Today, I stuffed the drivetrain back in the Fiero. The exhaust still isn't finished, because the new pipe hasn't arrived yet. But I should be able to finish the exhaust with the engine in the car. Here are a few photos of the drivetrain just before I re-installed it.







HERE WE GO!


hehe

While I had the drivetrain out, I also decided to make a few minor upgrades and tweaks. I already mentioned the oil cooler and newer oil pressure sender unit. But I also did the following:

• Retrofit a heated O₂ sensor -- I used a spare relay, wired in parallel with the fuel pump relay, to control the heating element in the new O₂ sensor. It's mounted on the firewall, next to the fuel pump and A/C relays. I do a lot of stop-n-go driving, and short hops. So hopefully this will improve my fuel economy.
  
  
• Relocate the C500 and power distribution block to the firewall -- Now, the wiring bundle going from the front of the engine to the C500 isn't hanging over the spinning pulleys. That always made me nervous.
  
  
• Install a vacuum solenoid for the charcoal canister -- My throttle body doesn't have ported vacuum, which is needed to operate the charcoal canister. Up until now, it was disconnected. But my 7730 ECM is able to control a solenoid-operated charcoal canister. So I bought a solenoid and hooked it up.
  
  
• Repaint the exhaust manifolds -- The POR20 paint did not last very long at all. I was really disappointed. So I cleaned off the rust, and the remnants of the POR20 paint, and sprayed on some DEI hi-temp silicone paint.
  
  
• Run wiring for an upshift light -- My Fiero originally had an automatic transmission, so it doesn't have any wiring for the upshift light. The electrical connector on the gauge cluster has some weird "wiper" style contacts on it. And I didn't have any spare pins for that. So for now, the wire for the upshift light is just hanging loose.
  
  
• Delete the trunk light -- That thing never worked, anyway. Every time I replaced it, the stupid thing broke almost immediately. So I ripped it out, and deleted the wiring. I'll add in a "trunk light" to the rear deck sometime in the future.
  
  
• Re-tape the engine wiring harness -- the tape was getting a little torn up in a few spots, so I just re-taped the whole thing. This time around, I used aluminized A/C ducting tape (rated for 270°F), covered with 2 layers of aluminum foil tape. If that can't take the heat, I don't know what will.
  

The rest of the exhaust pipe should be showing up tomorrow. So I should have the exhaust finished up pretty soon.

[This message has been edited by Blacktree (edited 09-01-2017).]

Sorry for the lack of updates, but I've been enjoying the car. I went to a car show last Saturday, and the CFF club meeting yesterday. Everything seems to be working fine. A few notes:

-- The oil cooler has increased engine oil capacity by about 0.5 quart.

-- I noticed that in slow traffic, or long stretches of sitting idle, the oil cooler fan will cycle on and off regularly. This was a bit of a surprise, since the fan is set to come on at 180°F. It makes me wonder just how hot the oil was getting previously. As a general rule, when the oil temperature goes above 190-200°F, engine life will decrease accordingly.

-- The 2.5" exhaust pipe has changed the exhaust sound a bit. It sounds a little more "authoritative", and a little louder. I'm glad I kept the catalyst. Because without it, I think the exhaust would have been too loud. Even now, I have to shut off the engine when ordering food-like substances from the drive-thru... or yell at the microphone.

As soon as the new clutch breaks in, I'm going drag racing. Only 300 miles to go...

Here's a quick shot of the engine bay:



If you're wondering where the oil cooler fan is, it's underneath the oil cooler, as a "pusher". I didn't want leaves and junk getting caught in the fan blades, and possibly damaging the oil cooler. With this setup, leaves are blown off the oil cooler harmlessly.

[This message has been edited by Blacktree (edited 08-24-2017).]

The oil cooler uses a sandwich adapter. The fan switch sticks out the side of one of the hose fittings. If you look closely, you can see it in this photo:



The sandwich adapter has thermostatic valve in it. It doesn't send oil to the cooler until the temperature goes above 160°F. So I don't have to worry about the engine running too cold in the winter... not that it's a real concern here in Florida.

[This message has been edited by Blacktree (edited 09-01-2017).]

[This message has been edited by Blacktree (edited 08-24-2017).]