I was wondering if an 84-86 headlight assembly would fit in my 87. I know the 87/88 motors are different but what about the rest of it?
I went on The Fiero Store to see about a headlight motor, drivers side, and it was 109$. My eyes bugged out, and the censors wont let me type what I had exclaimed. It's a Fiero, not a Ferarri!.
------------------ I have a 1987 Fiero, 4 cylinder 5 speed. With an 88 engine.
The headlight buckets are interchangeable, infact I don't think the part numbers changed at all. The wiring is incompatible however and running early motors in a later car would be taking a huge step backwards!
Fix the Gen 2 system, usually a 5 dollar set of bushings from Rodney Dickman does the trick and you will have pop-up headlights that will work well for another 25 years.
Firebird, maybe. Just fix what you've got. Once they're fixed (even the early generation), they'll be good for years (if not forever). If you just want something different, there are probably a dozen different (aftermarket) headlight set ups out there. Personally, I'm waiting to see Danyels 60mm setup.
84-86 use Generation 1 motors. 87 and 88 are Generation 2. The headlight mechanisms are the same throughout all years.
Daniel, your motors are rebuildable. Since your headlights are already up, so that you don't get your hand caught, turn on the headlights then plug up the single blue wire on each motor. With that done, you can begin diagnosis by the symptoms exhibited. Do the motors continue to run in the up position or down position? Do the lights go down when you turn them off? Does one work and the other not work?
80s Firebirds use the same motor as far as I know, but the mechanism is different. Possibly 80s C4 Corvette motors also, at least they looked the same on both of mine as Fieros. Diagnosing it though you may find the wiring and relays are the problem and not the motors.
I agree with most here, fix the existing Generation II motors. It will cost well under $20 to do so. Gen 1 motors were slower, noisy, and not as reliable. Gen II motors are much quicker and quieter, and a much better and more reliable design. If you are not capable / comftorable fixing them yourself, I am sure if you post a thread, that someone would do it for you for a small fee.
Keep in mind, even if you decide to go with custom 90mm buckets, or most anything else custom, you will still need working motors.
Yes, if your gears are bad and the motor keeps running, I offer a rebuild service. Rodney Dickman's gears are $35 per motor plus shipping. My labor charge is $30 per motor plus return shipping which is usually under $20 for 2 motors. So, let's say $80 for gears, $60 for rebuild and $20 for return shipping to you, for $160 you will have a pair of like-new motors. Workmanship guaranteed for 1 year.
But first, we need to determine the true cause of your problem. The motors need to be connected to all their wires and tell us what they do or don't do. It might be something as simple as a $15 relay.
80s Firebirds use the same motor as far as I know, but the mechanism is different. .
The 3rd gen firebird motors are the same as the 87-88 Fiero motors but they are the mirror image. A driver side Firebird motor fits on the passenger side Fiero and vice versa.
Firebird motors are usually easier to find since there were so many more of them made.
The vast majority of 87-88 Fiero motors just need the nylon plugs replaced. They cost about $5 for a set and take about 15 minutes to replace. I've done it so many times I could do it on the side of the road in the rain at night by flashlight in about 15 minutes.
[This message has been edited by jscott1 (edited 05-01-2015).]
