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| 2.5 Iron Duke / Tech-4 - Rebuild Kit or Long Block? (Page 4/4) |
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Raydar
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MAY 25, 12:06 PM
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| quote | Originally posted by 82-T/A [At Work]:
Hey guys... I'm resurrecting this thread because I'm quickly getting to the point where this will become something I want to address sooner.
So, my daughter ran a compression test on the engine last weekend, and essentially, from drivers side to passenger side, the compression was as such:
160 / 60 / 110 / 90
Cyl 1 (whatever it actually is... #4 I think?) had FANTASTIC compression. Second cyl was just attrocious, third was barely adequate, and the last one was also quite bad.
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Just a bit of anecdotal info.
Although my Duke seemed to run fine, with no smoke, I ran a compression test on it, since it was a complete "unknown" to me.
(Other than that it had leaked like a sieve when I first got it. Leaked so badly, I called it the "Fiero Valdez".)
A few gaskets and a new timing cover took care of most of that. (The rear main seal still leaks a bit, but it's getting swapped anyway, so no worries.)
The compression test showed 145-150, cold, on all cylinders. Odd thing is, it still doesn't have enough compression to hold it on more than a moderate hill. The parking brake is a necessity. 155K on the odo.
Edit - When you ran the compression test, did you do it with the throttle propped wide open? Also, did you let it hit the same number of strokes on each cylinder?
I usually let it hit 3-4 strokes, or until it stops climbing.
I figure you're probably way ahead of me, but it's worth mentioning.[This message has been edited by Raydar (edited 05-25-2023).]
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82-T/A [At Work]
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MAY 25, 02:05 PM
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| quote | Originally posted by Raydar:
Just a bit of anecdotal info.
Although my Duke seemed to run fine, with no smoke, I ran a compression test on it, since it was a complete "unknown" to me.
(Other than that it had leaked like a sieve when I first got it. Leaked so badly, I called it the "Fiero Valdez".)
A few gaskets and a new timing cover took care of most of that. (The rear main seal still leaks a bit, but it's getting swapped anyway, so no worries.)
The compression test showed 145-150, cold, on all cylinders. Odd thing is, it still doesn't have enough compression to hold it on more than a moderate hill. The parking brake is a necessity. 155K on the odo.
Edit - When you ran the compression test, did you do it with the throttle propped wide open? Also, did you let it hit the same number of strokes on each cylinder?
I usually let it hit 3-4 strokes, or until it stops climbing.
I figure you're probably way ahead of me, but it's worth mentioning.
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"...did you do it with the throttle propped wide open?"
No... throttle was completely closed, but the first one I checked hat a PSI of 160 cold.
"Also, did you let it hit the same number of strokes on each cylinder?"
This I did... for the ones that were low, I actually let it go longer.
Thanks!
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82-T/A [At Work]
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MAY 26, 03:46 PM
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| quote | Originally posted by theogre:
Is likely doesn't need a rebuild but will need Timing Gears.
Duke Fiber Timing Gear Does wears out. Way faster if has problems w/ Distributor and/or oil pump that runs off the cam.
85 Should be Roller Cam. https://web.archive.org/web...cast.net/~fierocave/ duke quick ref
Very Likely You're Not going to find a Roller Cam in OE or aftermarket grind off the shelf. Maybe hard to find a total custom unless paying $$$$$.
No-one stocks motors for most 25-30+ year old cars. Only "Popular" units like maybe Ford 302 V8 used by Millions of cars.
Can Find Rebuild Kits but many don't have the best parts in them like Felpro Valve Cover Gasket Kit w/ Silicone gasket and extra hardware to stop leak there. Or Felpro Intake Casket prevent leak that #4 cylinder sucking coolant. |
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Wanted to mention it, because it just came in the mail. You suggested that I get the Felpro gasket set (basically, the head gasket set that comes with all the other stuff included). Well, I forgot to mention it, but these were the kits that I used to get whenever I'd do any work on my cars... and I don't know if Felpro isn't making them anymore, or just this specifically... but I bought the very last Felrpo Iron Duke (85-86) head gasket set they had for the Fiero. It was on Close-Out, and was actually a little bit cheaper than one of the other ones, but I specifically got it because I know it's better quality. It's shocking to me how all these things, all these parts that I used to take for granted, are no longer offered.
I keep e-mailing Matt at the Fiero Store if he has "x" product that I know they used to sell. He's been totally nice about it, but I'm sure he's probably getting a little annoyed at having to say, "sorry, we don't offer that anymore." It really makes me realize that if there are parts I need / want, I better get them now.
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pmbrunelle
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MAY 27, 09:35 AM
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| quote | Originally posted by 82-T/A [At Work]:
I keep e-mailing Matt at the Fiero Store if he has "x" product that I know they used to sell. He's been totally nice about it, but I'm sure he's probably getting a little annoyed at having to say, "sorry, we don't offer that anymore." It really makes me realize that if there are parts I need / want, I better get them now. |
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Does Fiero Store sell things that are not listed on the website?
Are there items for which it is better to ask directly than to check the website?
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82-T/A [At Work]
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MAY 27, 10:29 AM
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| quote | Originally posted by pmbrunelle:
Does Fiero Store sell things that are not listed on the website?
Are there items for which it is better to ask directly than to check the website? |
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Matt does have some things that are not on his website, but it's usually very random things... like, something that might have been returned, or there isn't a matching pair. For example, I asked him if he had a set of the cross-drilled rotors for the front of the car. I always saw a lot of brake fade on my old Fiero, and while I don't expect my daughter to have that problem, literally changing out the rotors to cross-drilled totally solved my brake fade issues. He only had one... left side. :/ So unfortunately, not helpful, but he does have a few things, generally though, 90% of the time it's a big no... haha...
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82-T/A [At Work]
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MAY 29, 07:50 PM
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YAY... we got down a little ways, and my daughter removed the lifter galley plate... and what do we see... roller lifters!!!
So, pretty excited about that. I really think the roller lifters makes a huge difference in the longevity of the cam, ease with setting valve lash, and to some degree... quieting down the engine. So pretty happy to see this.
Also, as we were going through it, we saw this...
Now... I've had a couple of 4 cyl Fieros. I had an 84 2m4 SE, and an 85 2m4 back in the day... for the life of me, I cannot remember the tach filter being grounded / installed by means of sandwiching the bracket between the transmission and the engine block... madness... haha...
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82-T/A [At Work]
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MAY 29, 07:52 PM
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Also... the engine was totally filthy... I mean, almost unlike anything I've ever seen. Only once or twice in my days have I seen an engine so coated in engine oil all over the place, that it looked like this. Totally unbelievable.
When I dumped the coolant by the way, it felt relatively empty. I have to question now at this point if maybe there's a blown head gasket. Oil is not milky, so ideally it's a blown headgasket and not a cracked head. But I'll know more when we remove the cyl head.
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sleek fiero
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MAY 29, 08:15 PM
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82-T/A yes pretty dirty. I don't know if you got my pm but I would strip and basic clean .Take to machine shop for measuring .they know if crank and rods are good and will tell you if its still in spec. Plus you don't have the equipment to properly grind valves and seats or change out guides. You and your daughter should concentrate on the reassembly. sleek
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theogre
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MAY 29, 11:58 PM
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| quote | Originally posted by 82-T/A [At Work]:
So, pretty excited about that. I really think the roller lifters makes a huge difference in the longevity of the cam, ease with setting valve lash, and to some degree... quieting down the engine. So pretty happy to see this. |
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Helps w/ longevity and power because rollers allow better cam profile.
Does Not do those others because Duke Valves are Not Adjustable.
Even New Lifters does Not reduce valve noise much.
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82-T/A [At Work]
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MAY 30, 10:36 AM
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| quote | Originally posted by sleek fiero:
82-T/A yes pretty dirty. I don't know if you got my pm but I would strip and basic clean .Take to machine shop for measuring .they know if crank and rods are good and will tell you if its still in spec. Plus you don't have the equipment to properly grind valves and seats or change out guides. You and your daughter should concentrate on the reassembly. sleek |
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Hey Sleek, thanks! Yeah, I agree... we dug some more into the engine yesterday (removed the intake, and all the stuff on that side of the engine. Because there was almost no coolant in it, and because I remember seeing some steam from the exhaust... my thought is that there's a head gasket leak, among other things. The bottom-end looks solid, but I honestly won't know until I get the head off.
What I will probably do is pressure-wash the **** out of the engine once it's out. I may not send the block in to the machine shop. The engine was pretty solid, and I don't want them to remove the cam bearings or anything else. I'm confident enough that the bottom-end is solid that I'm just going to rebuild that portion with my daughter, and clean it at home. Hopefully, the wear on the cyl walls isn't that significant, but I'll know once I get the head off, and it may change depending on.
For the cyl head, I'm definitely going to have to send the cyl head out. I'll probably still disassemble and lap the valves with my daughter, just so she has that experience. But I'm going to get it magnafluxed and checked. I'm expecting to see a blown head gasket and badly worn valves.
| quote | Originally posted by theogre:
Helps w/ longevity and power because rollers allow better cam profile.
Does Not do those others because Duke Valves are Not Adjustable.
Even New Lifters does Not reduce valve noise much. |
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I would simply say that my experience with the roller lifters (from this engine), compared to the other two dukes I've had... the engine "sound" from the exhaust seems to basically be the same, but I don't hear any "clatter," which is nice. With the other 85 I had (that had flat-tappets), and the 84 that I used to have... both had much more clatter... sounded like an old Ford tractor. The difference is subtle... but the roller-cam engine just sounds smoother, both inside and outside.
What I'm interested in finding though, is if there's a slightly hotter cam available? I haven't seen one anywhere?
Any thoughts on timing gears? I'm going to order new timing gears, so curious what you guys think.[This message has been edited by 82-T/A [At Work] (edited 05-30-2023).]
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