I was so happy to get a chance to drive my 87 GT to another Mn Fieros forever event. . A shoulder injury meant two hand shifting to get it into 5th. This was my first drive of the season. I had worked on the car during the winter replacing the cooked valve guide seals on my 400 mile Dart 427. I cooked them last fall when the computer decided not to turn the fan on. I wasn't keeping a close eye on my gauges because a TPS had died at the fall Fiero car show. See a trend here? I just wanted to limp home and put in a new TPS.
We proudly pulled into the parking lot with all the other great looking Fieros of the club members. We did notice the smell of burning plastic ! I decided to look at all the cool cars and let mine cool down. Several of the members were smelling the car and had ideas of what it could be. I looked later and didn't see any damage to the harness or computer wiring. After a great lunch and then the judging we left to make out 20 mile ride home. I noticed my 140 amp alternator was having trouble making over 13 volts? The engine was running a little hotter than the normal 160 degrees but nothing to worry about. Well, we had to stop for every stop light on the way home. At one of the lights we heard the distinct sound of my serpentine belt shredding. We still had voltage and no excessive engine heat so I made a run for it. I got home and pulled into the garage. The car really stunk from burning plastic now! I let her cool down and then did some detective work. The 420K5 belt was now a 420K4 belt. The belt was glued to the pulleys. I had to cut what was left of the belt to try and pull it off. I had to use a screw driver to peal it off the pulleys.
Like everything on my car, good or bad, the serpentine belt drive is home made. My guess is not enough wrap on the crank pulley. I'm going to put a new belt on and drive it for short drives the rest of the summer. Next winter the motor comes out again for a redesign of the belt drive. This car has never ever made it to a MN fiero club event without some kind of failure. I hope to brake the curse next year!
A big thanks to 2.5 for making me realize I mixed up the vacuum lines from the throttle body to the vacuum advance. A bog thanks to GT Jeff for the nice pictures of my car he posted.
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woodys 427