I have always known that fiero's have been known for there fire problems. I wanted to know what was the problem that caused the fires?
Was it a faulty design? Was it crappy parts?

Ive had my 84 duke for quite some time, and haven't had any problems. I would like to keep it that way by maybe fixing or keeping an eye on certain parts.
thanks

From what I have heard is that the earlier Fieros had a faulty oil pan that held one less quart of oil like 3 instead of 4qts so people would go w/o checking or changing the oil so the engine components would dry out from lack of oil and lubrication thus pistons and rods would go shooting out the block spilling whatever oil was left onto the hot exhaust manifold and all over the engine causing the engines to ignite in a blaze of hell!

Also there were some faulty wiring done by GM.

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Led Zeppelin and Fieros go well together.

The 84's were the only ones that really had a problem. It was because of GM's use of substandard pushrods combined with the 84's just over 3 quart oil supply. When the lazy owners would let the cars run low on oil some of the pushrods would break and put a nice whole in the block that would leak out onto an un-shielded exhaust manifold. The oil would ignite and start a fire. To top it off the 84's have the center vent in the decklid that is made out of magnesium. Once that starts on fire there is no way to stop it. They use magnesium for under water welding for pete's sake.

Don't worry about it though. Almost every fiero got the parts fixed in the major recall in 87. All of the other years are better cars but I for one will never give up my 84's for anything. They still are a ton of fun to drive.

Welcome to the forum!

BrianLamberts - You got that recall info handy again?

I think the worst part on a Fiero was crappy owners that did not take care of their car. If you haven't had any issues, it sounds like you are taking care of your car. Heck, a Yugo would get 100,000 miles if you took car of it. Well maybe I'm stretching the truth a little bit LOL.

Jim.

Engine bay wiring harness on 84's was too close to exhaust manifold. The engine was thought to have needed an extra quart so they changed dipstick and added some under hood service sticker to reflect the proper fluids. Manifolds got heat sheilds and on V6 engines they removed the back valve cover blowby tube to the air cleaner and removed the rear decklid gasket to reduce heat?

Fires were mostly caused by owner abuse and lack of maintenence. Over reving a 4 bander in a hard sweeping turn will starve one side for oil and send parts flying also a bunch of leaves and pine needles on top of the engine vents and at back make great kindling on a hot exhaust manifold.

About every Fiero got the campaign done to correct the problems but by then the damage was done in 1988 the public was gun shy of the car and that was it by March of 88.

Chrysler had more fires on the mini vans than Pontiac did with the Fiero but Fieros do burn better than anything else.

quote Originally posted by Fieroseverywhere: To top it off the 84's have the center vent in the decklid that is made out of magnesium. Once that starts on fire there is no way to stop it. They use magnesium for under water welding for pete's sake. Don't worry about it though. Almost every fiero got the parts fixed in the major recall in 87. All of the other years are better cars but I for one will never give up my 84's for anything. They still are a ton of fun to drive. Welcome to the forum!

I didnt know that about the deck lid. Its kinda cool yet wierd when i can turn around in my seat and see the top of the motor throught the vents on the decklid lol.
But ive been taking care of my fiero. I will make sure the oil is always up there, and watch for any wires or pine needles on the exhaust manifold.

thanks guys =D

Add to the problem of the faulty rods, the Fiero was impressed upon the public as a sports car, while outfitted with a light pick-up engine. The long throw four cylinder doesn't take well to high revs, which is what many owners who wanted it to be a sports car would do to it. I did the same thing with mine, to go anywhere fast you have to rev it.

So low oil levels, faulty rods, poor maintenance, and sports car oriented marketing. Since it hasn't burned up yet, you probably don't have to worry about those problems.

The things you do need to be careful of are age-related problems and maintenance. Inspect the hard fuel lines all the way from the tank to the engine, same with the rubber lines that connect the tank to the hardlines. Check and ensure your wiring harness is properly secured and out of the way of the exhaust system. Check your valve cover gasket, they can leak and leave puddles of oil puddling between exhaust manifold bolts. Never let the oil get below the low mark on the stick.

I think the problem with maintenance on the Fiero's is simply many people can't get past the engine is in the rear. For people not mechanically inclined this can easily throw off whatever they may know about cars. All the same parts are there, just in different locations. Some people don't even know the Fiero's engine is in the back, and know only that they catch fire.

If you've owned the car for a while and have gotten to know it and pay attention to it, I doubt you will have such problems.

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And/or add side vents from an 85 where the solid ones are located + wrap the exhaust where you can reach it with Thermo-Tec, reduce heat in the engine compartment. Have had my '84 SE for 10 years and it is a happy camper. But as mentioned above, well taken care of.

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[This message has been edited by Bruno Mid Engine (edited 06-21-2007).]

Duke_On_Fire welcome, maybe ill see you aroun.

heres the link to the famous "fire plate" and booklet that I posted awhile ago. Pontiac actually thought this was a good thing.... to put this on the dash of the Fiero...

https://www.fiero.nl/forum/A...060811-1-038264.html



john

wow, if you were tryin to sell your fiero with that on the dash to someone new to fieros, im pretty sure they would be hesitant about buying it. lol

and mtownfiero, maybe you will =]

quote Originally posted by Duke_On_Fire: wow, if you were tryin to sell your fiero with that on the dash to someone new to fieros, im pretty sure they would be hesitant about buying it. lol and mtownfiero, maybe you will =]

I don't know about you but I would sure be impressed with that Fiero, if that sticker was still on the dash the car would be mint.

I've had 2 fires. One was caused by poor routing of the positive battery wire to the starter solenoid by the person who sold it to me and the 2nd was caused by me not tightening the fuel line between the filter and TB after my engine swap. I always carry a fire extinguisher with me and that's why I am still driving the same fiero.

I always check the oil level before I start it up to go somewhere.

[This message has been edited by William Federle (edited 06-22-2007).]

Check the condition of the rubber hoses that connect the fuel filler pipe and vent tube to the gas tank. Under car at the back end of the fuel tank.
Please inspect these hoses as soon as you can.

Don't forget, a bunch of 84 fieros got new engines also. GM also replaced 2.5s in other model cars, so the problem wasn't just the Fiero. BUT since this was the first year for the car, the press was all over it. And the burning panels made for a nice fire.

If your fiero is still on the road, just keep up with keeping it clean and maintained. Should be ok.

J.

WOW! 1%? That's HUGE!