After 6 months and over budget, she's on the road

[MacPhail]

Yes.  My '84 notchie is on the road.   

Of course, I am a wee bit over budget.

But before going further - consider this my little tale of woe for those looking at buying a "cheap" summer car - I want to thank everyone on here who have given or sold me parts and provided me with advice.  You guys are great!

Oh....and if there are girls that gave me advice, I wasn't being sexist. Honest!

Anyway, here is what was done to my Fiero since I bought it in October for $1,000:

* Upgraded to 15" GT rims
* Yokohama AVS ES100's (206/60)
* Front and rear calipers
* Brake pads all around
* Front and rear rotors
* Lower ball joints
* Muffler
* Welding to patch the rear strut tower
* Battery
* Sensors (oxygen, throttle, coolant, etc)
* Water pump
* General wiring (there was a corroded wire that was a challenge to find, plus some bulbs replaced)

All in total, I spent around $3,200 above my purchase price to get it on the road.   

That said, I think it is well worth it.  How many cars for under $5,000 are this much fun?!  Yesterday, when I drove it home, was my first time EVER driving a Fiero!  My mechanic said he had fun taking it on a test run and I can see why.  Wow!  In my SUV, the tires would be squeeling doing 50 km/h on the on-ramp, but the Fiero loved taking that curve at 90 onto the 401! 

She idles a bit rough, but since it has been sitting for 14 years, I can't complain.

The only thing that needs to be fixed is the driver's side mirror (new cable required) and the driver's side headlight (may be just the relay...the mechanic left that for me to figure out).  I'm thinking about buying the recessed lights...but since I'm a bit over budget (by $700), that may have to wait.  A CD player and new speakers in the seats are more of a priority as I commute from Kingston to Gananoque for work (that, and I want to make use of the "quasi sponsorship" arrangement where I can get an awesome deal on Blaupunkt stereo equipment!).

Anyway, that's enough about me.  I'll post some pictures tomorrow.

Cheers, Derek

[dguy]

Yes.  My '84 notchie is on the road.   

Congrats!   

The only thing that needs to be fixed is the driver's side mirror (new cable required)

I can't remember whether or not the mirror can be disassembled and the cable replaced.     Probably a heck of a lot easier just to replace the entire unit.  I have two or three of them crated up somewhere if you're interested in one.

[MacPhail]

I'd love one.  I recall seeing Fiero mirror cables somewhere on the Net.

Still working out a few bugs:

*  The engine was telling me it was over heating on my drive home yesterday.  I am replacing the thermostat tonight to see if that does anything (as well as backing it up on a slope to see if there is an air lock).  Failing that, it could be a sensor, relay or the fan - I don't think it is coming on to cool the rad.

*  A small spot of brake fluid has been noticed on the driveway (front passenger side).

*  Two oil leaks under the engine. 

Other than that, she runs really nice!  The over heating thing is a worry (I commute from Kingston to Gananoque) because it red lined and the light came on yesterday (I was in Kingston by then and pulled into a coffee shop for an hour before continueing to a meeting).

Cheers, Derek

[Kitten]

Don't know if your car has a/c... but if it does you could try turning the a/c on to force the fan to engage.... that might help with the overheating.

[dguy]

*  The engine was telling me it was over heating on my drive home yesterday.  I am replacing the thermostat tonight to see if that does anything (as well as backing it up on a slope to see if there is an air lock).  Failing that, it could be a sensor, relay or the fan - I don't think it is coming on to cool the rad.

Kitten's suggestion is a good one in a pinch (if you have a/c); I've been using it myself in slow traffic lately, as the fan switch in my '85 appears to have quit over last winter.     However...

The Kingston<->Gan commute is mostly highway IIRC, via either the 401 or the scenic route along #2 past CFB Kingston.  Sustained (reasonable) highway speeds should move enough air over the radiator to cool the car without any need for the radiator fan to kick in.

If you're overheating on the highway portion of the commute, don't ignore any possible restrictions in the cooling system, clogged radiator fins, or problems with the water pump. 

[FieroBUZZ]

or an air bubble in the system is very likely.

[2ML67]

I never thought I would hear myself say this but Buzz is right it's most likely air in the cooling system, needs a good burbing. Dan

[MacPhail]

I think the problem was an air bubble.  I parked on an incline to keep the rear higher than the front and that seems to have fixed it.

I do question whether or not the fan is kicking in.  Should it not be running after I get to the office?

Cheers, Derek

[dguy]

I do question whether or not the fan is kicking in.  Should it not be running after I get to the office?

Depends upon the coolant temperature when you get to the office. 

Easy driveway test:  find the fan switch, which on the Duke is a single-wire connector on the front of the cylinder head near the passenger side of the car; should be dark green with a white stripe.  Unplug it.  Key on, engine off, use a paper clip or jumper wire to ground the green/white wire to a clean, bare metal part of the engine.  If the radiator fan comes on, everything between there & the front of the car works.  If it doesn't, you have a wiring problem, the fan relay, or the fan motor itself is dead.  Fix as necessary.

Once you've verified (and repaired if necessary) the operation of the radiator fan, re-connect the wire at the fan switch, start the engine, and crack open a cold one while you let the temperature come up.  If you have an independent temperature gauge or an infrared thermometer, the radiator fan should kick in when the coolant temperature at the head hits ~113°C.  Usually this also corresponds to the instrument panel's temperature gauge being somewhere near the middle of its scale.  If the fan never comes on, replace the fan switch.

P.s. I'll bring one of our extra driver's side mirrors along to the GTG at Dan's place for you.

[Slammed Fiero]

I believe I saw the car parked just off of princess st on Sunday , looks good. I should have my northstar out in kingston in a few weeks.

[MacPhail]

I believe I saw the car parked just off of princess st on Sunday , looks good. I should have my northstar out in kingston in a few weeks.

That was likely me (probably having coffee at Starbucks).  Thank you for the compliment! 

I hope to bump into you...not litterally of course. 

Cheers, Derek

[MacPhail]

And here she is.

Power washing her started to take the paint off.  Ooops.  It was the first time she's seen soap in over 14 years.

Maaco gave me a quote (I was curious):  $2,100.

Cheers, Derek

[dguy]

And here she is.

Nice.

Power washing her started to take the paint off.  Ooops.  It was the first time she's seen soap in over 14 years.

Hehehe   you have to watch out for that.  Newer cars can be stripped with a pressure washer too.  The "new kid" at a dealership I once worked at, cranked up the pressure washer to de-mud a service loaner one afternoon.  Had to send it out to have the rockers re-painted after that.