Ottawa Fiero Club Forum

So first off, I am sure i have electrical problems... That is the first thing I need to get fixed.
When i press the horn, my courtesy lights turn on and something makes a buzzing sound. any ideas?
This is the one thing i never thought i would run into on a car with 78000 kms.
Is there anyone that has tried to swap in a manual tranny instead of auto? how much work would that be? nothing like a stick shift to make a fun car even better.

another thing i somewhat worry about is resale value. since it is in such good shape apart from the electrical problems, maybe getting one that isn't as nice and having some fun with it is a better idea.

Although an 88 Formula is up there in ranking, I doubt Fieros will ever be worth it as an investment.  Maybe a perfect Indy or late 88 GT.

If you feel the urge to hack one up, any rust free car is fine.  Once you've tinkered with the engine, suspension and looks, it won't matter what it started out as. The general rule is that you will not get the money spent in mods back on resale.

As far as the electrics go, it never hurts to follow round and clean as many grounds and connections as possible.  It isn't the mileage that hurts, it's the sitting in between.

I'm looking at the wiring diagram.  You could have a backfeed to ground.  It's hard to tell you what's wrong without checking a few things myself.
Check the cigarette liter - if there is power there your fuse is good, if not replace your "BAT" fuse in the fuse block.  But beware this is not your problem even if it is blown.
Check your horns (you should have two, one for high pitch one for low pitch) - 12 volts right to the horn (wear ear protection)
Check your horn relay.  You should have about 80 ohm's resistance between pin 85 and 86.  You should have infinite resistance between pins 30 and 87.  When you put 12V to pin 85 and ground pin 86 you should have no resistance between pins 30 and 87. (don't fry your relay or your fingers)
You could have a backfeed from your fuse block though connector S210 because your horn grounds the power through your relay pins 85 to 86.  Pull your relay and try the horn.  If the lights don't turn on you will have confirmed the path of current.
You could have a bad wire (cracked making contact with another bad wire-12V)
Put the relay back in and pull the fuse for CTSY/LID and try the horn again.  If the lights don't come on then you'll know where to start troubleshooting from.  You can try the same with the other fuses.
Use an amp meter and gator clips to track the power to it's source.

Transmission swap isn't hard and there are a lot to use.  But if you are using an non Fiero transmission you might have a problem with your speedo.  I had to make a conversion circuit to translate from one frequancy to another.
You will need:
Clutch master cylinder
clutch slave cylinder
FWD conversion kit (depending on what transmission you get)
clutch peddle
brake peddle
hardware (long bolt and nut for extended rod)
along with associated switches for the peddles
shifter along with the boot
cables
you'll have to rewire your starter circuit to your clutch peddle
you need a new console section (colour match is hard to find)
transmission mounts
clutch
flywheel
you will have to either change your steering column (because of the key lock funciton) or disable your key lock function by cutting the cable to the shifter

I might be missing something because it's been about 6 years since I did mine.

Anyway....good luck,

Aaron

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This is just a blown fuse.  I can't remember exactly which one, but I think it's either the 'courtesy' or 'radio' fuse.  These exact symptoms have been documented on PFF a few times, and I had the same problem myself when I first got my Fiero.  Let me guess, your courtesy lights don't turn on when you open the door either...

Yes, I got the same problem and it was a fuse...  ???

Wow this has been a lot of help!
now i don't need to rev my engine to get people out of my way  ;D  ^-^

Converting from an auto to a manual is not that hard you just need a few strictly Fiero parts like the pedal assembly for the clutch and brake pedal.
Also need the appropriate 4 or 5 speed shifter assembly, shifter cables and then there is the clutch hydraulics.
The clucth master and slaves can be purchased new and are worth the cost for new over used worn parts.
I would reccomend for the shifter cables and the slave cylinder you go look at Rodney Dickmans parts I have used them a few times with no problems.
The proper tranny for your 6 cyl car would be a 5 speed Getrga but you can also use a 94 and older FWD V6 5 speed with some work at the tranny end on the shifter linkages or again Rodney sells adapters for this.
Driving wise the 5 speed will get you more control over the power for more enjoyable driving and will also get you better fuel mileage over the 3 speed auto you have now.
If you are saerious there is an 87 V6 SE in the wreckers near me with the Getrag still in it. Dan

Where abouts is this? I am VERY Interested

I think the best way do to an auto to manual swap is to find another car and swap whatever is needed.

A guy in Montreal sells a rusted manual 87 GT. This could become a good donor or maybe a complete wrecked car elsewhere.

Good luck with your project. I have completely redone my Formula or so.

The car is in the wreckers near Peterborough or if you want to go with a 5 speed Isuzu tranny I have a very good condition one from an 88 that had just under 100,000 km along with the shifter and cables for it sitting in my garage.
The Isuzu is not as strong as the Getrag but up against a stock or even slightly modded 2.8 it would hold up fine.
This tranny was pulled for a 3800SC conversion that also went auto so it is in perfect working condition and in my way so I am open to reasonable offers on it. Dan