the trans into 3rd.

Remove the cable nut at the transmission. Remove the cable retainer clip at the bracket. Remove the hairpin clip and cable retainer clip at the shifter end of the cable. Pull the cable grommet from the firewall, cut a slit in 1 side only to remove from around the cable. Save it. You will use it on your new cable.

Carefully lift the rear of the skeleton enough to bend the metal cable holddown upward. Work the cable back into the engine bay enough to pull the end from underneath the skeleton.

Pull the cable into the cabin.

Reverse steps to install new cable. Be careful to not lose any of the cable clips. The correct size are very difficult to find.

A helper is beneficial so you don't have to go back and forth from inside to the rear while removing and inserting the cable.

Drain 1 liter of oil into a clean container. Pour back into the engine until the proper level is achieved.

[This message has been edited by fierofool (edited 11-04-2017).]

quote Originally posted by Repulsiv: Erwin03: That was a great link, I have googled for fiero parts within the EU but did not find rabspeed, higher prices than rock auto, but its also much easier to buy from EU countries (lower shipping, and no customs/taxes), btw I been in holland several times, because my father in law lives there ..Also nice to know that some VW wheels fit !

Yes, basicly all are 57.1, 5x100 so if you need help finding wheels, I can help.. I have a list with al et-falues and widths that fit the fiero.
And if you ever are in Holland, be welcome to swing by in The Hague!

Long time, no write.. and I actually havent done anything to the car, mainly because it is winter..

But I just have to post a pic how it look like now..



..The cable hanging over the car is for charging the battery..

The plan was to order parts forthe car during the winter and fix in the spring, but we had some really expensive things coming up so I have to wait until the economy settles a bit.

If the "naked bulb" you wrote about is inside the fan/heater casing, then you are seeing the three resistor wires that feed the fan motor. They only provide light when the leaves catch fire.

Before ordering new cables for the shifter, you can disconnect at the transmission. Then you can move the shifter side-to-side to see if it is still difficult to move. You can also move the transmission by hand.

rexgirl: No, not the resistors, I try to take a pic of it some day when there is less snow..

Yes, I will try to fix the shiftwire before I order a new one, but I do not have much hope..

Anyway, I had some fun and took out some statistics today..

There are..

347 Fieros in the register today (That does not mean road legal, just still in the register)
151 of those are from 1987.
146 Of those have a V6.
96 Of those have a manual gearbox.

1987 is the most common year, followed by 1988 (101), 1984 is least popular, only 10 of those.

Today I had some time, and the snow is away.. so..

Fist I tried to pump out oil with a oilchangerpump, did NOT work, the pipe for the oilstick is bent too much ..have to drain thru the oilplug

Then I fixed the sidemarkers, the original ones.. had to change one bulb, clean oxide and glue a broken part.. now they work..

Then I AGAIN tried to remove the aftermarket ones..



I think those have to be functional to pass a swedish inspection.. but I cannot remove them, I tried to peek behind and it looks like I have to remove the whole panel, but how do I do that ? ..I dont really want to break anything trying the wrong way..

I also replace dthe two broken bulbs in the instrument cluster, so now the L/R indicators works, yay! ..couldnt find any 4W bulbs here, so I used 5W instead.

I also noticed that the bulb and holder for the "shift up" light was gone, is those bulbholders standard in any way ? or specific to the car ?

I also took a look at the selector wire..



Can I remove it here without having to adjust anything ? is it just a hole, or a slot ?

..I also cleaned the spot where the rear mirror is glued to the windshield window, going to glue it back later..

This was strange.

I had some time today and started to fix things, first of all I disconnected the selector wire, to my surprise it now was easy to move the shifter right/left ? ..then I thought that it was a problem with the gearbox, but it also was easy to move the lever with my hand..

Then I cleaned everything in the engine compartment from dust (made a big difference) and connected the wire again, hard to move it AGAIN.. not as har das before I think, but hard, I wonder if its the routing of the wire that is the problem ?

..Then I tried to fix the sidemarkers, by removing the inner plastics I finally got ot out, and noticed the cables was connected in am very amateurish way, cutted the old conne ctions and used crimped cableshoes instead, but astill didnt work, seem like the lampholder is broken, I can get it to work if I move it.. I took it insde, and will see if I can fix it later.

It may be the picture but your cable looks kinked like a tight 90 degree bend rather than a sweeping bend:

Well, it make a pretty sharp bend, that can be the problem, but afaik its aleways been like that, and my dad says it was no problem to shift before.

where should it be routed ?

I gave the car a bit time again, one thing i did was teacing whythe speakers soinded so bad.

First of all, the car have some kind of bass speakers under the panel, those are seriously broken, disconnected those, then it sounded better, but still bad, so after removing the ones on the top of the panel it was ok I didnt have much sound, but much better.. after examining the 4x10" panel speakers I could se that they are seriously broken.

Those are marked "Pontiac AMR" and "10 ohm".

All 4x10" speakers I can find are 4 ohms, is this ok for the stereo ?


..Another problem is that i didnt have any blue light for highbeam, I disasembled again, clreaned the contacts and got the lamp to work, but its so weak, hardly possible to see in daylight, should it be like that ?

Today was another Fiero-day

I fixed thre sidemarkers finally, those have been a lot of troubles, first I couldnt remove them, then the connectors where in so bad shape I cutted them and crimped new ones, then the actual lampholders where extremly oxidized inside, so I had to take them apart and clean everything, I still couldnt get a secure connection so finnaly I soldered the calbes directly on the metal so i had contact.. Oh, did I mention that the bulbs where bad too..

Anyway, now all turnlights finally work, front, both on side (original front and the extra one mounted to get it roadlegal in sweden) and rear, and ofcourse, the indicators in the panel that gave me so much troubles..

I also finally got the hi-beam light to work good, I got ti to work ok before but now its very easy to see.

I also glued the rear view mirror inside the car, my dad had tried to glue this four times, with superglue and epoxy glue, never worked for more than a few days or weeks, nor I bought loctites special glue for mirrors and glued it up (after cleaning everything well), HOPE it work for more than weeks now..

Then I fixed the broken gaugelights, some on the main cluster and ofcourse the oilpressure meter.

I also fixed all the lights in the inner roof, both the ones you can turn on, and the ones that is door controlled, oxide was the problem here too.. and I had to glue two of the "lenses" because the tabs where broken. (Lucky for me dad had saved those, found them in the ashtrays)

Then I removed 1l oil from the engine (I accidentically overfilled it before), had to resort to do it from the oilplug, but it went fine..

Just for the sake of it I tried to start the engine, worked fine, except that the tempgauge got stucked in maximum, i googled it and found out about the pegging problem, gave it a hit and it was lose again.. maybe I should do the permanent fix..

Now the car is really close to passing the inspecition and finally be roadlegal for the first time in uh.. 11 years ? ..and that time my dad just moved it between two places..

However, I noted that my bulbtest doesnt work ? or.. what lamps is supposed to light up during the bulbtest right before start on the key ? ..the ONLY thing that happens here is that the tempgauge go to maximum.. no bulbs light up ?

Anyone know why ? ..I'm not sure if they test this on the inspection, I think they do on newer cars but not sure for a 1987..

The thing I am most afraid of that can fail me on the inspection actually is the brakes, the car have been standing still for so many years, most of the time outdoors.. however, to be able to fix the brakes I really need to have the car drivable, and right now its illegal to drive it, but if I do a inspection and it fails on a "not so important" part I can drive it one month while fixing it, so that is my plan if it wont pass.

If it pass I will fix a lot of other things, the paint ofcourse, the inner roof, I will buy a new thermostat and see if I can fix the "low temperature" problem,m and also trying to source the files for the original engine program so I can remove the chip.

I also bought some damasks for the links in the steering and suspension, not sure if they fit but I will try, all of them are dry and broken..

Anfd ofcourse, remove the f**king alarm, I hate it, it goes off randomly and the remotes are in very bad condition.. Unfortunatly it placed pretty badly.. so I wonder how much i have to remove to get it away.

Yes, the speakers too, really have to find 10 (or maybe 8) ohms speakers that fits..

Other than that I could fix the solenoid to the lock at the right door and the engine compartment..

[This message has been edited by Repulsiv (edited 05-26-2018).]

Glad you're still working on this. TFS has speakers, but have to be shipped from the US.

The service engine light should come on when you turn the key. It seems that there is another light on the left side that should come on. The ajar light shoild come on when you open a door. Not sure about the trunk.

No reason you can't fix the brakes before driving it.

Most 4x10" speakers I find is just 4ohms however, and those are the strange value of 10ohms.. I actually found slightly smaller speakers that was 8ohms at a hifi-dealer, pretty cheap too, maybe try those.

Brakes, well, yes I could disassemle, clean and put togethler, but I think I'll try to do the inspection first, I actually drowe the car a little before the winter and they work, but maybe not perfectly.. however they was working better for each time I braked, and the trust on the rotors disappeared.

Hope I dont have to buy new rotors, they are pretty expensive in sweden, so expensive it would be much cheaper to buy from rockauto and pay shipping+tax for them.

I wonder what the problem is with the warning lights, or well, I can guess.. oxide.. but where, I have to take a look at it.. again..

The "service enginge soon" light also was lit first time I started the engine, and never been lit after that..

Now I have booked a time for inspection, 4th of june ..I just have to fix a few things first, for example the number plate lights, I noted this problem a few days ago..

The 4 ohm speakers will work fine with the factory head unit, as long as your not turning it up to distortion levels.

Good work on the car! It is a labor of love!

Don’t paint the wing black!
It won’t look nice.

In holland we have companies that can make any color if they have an example.
Just take the spoiler of, take it to a painter and let him test the underside of the spoiler to get the right ral-code

Regarding the licenceplate lights, check the C500 connector ( right side engine compartment) to see if it is tight enough.
That did the trick on mine.

[This message has been edited by Erwin03 (edited 06-02-2018).]

Yes, im not completly happy about black, but getting the correct color seep to be pretty expensive, and to get it I have to take a part of the car to a dealer that can find out exactly what color it is.. ..or the whole car ofcoure.


Today I fixed the license playe light, it was oxide, as usual..

I also put things togethler that I had taken apart, and removed tools and stuff fromt he car, since I have a time for inspection (bilprovning) tomorrow.

Then I started the car and took a very short testdrive, mainly back and forward on my drievyard many times, but a short one on the road too ..just to see that everything seem to work.

So, I really hope everything works tomorrow.. and if it does not, I know what I have to fix! ..My main fear is that the car would break down on the way there, its about 30km there, anything can happen with a car that have been standing still for ~10 years..

Today was Besiktning-day



First of all, the car worked when I drove there, this is really the first time I have driven the car except my short testdrive before winter, and the 50m drive yesterday.

On the way there I noticed the brakes where pretty bad, but after a few times hard braking it started to be ok, I also noted vibration is the steering wheel, not extremlyn much but it feels like unbalanced wheels.. however, they was baklanced when I bought the tyres.. ..I also noticed that the suspension is VERY hard, but I guess that is as it should be since the car have koni dampers and other springs.

Another thing i noteced was that the car didnt "roll out" as it should, you know when you are going to stop and push the clutch and the car stop faster than it should, usally because some brakes is on.. so when i got there I felt all wheels if they whrere hot, and they where not.

Anyway, the guy doing the inspection was a really nice guy (not all of them are) that liked the car and also had a lot of knowledge about american cars, for exemple he knew how both the belts and the parking brake worked ..Th steering wheel lock he didnt know, so I had to show him.

The first thing he did was checking the headlights.. and what happened ? the right one REFUSED to go up ?? I have troed it many times and never had any problems.. but NOW it didnt ocourse ..he measured the left one and it was ok.. but the right one got a "not in function" remark. He also checked every other light and electronics, but everything worked (I have spent so much time on that..) and then checked the frame, suspension, steering and everything under the car, no problems, he said the frame looked rusty, but was in very good condition. (he asked if the car had been in a garage)

Then it was time for the brakes.. first he lifted the car and rolled the rear wheels, no problem.. then the front.. not very good, he had a very hard time turning them by hand ..then away to the brakeforce-tester, rear was perfect, front was perfect too (even and enough brakeforce), however the fact that the brakes where on all the time made it a failure.

Then it was the exhaust test.. he laughed a little and said that this car dont have much regulations to pass, the only thing he maesured was CO, ant it was 0.8, the limit is 3.5 he said "Well, its the same limit as old american cars with V8 and carburettors have, and you have a small engine and fuel injection.."

So I got two points to fix, the front brakes, and right popup light, anyone know what it can be ? ..if I open the hood it actually lift it up, but I can stop it easy with my hand, I cannot stop the left one.. any friction clutch ?

Then I drove home, and when I was close to home I felt the smell of hot brakes.. when I stopped the car the front wheels where so hot I couldnt touch them

I know my dad had a similar problem when he bought the car, then two shops couldnt fix it, finelly he found some "expert on american cars" that found the problem, back then the problem was the brake hoses, he swapped them and then it worked.. not sure if that is the case now, I will disassemble and clean the brakes first anyway.. If that doesnt work I continue to look for problems.. maybe the hoses..

The stiff caliper certainly could be an internally collapsed hose, and replacing them and the brake fluid after a long storage is a really good idea (I did it). One easy thing to try first is lubricating the two caliper slides with silicone brake grease. It might be that simple.

I was hoping for that it would just need a cleaning and lubrication, but everything moved fine, except the piston.. dunno if it is the piston or the hose right now.

About the headlights i GUESS this is what I need ?

http://rodneydickman.com/ca...h=32&products_id=231

The description is spot on, and it is about the 1987+ headlights, most info about fiero headlights repair seem to be the older version.

Gonna have to rebuild that headlight motor.

Just my $.02, but my life may depend on the brakes. I don't skimp on them.

Loosening the brake hose's banjo bolt a little, will quickly tell you if the hose is blocked (if the piston moves in easier). As tshark noted, even if the hose is okay it may still be wise to replace those older hoses and renew the calipers. Our older cars just need maintenance, you know ?..

That was what I tried to do with the bleeding nipple, however it was so hard to turn that it was inpossibe with a normal open / ring spanner, I had to resort to a socket wrench, and then i couldn't use a hose (in the nipple), so it wasnt so nice to get braking fluid all over.. (same as I would get if I lose the banjo ofcourse).

If this was one of my SAAB's I would just go to a store, ask for a couple of hoses, get them in my hand and pay a little amount of money, and then go home with hoses and replace them just to rule out that problem and also that its always good with new parts, especially when its rubber (that is aging).
However the Fiero is a uncommon car in sweden, and it seem like the usual places to buy carparts dont have those hoses (not very surprising), so I probably have to order them, probably from US.. That means it would take some time to get them.

Another potential problem is breaking the nipple when removing the brakehose from the brakeline, but I hope I can remove those without braking them. (If I do I have to replace the brakeline too..)

But I suspect that I need to rebuild the caliper, I got the feeling it was the piston that gpt stuck, however it didnt look rusty, even if I noticed that the rubber pårotection was broken, so that should also be replaced,. have to check where I can find rebuild kits..