I've heard that the early ('84) Iron Dukes had oiling issues. That said, would it be worth the time and money to rebuild an '84 or get a later model? And what cars had an Iron Duke that would fit in a Fiero?
I haven't heard that one. Anyway, you can swap out 84-86 without rewiring, I believe. But 87 and up have DIS, which would require wiring (and computer) changes.
Out of any front wheel drive car that had a 2.5? Back to oiling, I read somewhere that that was what was causing the fires. The engine had a poor design causing it to pitch a rod.
Out of any front wheel drive car that had a 2.5? Back to oiling, I read somewhere that that was what was causing the fires. The engine had a poor design causing it to pitch a rod.
There is info online about which engines work in a fiero. I will have to look that up. (this may help: http://www.pontiacforum.com...owthread.php?t=27585 ) As for the '84, GM used a smaller oil pan and filter in the Fiero. Basically, you were running with 3 quarts of oil. Then, the rods themselves had issues (there was a recall of 2.5ls, and it was not specific to the Fiero). GM produced rods that were bad... and the Fiero got all the attention when a rod went through the block and dumped hot oil on the cat. converter.
Your car should have been recalled and changes made to the engine to remove these issues.
Thanks for information. I just picked this car up yesterday for $200. It has been setting since 2003. Someone removed 2 plugs and never replaced them so a rebuild is in order. It's not rusted out anywhere, no mice nests and it's all there. Even has speakers in the seats, and good glass. This car is an addition to my '85 with a hybrid 3.4. Does the upper link tell me if I have a recalled model?
[This message has been edited by raysr11 (edited 09-19-2013).]
Check the mileage on the car. If the engine is still the original, and the car has over 75,000 miles on it, it's not likely that the engine has bad rods, or any other parts. It would have blown by now. It's like my 88 duke. Some of them had bad balance shafts (a new addition for 88), which blew. But when I rebuilt my 88 duke at 200,000 miles, the balance shafts were still perfectly good, including the bearings. so I just put them back in. 20,000 miles since the rebuild, and still going. (If only I could find time to fix the clutch...)
oil cause to break rods? Maybe... GM likes to blame everything.
Old Duke had some weak rods and even weak blocks. What is not unique to Fiero either but Fiero had the catalyst very close to the engine. The catalyst plus spilled/leaked oil will cause a fire fast.
Get 84-86 duke w/ roller cam setup. Indy has roller cam I'm told but mostly 85-86 cars.
Roller cam setup get a bit more power and cam set last longer flat lifters. See my Cave, Quick Ref
------------------ Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should. (Jurassic Park)
Indy has roller cam I'm told but mostly 85-86 cars.
Do you have a replacement GM engine? GM replaced engines in various Fieros and other cars that used the 2.5 and was within the VIN range of bad engines. My uncle had his 2.5L replaced in his GM 4 door car (maybe a celebrity?). My 84 had a replacement GM engine.
oil cause to break rods? Maybe... GM likes to blame everything.
Old Duke had some weak rods and even weak blocks. What is not unique to Fiero either but Fiero had the catalyst very close to the engine. The catalyst plus spilled/leaked oil will cause a fire fast.
Get 84-86 duke w/ roller cam setup. Indy has roller cam I'm told but mostly 85-86 cars.
Roller cam setup get a bit more power and cam set last longer flat lifters. See my Cave, Quick Ref
Will the roller cam set up work in a non-roller cam block?
Originally posted by jaskispyder: Do you have a replacement GM engine? GM replaced engines in various Fieros and other cars that used the 2.5 and was within the VIN range of bad engines. My uncle had his 2.5L replaced in his GM 4 door car (maybe a celebrity?). My 84 had a replacement GM engine.
Some recall/warranty jobs had engine replace... yes, some/most/all had roller cam sets. Is very possible Indy and maybe other RPO codes call for roller cam dukes.
For those reasons you can't trust any data to order cam sets etc. That covered in cave link above. You need to check lifters and/or push rods. Roller lifters use "no-spin" parts that is obvious when "door" under intake is open and Rollers use short push rods.
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Originally posted by raysr11: Will the roller cam set up work in a non-roller cam block?
Factory? No. I told oil holes to lifters are moved. Aftermarket ask the makers.
I'm still wondering if the engine in the car I bought is a recall engine. From what I've read here the recall engine would be a far better engine to rebuild than the pre-recall. Better rods, cam etc. I was at a pick and pull today and there was an '86 Notch with a 2.5. The pcv set-up is different than mine as is the power brake vacuum line, and it looks different overall . There is no nomenclature on my car to indicate it has been recalled.
there are a number of reasons to use a Later block, the Oiling, The Rods, with a 86-87 block you get a roller cam. Just be careful, you CANNOT use just Any fwd duke, the motor Mount bosses "must be in the right places" (Found that out the hard way)