Oil pressure gauge, 1988 GT (Page 2/2)
eti engineer NOV 07, 10:40 PM

quote
Originally posted by Notorio:


ETI, just for Future Reference, there are several folks on here that have done the 3.4 pushrod swap in California and passed smog without any issues at all. If you look in my old post Ghost Mods you will see who they are.



Thanks for letting me know. When I had my 2.8 rebuilt, they installed larger valves and hardened seats and a mild cam. When I put the engine back together, I used all new parts to include injectors, etc. I bored the manifold ports out to get rid of their restrictive nature, as much as possible. I just got through the CA smog BS today with flying colors. So now, I can advance my timing back to where it was. I passed with the performance chip in the ECM, but with the timing at the stock 10 degrees BTDC. I can now kick it back to the 14 degrees I had before. I can already tell that the engine has more power than it did before. Once I get it broken in, it should be a lot of fun. Again, I appreciate the information in case I decide to do something in the future. But I am thinking that anything else I do from now on will be pre-smog. Tired of dealing with the psychotic state of CA!!!!

Thanks again...
Notorio NOV 07, 11:16 PM

quote
Originally posted by eti engineer:


Thanks for letting me know. When I had my 2.8 rebuilt, they installed larger valves and hardened seats and a mild cam. When I put the engine back together, I used all new parts to include injectors, etc. I bored the manifold ports out to get rid of their restrictive nature, as much as possible. I just got through the CA smog BS today with flying colors. So now, I can advance my timing back to where it was. I passed with the performance chip in the ECM, but with the timing at the stock 10 degrees BTDC. I can now kick it back to the 14 degrees I had before. I can already tell that the engine has more power than it did before. Once I get it broken in, it should be a lot of fun. Again, I appreciate the information in case I decide to do something in the future. But I am thinking that anything else I do from now on will be pre-smog. Tired of dealing with the psychotic state of CA!!!!

Thanks again...



This will be great data for fellow California sufferers, since now we know these mods pass: which valves? which cam? which ECM chip? Can you tell if you have a 30-year old Cat or a relatively new one?
eti engineer NOV 08, 09:26 AM

quote
Originally posted by Notorio:


This will be great data for fellow California sufferers, since now we know these mods pass: which valves? which cam? which ECM chip? Can you tell if you have a 30-year old Cat or a relatively new one?



I am not sure on the valves. I will have to check with the engine builder. The chip came from Hypertech, and the cam specs and part number are shown below. I did not specify what cam to put in the engine as I am not that knowledgeable. This was decided by the builder. He has been in the business for over 40 years and seems to know a lot about just about any engine there is. He guaranteed me that the car would pass smog with the mods he made and it did. The catalytic converter was new, as was the whole exhaust system beyond the manifolds. My specialty is large bore diesel engines for which I used to teach the teardown and rebuild. (See photo below of me standing next to one of the engines I used to teach about. It's an old EMD 567, 9072 c.i. turbo, 2-stroke engine). For you CA sufferers, just make sure that before you go in to get your car done, that your timing is as 10 degrees BTDC. This is the first thing they check. I knew this from the first time I went to get my car smogged, three years ago.
eti engineer NOV 08, 09:36 AM

quote
Originally posted by Notorio:


ETI, just for Future Reference, there are several folks on here that have done the 3.4 pushrod swap in California and passed smog without any issues at all. If you look in my old post Ghost Mods you will see who they are.



Did you use the cast iron heads? The engine I got was a '95, but the heads were aluminum and they required different intake and exhaust manifolds, completely, so the FIERO logo would not be there. I told the people who sent the engine to me, that I had specified that it have cast iron heads, but they got it wrong, twice. I had to get the Michigan BBB involved to get my money back. Kudos to them, too. They told me that they have had trouble with these guys (Accurate Engines) before and they went after them like a mother bear. They were great!!! Is the block on the 3.4 just a bored and stroked 2.8? Just curious...
olejoedad NOV 08, 11:12 AM
You might be pleasantly surprised by switching to a ECM from a 1985 V-6 Fiero.

The HyperTech chip is properly named - for the Fiero application it is all hype. The 85 ECM will offer a much better performance boost.

Search the Forum, there is plenty of good info on the advantages of the 85 vs HyperTech in a Fiero application.
olejoedad NOV 08, 03:48 PM
For clarification

3.4 is cast iron block and heads - will accept Fiero intake system

The 3.4 block has improved oiling system, and has slightly larger bore and stroke

3400 is aluminum block and heads - will not accept Fiero intake system

[This message has been edited by olejoedad (edited 11-08-2021).]

cvxjet NOV 08, 06:51 PM
Just to emphasize the 3.4 F-body engine swap situation in CA; You would have to crawl under the car to look at the sides of the block to even see the differences between it and the 2.8.....And the 3.4 block is actually a LEGAL swap in CA- GM did not build 2.8 or 3.1 replacement blocks- only 3.4L. GM had the 3.4 certified Smog Legal in CA.

I never had to have mine Certified, nor go to a referee station- just normal test station every other year- only didn't pass once because the CAT had died. It has passed TEN tests in 21 years.
eti engineer NOV 08, 07:42 PM

quote
Originally posted by olejoedad:

You might be pleasantly surprised by switching to a ECM from a 1985 V-6 Fiero.

The HyperTech chip is properly named - for the Fiero application it is all hype. The 85 ECM will offer a much better performance boost.

Search the Forum, there is plenty of good info on the advantages of the 85 vs HyperTech in a Fiero application.



Thanks for the information. Will the '88 still pass smog with the '85 ECM? I only bought the chip because it was one of the CARB legal things I could get away with in this psychotic state. The one I got for my '97 S-10 gave me all kinds of programming options. Not the one for the Fiero. As you say, it was probably all hype, but I do notice a difference when I put the old one back in.
olejoedad NOV 08, 09:10 PM
You may feel a "difference", but you will see a difference at the gas pump with the hypercrap chip.

Google is your friend on this question - the Fiero hyper chip vs 85 OEM is well documented.