Need some Fiero info

Hey all,
There is one down here for $800 OBO. Body needs some love (just paint chipping, I didnt get a GOOD look for rust or big dents....). '86 v6 manual fiero GT.

Just wondering the things I need to look for. I know the basics...oil changes, frame, rust....just wondering if anyone knows of tranny things I should look for or motor noises.

The interior is a bit ripped up too (seats). Not sure of mileage...no one was around to talk to.

[2003GaGt1]

I always like to look for funny motor noises

yeah but im asking what specificly

[jake3217]

It has the 2800 I assume?

[2003GaGt1]

I have always wanted an 88 Fiero GT to play with.

[Ant]

they spontaneously combust.

[onesexyga]

Originally Posted by Ant

they spontaneously combust.

Wow, self generated combustion, thats some trick. I always thought it was an engine problem.

[SC/T02]

Originally Posted by Ant

they spontaneously combust.

The 1984 had a problem with 27 Fiero's catching fire which was ironic because it was the flame retardant material that was too close to the exhaust manifold which caused them to do so.

Fiero's are fun little go-kart. I had a 3.8L GTP motor dropped into one of the two that I have owned.

Fiero will not rust on panels since it is not made of metal. It is hard to find a rusted frame even on a Fiero since most came with a protective undercoating. Steering it a little tough at a standstill because the cars had not power steering. If it is hard to turn in motion that is a pinion issue that the cars sometimes had. Feel the clutch, how far down do you have to press to disengage the gear? Slave cylinders went bad on some late 85 early 86 GT's.

Check all power windows rear defrost and so on if it is optioned. Almost all GT's came with pwr mirrors and windows and most came with pwr trunk release. Check the gauges above the air vents see if the volt gauge is accurate (or even working) along with the temp gauge. If it has a sunroof look for the mounting brackets under the hood so you can pop it out and store it. Check for leaks around the trunk stowage area. check coolant as a vast majority had heater core problems 10-15 years down the road. .

All Fiero's came with 4-wheel disks. If the car has on OLD set they might freeze up if the car has sat for any period of time (back brakes). Exhaust leaks are about the most common problem on those cars. Along with the pop up headlights going out so you have the car winking at you. Engine sounds like any engine. The 2.8L v-6 had some small valve ticking but was not a problem on the engine.

I got my second Fiero to have fun. It was a 2.5L iron Duke that I got for $250.00 which for the price was in great shape. It was going to be a project but I decided against it at the time (getting ready to move). That stock engine had 218,000 miles with nothing fixed. Original Tranny and so on. I know that guy I sold it to who offered me $750.00 for it and it now has over 250K on the original engine. They can be fun cars and are a blast to drive. Good luck with this one.

[iceman]

While we are on the subject.. I can pick up an '84 s/e with a bad water pump for 500 bucks. deal or no?? 67k miles.

[White00GAGT]

My friends had 3 of these a 84 SE a 88 SE and now a 84 Indy pace car edition. We never see the kid cause he's always like "i have to change ___ on my car today" At least with his cars something goes wrong every damn day. If you're planning as having it for a fun car it's ok but personally i hate the little things. Oh and if u ever have to change the starter have fun

Originally Posted by White00GAGT

My friends had 3 of these a 84 SE a 88 SE and now a 84 Indy pace car edition. We never see the kid cause he's always like "i have to change ___ on my car today" At least with his cars something goes wrong every damn day. If you're planning as having it for a fun car it's ok but personally i hate the little things. Oh and if u ever have to change the starter have fun

well Im mechanically inclined....i can fix stuff....im sure the starter isnt fun to get to since its probably jam packed in there.

SC/T02 thanx for the info...that was the kinda stuff I was looking for. Now did these things have any kind of break swaps you could do to them? Im thinking if we threw in a 3.8 s/c motor (or even if it wasnt s/c), built up the tranny (not sure how tough the 5 speed of that era was, or what model tranny it has) a bit, and then do a brake upgrade, that would pretty much fix everything except for the other stuff...the essentials would work at least

[SC/T02]

Originally Posted by iceman

While we are on the subject.. I can pick up an '84 s/e with a bad water pump for 500 bucks. deal or no?? 67k miles.

Seth, that is not a bad price for a 21 year old car with only 67,000 miles. the 2.5L Iron Duke is what all 1984's came with and they are hard to bust. Yes parts do go out after 15+ years on a car but are they a blast to drive or what. $500 is not a huge investment as you can sell all the parts from it and double your money...

White00GAGT sounds like your friend does not really know how to pick them. Almost all fiero owners have no problems with there cars, and the ones that do, just drop a new motor in it and go.


Hexx I am glad I could help you with what you wanted to know. You will get to know companies like Mr. Mikes and such if you get a Fiero. Have you ever looked at just aftermarket parts for the car? You can bore and stroke a 2.8L to a 3.1 w/o a problem. the 3.8L GTP motor I got from a junkyard. I got it with 23,5xx miles on it for $300.00 since I know the owner well at the yard. That also came with the PCM and all the wire I wanted. I got the tranny to hook up to it out of an Isuzu Rodeo with the revers Transverse mounting. Rotex I thik is where i got my 10" brake kit from. It has been a while but you could easily get away with a good set of the stock brakes drilled/slotted on that car since it was a light car to stop. Those engine conversions are not cheap. I ran a 185 stock wide tire up front and a 245 back tire on that car and I pulled an 11.7 with just the GTP motor and me. (it had a 3.4 underdrive SC pulley, TOG headers and a few other goodies) but that car would pull like a bitch1.9 60' The cars have so much potential and it is such a cheap starting point (picking a ride up for under $1,000). If you need to know anything, or have other questions, just let me know.

[iceman]

SCT/02, what did the 84 have a 4 speed or 5 speed?? I know it's manual that's all.

[SC/T02]

Hey Seth, the 84 was a fun year for the Fiero. Some were made with 3 speed autos, some had 4-speed autos. others had the 4-speed maunal as found on some of the indy pace cars. The best Tranny you could get was the Getreg 5 speed that year and well all years for that matter. very strong Tranny that holds up well under power stress and so on. so it could eb a 4 or 5 speed manual.

[iceman]

Guess I'll go find out thanks dude.

[RAZE]

Buy it and make a ferrari out of it!!!!!!

[iceman]

Queerest idea, ever.

[RAZE]

Actually, second queerest idea ever. 1st would be a civilian putting a police siren in an Acura TL.

[iceman]

True that.

[White00GAGT]

SC/T02 yeah his fiero's are the only ones i hear of major things goin wrong. They're fun if u work on them i just meant i wouldn't buy one and leave it alone. The one he has now is a dog he took it to the track a couple times and it pulls 18.mid in the 1/4 and that's with the weird 4 speed. While we're on the subject the guy before him put on 2 dual barrel carbs on the thing, i seem to think this would be drowning the engine, but he seems to think they just need cleaning and then it will pull 14's??? Anyone have any idea about that?