I'm thinking of getting a power pulley. Why not if it's truely good for 5-6% rwhp? Has anyone dynoed the pulley? I know there's a potential for overheating and not making enough alternator output to keep the battery charged but, is it a real concern? Horse power cost money, and if a power pulley will still run the pump and alternator without any problems and give you 6 to 8 more horses, it's quite a value.

Bump.
Of those of you running a power pulley, what are your opinions? Has anyone tried one and removed it?

I have it, however, I did not add it to an existing setup so I cannot tell you are difference you can measure. I do know that you need a stronger alternator around town, however, with a 95 amp alternator I have had no charging problems at all. Less rotating mass will deliver more usable hp however, if you are on a limited budget, there are other less expensive things to do first.

I am not unhappy with my purchase.

Arn

I'm not on a limited budget and have done all the "free" mods. Ported heads, ported and gasket matched intake and exhaust manifolds, cleaned out Y pipe joint, etc. But, if time is money, a power pulley is cheap horse power IF your battery doesn't go dead or your engine overheat. Also if you have to put in a bigger alternator, with it's increase in hp requirement to run it, you would be giving back some of the hp gains you've just made.

Actually, a higher amp alternator does not require more pressure to turn the pulley. The difference has to do with the winds on the arbour and the non-moving parts. However, you do want more low rpm amperage available when you use the power pulley. I would say, after what I was able to research, that a 4-5 hp return is most likely. If you have A/C you'll want the C130 alternator. I don't have air so the 95 amp works well. To give you an idea, at 600 rpm idle, I am getting about 12.5-13 reading on my voltage meter. When the idle goes up to 800 rpm (my actual idle), it reads over 14. That is good. At night with the lights on, it will drop down to about 13 at idle. Hope this helps.

Good luck on the build.

Arn

Bump
There must be more than one person using a power pulley.

You could ask Eclipse
https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum2/HTML/075417.html

I have used the power pulley. You will definitely notice the difference. I drove my stock 87 Fiero for a few years, put the power pulley on and accidently over reved the engine. It does free up the engine. However, I drove mostly durring the summer months, daylight hours, and so was not using the headlights that much. You will notice the volt gauge at a lower reading. This is espeically true if you are running many accessories in the car, such as again the headlight, radiator fan, radio, blower, windshield wipers. Sometime we forget how many demands we place on the charging system. So if you are one of those people that likes turn everything on, then you may have some problems. And, all this can be compounded if you are sitting in traffic.

I just finished building a turbo unit for my rebuild 3.2 engine and I initially had my power pulley on. I removed it because of charging issues, and also cooling. The water pump does turn slower and so if you are sitting in traffic in 90 degree heat, you could have a problem on that front.

The power pulley is nice for some select driving, spirited driving, autocross, or dragging, but for everyday driving you sacrifice something for something that you would only really take advantage of in the above mentioned driving conditions.

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87 Fiero GT (3.2 Turbo)
E-mail: david88@peoplepc.com
www.angelfire.com/pa5/davidfiero/

The puller definetly adds a little "zip". You will accelerate a little faster and the revs will go a little faster. It does put alittle draw on your electrical system IF you have subs, which I do. At idle it is cool, but when I crank the sub it can make the headlights blink...barely. When I ride with just the cd player and not the sub I see no draw on my electrical system. Just make sure your alternator is new or close to it and your battery as well because my alternator took a crap soon after I put it on...well maybe not soon but like 4 months later...was it the shitty battery,maybe.....was it the original alternator,most likely.....was it the pulley,maybe.....did I replace the alt and batt,hell yeah.....haver I had the problem since, hell no.

Do I suggest buying it, yes and no.....for the price the fierostore wants, hell no...for much less, hell yes. (just my opinion on the pricing)

[This message has been edited by goatnipples2002 (edited 07-30-2006).]

I have one on my silver GT... Personally, I have yet to see any differences, other than when I get stuck in traffic the car will heat up a lot faster now. This causes me to manually activate the cooling fan, which keeps the temp. under control, but overtaxes the charging system, since I'm at idle. I did notice far more difference from the ported manifolds, and changing the timing, but I believe the "power" pulley, was a waste of time and money.

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Nic



Beware the toes you step on today, for they may be attached to the ass you must kiss tomorrow.

Thanks for everyone's replies. I've had my 87 GT for about 17 years and have known about the power pulley for good number of those, but have always been aprehensive about installing one. Now I've decided to quit wondering about one as I don't think it would be good for a dailey driver.

I have the power pulley on my '86 GT. I have been happy with it. I pretty much second everything that everyone else says. I noticed a slight decrese in voltage on my guage, but also a noticeable difference in the acceleration and throttle response of the car. I recommend Rodney's idler pulley kit with it. Actually, although somewhat off topic, I recommend the idler pulley with or without the power pulley. Anyway, my car is a daily driver, and I have not had any problems with the power pulley.

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Joe
'88 Fiero GT
'86 Fiero GT
'89 Firebird
'72 GTO
'65 GTO

Thanks 3800Superfast for passing my name in here...

I wish I had some words to offer, but My engine hasn't been in the car yet. I received my 2.8 with the power power pulley installed already, and it will be replacing my 2.5. I really can't say how it would compare to a stock 2.8.

You can see it here...

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Jay Brintnell
Southern Ontario Fiero Association
Yellow 85 Notchback(A.K.A. GodFearN)

I might as well jump in too. I got one for my 88 GT. Now you will not be blown away by the difference, but once I did the power pulley, rodney intake alternative (my way) I did feel a difference.
You will see the engine wind up quicker and notice a little more pull. Granted it is not like having a 3800 SC it will make a difference. I am happy with mine, I ahve had no side effects such as charging problems and I drive it daily. Overheating has also not been a issue and trust me if it will overheat it will be here in florida.

Good Luck and go for it.
Alex

Now, with these later replies, I'm reconsidering. I guess if I have any problems with the pulley on my 87 GT, I could put it on my 85 GT trike which doesn't have near the load of the 87.