New Guy with Pontiac Fiero GT

[Johnny Mullet]

I also had a 1984 2M4 and I loved that car. I only had it for 3 days until the engine caught fire from an ignored oil leak.

[Peakster]

Ouch. Was the car ruined?

[Johnny Mullet]

Yes. I smelled something while going down the Interstate and looked in the rear view mirror and seen the smoke. I pulled over, got out of the car, and watched it burn to the ground. I had a few chances to get another one, but I'm a little turned off by them since that.

[DifferentPointofView]

weren't they mostly fiberglass or something? something burnable?

[Peakster]

^ They had a steel frame with 'enduraflex' panels similar to Saturn automobiles and the Corvette.

I also saw smoke coming out of the rear of mine while on the highway once. Definitely a freaky sight. It turned out to be a broken coolant hose spewing onto the engine block, so it was only a $20 fix at the repair shop.

I believe it was only the '84 models that had the fire-risk problem. Virtually any 1984 model today would have the recall completed though.

[cfg83]

Johnny -

Originally Posted by Johnny Mullet

I also had a 1984 2M4 and I loved that car. I only had it for 3 days until the engine caught fire from an ignored oil leak.

Yeah, that sounds like the infamous defect of the early Fiero's :

Pontiac Fiero Engine fire reputation
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontiac...ire_reputation

... "GM tests have shown that running these 1984 cars with low engine oil level can cause connecting rod failure which may lead to an engine compartment fire...Pontiac is aware of 260 fires attributable to the condition, along with ten reported minor injuries."[6]

The larger of the two reported numbers of cars with fires (260), amounts to 0.07% of Fieros produced. The fires affected almost exclusively the 2.5 L engine, and mostly 1984 models. (Note that there may have been additional occurrences after the above reports were published.) The primary cause of engine fires was a batch of poorly cast connecting rods which failed when the oil level became too low. The faulty connecting rods were produced in GM's Saginaw plant. The theory is that the sports car styling attracted buyers who would drive the car hard, most notedly over-revving the engine. ...

I am guessing that the problem is fixed in fierofury's 1986 GT.

Originally Posted by DifferentPointofView

weren't they mostly fiberglass or something? something burnable?

They were plastic-clad, but I don't think the outer plastic led to the fires. Saturn re-used that technology in their S-Series, L-Series, and Ion models. The idea was that the plastic cladding would reduce weight and increase fuel economy to make the Fiero do double-duty as a great commuter car. Unfortunately, the steel body structure was still very heavy (2790 lbs curb weight on a 2 seater!), so the benefit didn't reach it's intended design goal (IMO). The plastic cladding was bolt-offable, which why it became such a perfect Kit Car platfom over the years. I was hoping that the Kit Kar aficionados would take the plastic clad Saturns under their wing, but I guess the "base shape" wasn't cool enough to work with, .

CarloSW2

[davidbr13]

Hi, fierofury. I, too, have a 1986 GT. I got it from a less than reputable used car dealer in West Virginia, so had to go through the same rebuild process while also converting it to electric. Other than that, I haven't done any mods, but have been thinking about them.

First thing I'd like to do: The headlights are a big Cd increase (mainly cause they're so big). I like the low profile look that one guy got when he put Hella 90 mm modules in and cut down his headlight buckets, but that's a pretty expensive way to go. I was thinking about mounting some '97 camaro headlights in the grill opening and moving the front turn signal/parking lights to the front so they are flush with the surface of the nose, since stock location is about 4" back in there. that would reduce drag at night, and you could remove the headlight mechanisms to save weight. The other obvious thing is to keep the body panels adjusted to minimize gaps and steps. What do you think?

I installed stiffer springs to handle the increased weight (should have had them lower it at least an inch at the same time). It handles like nothing I've ever driven. Great car - enjoy!

[wagonman76]

The original Fiero only came with the Iron Duke 4 cylinder engine. Apparently they improved it after 84, but not good enough. Anybody I know with an Iron Duke in anything has problems with the valve cover leaking. Even the later engines were notorious for leaking valve cover gaskets. I read the Fiero with its rear engine layout let the oil drip straight onto the exhaust manifold, causing some fires too. The OP has the 2.8 V6, so the fires are a non-issue.

And yes, those engines dont like to be revved very high. Not typical for a 4 cylinder. Big cast iron engine that runs more like a truck engine.

I drove an 87 once with the same body style and engine and trans. Seemed like it was geared pretty low, for neck-snapping off the line torque. Though I never really got it up to highway speed to see how it behaved there.

Id build a mpguino for it. I built one for my Celebrity that works great, and Im making my 2nd one right now.

[fierofury]

Originally Posted by davidbr13

Hi, fierofury. I, too, have a 1986 GT. I got it from a less than reputable used car dealer in West Virginia, so had to go through the same rebuild process while also converting it to electric. Other than that, I haven't done any mods, but have been thinking about them.

First thing I'd like to do: The headlights are a big Cd increase (mainly cause they're so big). I like the low profile look that one guy got when he put Hella 90 mm modules in and cut down his headlight buckets, but that's a pretty expensive way to go. I was thinking about mounting some '97 camaro headlights in the grill opening and moving the front turn signal/parking lights to the front so they are flush with the surface of the nose, since stock location is about 4" back in there. that would reduce drag at night, and you could remove the headlight mechanisms to save weight. The other obvious thing is to keep the body panels adjusted to minimize gaps and steps. What do you think?

I installed stiffer springs to handle the increased weight (should have had them lower it at least an inch at the same time). It handles like nothing I've ever driven. Great car - enjoy!

Alright, another fiero owner on the forum! That is really neat that your fiero is electric, I bet you save a bundle on gas. How much extra weight did the kit add on your car? Do you have the stock transmission?

I have also thought about modifying the headlights to cut drag. There are some flush headlights made for the fiero, but they are costly and some people don't like the look of them. You can find them here: FlushMount. I personally like the look of the low profile pop-up head lights that other fiero owners have made. Your idea sounds good and would probably work but it is hard for me to visualize.

[Sean T.]

Originally Posted by cfg83

fierofury -

Welcome to EM! The Fiero was a classic. I've always an MPG-nerd, so I watched the Fiero closely when it first came out.

If I had a Fiero I would consider a Kamm-Back for it like so :



But, I would make it reversible so I could keep the Fiero classic.

Hmmmm, would the Kamm-Back effect the engine's cooling? Maybe a bad idea, .

CarloSW2

maybe like that, but attach it to the wing, so it will create a smaller surface area on the back to create less drag