Fiero questions

I might be getting an '87 fiero and i was wondering how good of cars are they? I've heard some stuff about how they are prone to catch on fire :banghead: . And to my understanding its from wires that sit above the exhaust manifold and fall and catch fire. Is this true or B.S.? Also is it for the v6 or 4 cylinder? But from reading these threads on fiero's they seem to be sweet mother cars!! I was just wondering if you could tell me some of the pros and cons of the fiero.
Thanks a lot,
Potential Future Fiero Owner

Read both pros & cans before you run away.

Cons-
Fiero's especially the v6 are known for needing up keep
on the 2.5 the oil pan drain sits low, if you & your friends are really big, and the roads are really bad, you might split the pan (I met a guy who did it)
the older ones have blind spots that you need to get used to
They have limited trunk space
there break calipers aren't known for being the best
The headlights aren't designed well
You might have to find creative ways to do things (eg. get the alternator out of the v6 engen compartment)
you might pick up bad driving habits cuz there small & fit in little places :evillol:


Pros-
There's no limit to what you can do... engine swaps, body kits, etc.
They crash well... or at leat that's what I hear
The drive is just hella fun
You can do donuts all day if your in the v6 manual
The shifter is well located
They have heeps of leg roon
comfortable for longer drives
speakers in the headrest
Parts are easy enough to find
Mid engine design

Opinion-
manual steering: I like it, makes the drive direct
2 seats: depends on what you want the car for
There addictive, you get one, and suddenly there everywhere trying to get you to fix them up

Did I miss anything important?

I have an 87 GT which I bought new. Over 100K miles on the car which I have highly maintained. I did replace the clutch at 75K miles, just because of the milage. The other replacement items have been normal maintenance items, ie shocks, poly bushings, struts, exhaust system, tires, batteries, sensors, tune-up items including a distribitor. I have replaced the driver's seat cover and had the headliner replaced. The engine has never been apart and gets 30+ mpg on the highway.

The car is fun to drive and holds up well if it is not beaten to death. But any 17 year old car can need lots of work unless it had good care for its life.

They may not be the easiest cars to work on with the engine still in the car. The cradle does come out "fairly" easily with the engine and transmission which then becomes very easy to work on.

It was the 84 models that had the "fire problem" git it all love or hate!!!

oh, ok, i have an '87 4 cylinder

From what I'm told they are good and reliable.

You have to keep in mind that ANY car that is 15 to 20 years old will require more upkeep than a newer car. That bis just plain old common sense. Once you get most of the standard wear and tear parts replaced though it will be as reliable as any other car, if not more so as the Fiero is a very versatile and easy for the most part car to work on.
The fire thing was ONLY in '84 and ONLY on a small fraction of first series produced. It was also due to a faulty engine part produced by a subcontracted company. Once the recall on these first ones was done and on the later produced '84 models allready had the better redesigned duke engine anyway there were no more problems. Because the Fiero was so new and unique it got a lot of media coverage, and so being under the microscope like it was, ANYTHING bad that happened also got tons if not more coverage. We all know how the news media seems to like to cover bad stuff more than good stuff :uhoh:

If you take proper care of the Fiero, it will give you years of enjoyment.

I just bought an 84 2m4. How do find out if it is an early model and what part do I need to replace so it don't catch fire?

I just bought an 84 2m4. How do find out if it is an early model and what part do I need to replace so it don't catch fire?

Whenever there is a recall, all Pontiac dealers are issued a Tech Service Bulletin (TSB) Instructing the Dealership on how to identify what vehicles are affected and what work needs to be done. A simple google search for Fiero TSB will provide you with many sites displaying the original documents.

If you aren't very good with automotive work, your local Pontiac dealer should be able to use your VIN number to determine if your Fiero was ever recalled and if so, tell you if the work was done. If there is an outstanding recall on the car, you may even be ellegable to have the repairs done for free!

I just bought an 84 2m4. How do find out if it is an early model and what part do I need to replace so it don't catch fire?

If the car has been around for 20 years, it is not about to spontaneously catch fire. Early Fieros caught fire because of bad connecting rods, low oil and crap collecting on the engine.

Check the oil level and KEEP IT FULL of oil. Insure the engine compartment is clean. If the connecting rods have lasted the last 20 years, the engine must have gotten a good set when it was built.