still overheating and being weird (Page 9/16)
Yellow-88 JUL 23, 02:08 PM

quote
Originally posted by cartercarbaficionado:

I hate this formula. it stopped overheating with 0 explanation with 0 extra parts. I litterally went like an idiot "I wonder if it maybe it only overheats at speed and low rpm" and stuck my foot to the floor for a 45 minute drive and it didn't overheat once. did a massive 5 foot flame out the pipes so that's...concerning.. but drove it to work again since I had a slow day ahead and it was fine.
I did do the "proper bleed procedure" of opening the Heater and letting it circulate through the system before popping the thermostat and cap out to see how much the pump was pushing at 1100 rpm idle which wasn't alot? like barely an inch above the housing so maybe my autozone water pump just completely sucks and is spinning on its press fit shaft when there's a temp differential which is generally when it overheats. like only 60°f will cause this behavior but 90 won't anymore. I mean my s10 did a similar thing so it's entirely possible



What are you saying? 5 foot' flames out the pipes? Foot to the floor for 45 minuets? You removed the T-Stat cap with a (hot) engine?

So ... is this an "intermittent" cooling problem? And how long has it been going on?

Has anyone ever seen an intermittent cooling problem? ( Not just seasonal or unusual conditions.)

Your slipping pump shaft theory is backwards. Heat makes parts expand. The shaft and the impeller would get hot together and would get tighter.

Have you checked the radiator cap yet? All we know about it is that it's "... the crappy lever style ..."

If you really "hate" your 88 Formula, I'm sure there are lot of us who will gladly take it off your hands. Fireballs and all.
Yellow-88 JUL 23, 02:11 PM

quote
Originally posted by cartercarbaficionado:

I hate this formula. it stopped overheating with 0 explanation with 0 extra parts. I litterally went like an idiot "I wonder if it maybe it only overheats at speed and low rpm" and stuck my foot to the floor for a 45 minute drive and it didn't overheat once. did a massive 5 foot flame out the pipes so that's...concerning.. but drove it to work again since I had a slow day ahead and it was fine.
I did do the "proper bleed procedure" of opening the Heater and letting it circulate through the system before popping the thermostat and cap out to see how much the pump was pushing at 1100 rpm idle which wasn't alot? like barely an inch above the housing so maybe my autozone water pump just completely sucks and is spinning on its press fit shaft when there's a temp differential which is generally when it overheats. like only 60°f will cause this behavior but 90 won't anymore. I mean my s10 did a similar thing so it's entirely possible



What are you saying? 5 foot' flames out the pipes? Foot to the floor for 45 minuets? You removed the T-Stat cap with a (hot) engine?

So ... is this an "intermittent" cooling problem? And how long has it been going on?

Has anyone ever seen an intermittent cooling problem? ( Not just seasonal or unusual conditions.)

Your slipping pump shaft theory is backwards. Heat makes parts expand. The shaft and the impeller would get hot together and would get tighter.

Have you checked the radiator cap yet? All we know about it is that it's "... the crappy lever style ..."

If you really "hate" your 88 Formula, I'm sure there are lot of us who will gladly take it off your hands. Fireballs and all.
cartercarbaficionado JUL 23, 07:29 PM

quote
Originally posted by Yellow-88:


What are you saying? 5 foot' flames out the pipes? Foot to the floor for 45 minuets? You removed the T-Stat cap with a (hot) engine?

So ... is this an "intermittent" cooling problem? And how long has it been going on?

Has anyone ever seen an intermittent cooling problem? ( Not just seasonal or unusual conditions.)

Your slipping pump shaft theory is backwards. Heat makes parts expand. The shaft and the impeller would get hot together and would get tighter.

Have you checked the radiator cap yet? All we know about it is that it's "... the crappy lever style ..."

If you really "hate" your 88 Formula, I'm sure there are lot of us who will gladly take it off your hands. Fireballs and all.



mostly joking when I say I hate it. its a fast fun drive when it works
and yes I've checked every square inch of this cooling system now and have spent 300 dollars on parts and tests that tell me it should be working entirely fine and seems to be now but my gauge sure doesn't move anymore.
and yeah I removed the cap on a hot engine. you just vent the pressure at the radiator and use long tools to keep your face away from any openings incase it flash steams. you never had to replace a water pump or anything on the side of the road before?
yeah the backfires are huge and have been getting worse. thinking my 02 sensor is bad again but it still starts like garbage (cranks for 5 seconds and sputtering after 2) but I can actually drive it again and that 45 minute test drive was to a local mountain pass to thrash the car on since lots of cold glacier water and completely empty roads late at night mean a breakdown is not a huge deal
Yellow-88 JUL 23, 07:58 PM
Hi

OK, you're a serious hard core car guy alright. Yeah, I've done a good bit of side of the road work. I grew up with British Sports Cars.

I'm beginning to think your problem is more about those fireballs than the cooling system. And possibly always was.
How big and how often are they? Really. What are you doing when they happen? Detail. You need to link cause and effect on a time line.
cartercarbaficionado JUL 23, 08:12 PM

quote
Originally posted by Yellow-88:

Hi

OK, you're a serious hard core car guy alright. Yeah, I've done a good bit of side of the road work. I grew up with British Sports Cars.

I'm beginning to think your problem is more about those fireballs than the cooling system. And possibly always was.
How big and how often are they? Really. What are you doing when they happen? Detail. You need to link cause and effect on a time line.



since I got the car its always backfired upon decel. been getting more violent lately as the fuel economy tanks (the 5 foot long one is an outlier though. I was getting over 20 mpg at the time) so I couldn't tell you. I did get it to stop when I wrapped jbweld exhaust weld on my y pipe to manifold connections with the entire down pipe removed so I think it's the y pipe disintegrating. I finally got the coated one from the fiero store (back ordered for over 2 months) so everything but the manifolds are new now. not sure if I put the manifolds on the wrong sides though...also not sure if it makes a difference
I'm usually at 3k letting the engine do a majority of the braking like a semi mixing in the brakes as needed but if I'm flooring it (driving like a jackass) then I'm usually damn near 5k after a downshift heavily on the brakes getting them around 450 degrees during this time but never going much above 550
and yeah I gotta be hard-core no one thinks a 20 year old is capable of what i do, I own a 69 toronado that's getting a rwd swap and drove a 6 speed 2013 mustang gt350 3 states home after not driving a manual for 5 years and so far the best driving experience has been the 88 down a mountain pass chasing my time I did in a 95 gtp (120 mph 4 wheel drifts with no handbrake on that lq1 equipped fwd pile) so generally if I'm on the forum ive tried my best and couldn't find anything
Yellow-88 JUL 24, 02:43 PM

quote
Originally posted by cartercarbaficionado:


since I got the car its always backfired upon decel. been getting more violent lately as the fuel economy tanks (the 5 foot long one is an outlier though. I was getting over 20 mpg at the time) so I couldn't tell you. I did get it to stop when I wrapped jbweld exhaust weld on my y pipe to manifold connections with the entire down pipe removed so I think it's the y pipe disintegrating. I finally got the coated one from the fiero store (back ordered for over 2 months) so everything but the manifolds are new now. not sure if I put the manifolds on the wrong sides though...also not sure if it makes a difference
I'm usually at 3k letting the engine do a majority of the braking like a semi mixing in the brakes as needed but if I'm flooring it (driving like a jackass) then I'm usually damn near 5k after a downshift heavily on the brakes getting them around 450 degrees during this time but never going much above 550
and yeah I gotta be hard-core no one thinks a 20 year old is capable of what i do, I own a 69 toronado that's getting a rwd swap and drove a 6 speed 2013 mustang gt350 3 states home after not driving a manual for 5 years and so far the best driving experience has been the 88 down a mountain pass chasing my time I did in a 95 gtp (120 mph 4 wheel drifts with no handbrake on that lq1 equipped fwd pile) so generally if I'm on the forum ive tried my best and couldn't find anything



I tried what your talking about on two 2.8 Fiero's. What I get is that sweet rhythmic down shift sound. Really nice. No backfire or fireballs. There is a lot written on the subject and it seems to point to an exhaust leak being a common cause. Fuel management is another.

If you had to JB weld the manifolds to the Y pipe, then you did have a leak. The manifolds are different, you can't put them on wrong. As I understand it, you have a complete new exhaust system. Are you still backfiring? (Just for the record, in case anyone jumps on it, "backfire " is "back" through the intake.)

You have temp sensors on your brakes?

Yeah, you're a young hard core car guy. There are a lot of mistakes you haven't made yet. The big one is trying to do way more than you can. Young car guys think they can do do anything. Getting past that one early will benefit you big time.

So .... it the cooling system working?
cartercarbaficionado JUL 24, 11:50 PM

quote
Originally posted by Yellow-88:


I tried what your talking about on two 2.8 Fiero's. What I get is that sweet rhythmic down shift sound. Really nice. No backfire or fireballs. There is a lot written on the subject and it seems to point to an exhaust leak being a common cause. Fuel management is another.

If you had to JB weld the manifolds to the Y pipe, then you did have a leak. The manifolds are different, you can't put them on wrong. As I understand it, you have a complete new exhaust system. Are you still backfiring? (Just for the record, in case anyone jumps on it, "backfire " is "back" through the intake.)

You have temp sensors on your brakes?

Yeah, you're a young hard core car guy. There are a lot of mistakes you haven't made yet. The big one is trying to do way more than you can. Young car guys think they can do do anything. Getting past that one early will benefit you big time.

So .... it the cooling system working?


I figured it was a fuel system issue or something dumb but I'm still not 100 percent and trying to do things right on this formula is litterally 30x harder than just doing it my way. I'm unsure if the cold injector is causing issues at this point but I do know the y pipe flanges are a oval so they definitely weren't sealing. a fiero store y pipe has fixed that though. Definitely annoyed at them for telling me the full system I ordered would come with every bolt and peice of hardware and I was waiting extra time for that and all that showed up was 4 crappy exhaust clamps. like 1/4 inch bolts basically so I'm pretty annoyed that for 1k and 3 weeks of waiting I got litteral garbage that I had already replaced from oriellys exhaust section for 20 bucks.
I use a temp gun to verify the brake Temps to try my best not to get them over 600 degrees during spirited drives which makes the 4 speed v6 a massive advantage because the ratios are perfect for engine braking. haven't tested the back firing though. missing some y pipe hardware and I missed ace hardware today for time reasons
honestly not sure if it is or not because I'm still waiting on a new temp sensor from rock auto because turns out I ordered the right one and they sent me the one for the ecm instead.
already reached that point btw. that 99 f250 got a full top end rebuild in 3 days and I had to do it twice because the parts I got were faulty and jumped time. then after I fixed it I had to drive 500 miles and got to see the awesome power of a 5.4l almost stalling up hills because the computer is dying buuuut that's what ford made the 7.3l power stroke for so as soon as I find a cheap one (probably gonna pick up 4 or 5 for some various projects I have) I'll have a truck that can move 15k if I need it to. and yes stop it because it's getting massive brakes shoved on

[This message has been edited by cartercarbaficionado (edited 07-24-2024).]

Additivewalnut JUL 25, 03:10 PM
For what it's worth, I think you should probably replace your thermostat housing if what I'm reading is correct... I have one if you want it. I don't really know how else you'd be crushing stats unless the housing itself was FUBAR. Other than that, you need the air dam, it's incredibly important. I was chasing an intermittent overheat at speed for the longest time when I first got my car and it wasn't until I threw the dam back on that my temps were under control at highway speed. Around town and at lights, I'd turn my fan on using the AC button and that would fix the faulty fan switch, but on the highway (anywhere over 45mph) I was cooking regardless of whether the fan was on or not. If you're still losing coolant, I'd recommend maybe getting rid of the throttle body coolant lines and just looping the outlets on the therm housing with whatever rubber hose fits. I had what I thought was a bad head gasket if you look waaaaaaaaay back in my post history. Turns out my throttle body gasket was shot and was causing both high idle and coolant burn.

Also, I'm 22, my Fiero was my very first project car at 17. Since getting more experience and fully restoring an 84 El Camino and currently restoring a 67 Caprice, I've learned that whatever you know about cars basically has to go out the window because the Fiero is a stupid, stupid car. Very few things other than how an engine works apply to this car. It's better to heed the advice of the fellas here that have been in the **** with these cars for longer than either of us have been alive because while sometimes kinda mean about it, they're usually right. I wouldn't be racing my Fiero now if it weren't for them.

P.S. Stop loading the parts cannon, for the sake of your wallet.
Yellow-88 JUL 25, 04:10 PM
Hi

I find it entertaining to listen to "kids" talk about cars and I'm sure you'll get a kick looking back at yourself from the future.

Tell you what; design an entire car, even with a factory behind you, then talk about stupid design.
cartercarbaficionado JUL 25, 06:52 PM

quote
Originally posted by Additivewalnut:

For what it's worth, I think you should probably replace your thermostat housing if what I'm reading is correct... I have one if you want it. I don't really know how else you'd be crushing stats unless the housing itself was FUBAR. Other than that, you need the air dam, it's incredibly important. I was chasing an intermittent overheat at speed for the longest time when I first got my car and it wasn't until I threw the dam back on that my temps were under control at highway speed. Around town and at lights, I'd turn my fan on using the AC button and that would fix the faulty fan switch, but on the highway (anywhere over 45mph) I was cooking regardless of whether the fan was on or not. If you're still losing coolant, I'd recommend maybe getting rid of the throttle body coolant lines and just looping the outlets on the therm housing with whatever rubber hose fits. I had what I thought was a bad head gasket if you look waaaaaaaaay back in my post history. Turns out my throttle body gasket was shot and was causing both high idle and coolant burn.

Also, I'm 22, my Fiero was my very first project car at 17. Since getting more experience and fully restoring an 84 El Camino and currently restoring a 67 Caprice, I've learned that whatever you know about cars basically has to go out the window because the Fiero is a stupid, stupid car. Very few things other than how an engine works apply to this car. It's better to heed the advice of the fellas here that have been in the **** with these cars for longer than either of us have been alive because while sometimes kinda mean about it, they're usually right. I wouldn't be racing my Fiero now if it weren't for them.

P.S. Stop loading the parts cannon, for the sake of your wallet.


I need the entire air dam assembly for an aero front for an 88. I'm fairly sure it has a different mounting to the front subframe but I might be wrong. would love to have the air dam though. Still trying to find a coupe front for it for reasons
it has only crushed the 2 autozone thermostats but every other one has been completely fine so I'm guessing the strap was way way too thin and didmt get fully seated In the seal groove.
also it did stop overheating and consuming coolant so I'm putting my autozone pump and rest of the cooling system gaskets on the suspect list for the intermittent issue