Overheating fiero

[ohu812]

Hi everyone,

I thought I’d get your opinion regarding my fiero’s overheating problem.
I’ve had this car’s cooling system gone throw, everything is working properly,
But the damned car is still trying to overheat.

Now, I’ve found this:
http://www.pontiac-fiero.com/fiero-overheating-problems.htm

This site offers a solution to this particular problem.
It has a 100% money back guarantee if it doesn’t work.
This guy seems to have integrity; does anyone have
any info on this product? Thanks.

[Old Lar]

Over heating (guage fluctuations) many times are caused by air in the cooling system. The Fiero cooling system requires specific fill procedure and "burping" to get all air out of the cooling system. The cooling system is filled from the rear of the car and having the rear elevated and the thermostat out. The temperature sensor is in the rear fill neck of the cooling system. The radiator fan switch is normally set to come on at 195 F or turn on AC, if you have it, and the fan should come on.

Any too simple fix for $24.95 is probably a lot of hype/snake oil fix, IMHO.

[ctesla]

ohu,
Welcome to AF.
Lar is probably correct on the "snake oil" theory.
and he is DEFINITELY on track with "burping" the system, as you have two upper, two lower rad. hoses, and twenty plus feet of piping to run the little warrior's coolant system.

I looked at the site you posted, and the home page.
funny, the home page says something to the effect of 'bringing you free info to all Fiero enthusiasts' or something like that, yet Brian wants $24+ to "download" the "modification"-(and if he was a mechanic, like he said on the site, why'd he pay someone $300+ to do service on his car, when the maintenance mentioned was a skill level 1 or 2 at most?)

so, as to what $24. probably gets you:

1. the "bouncing" temp gauge is merely a wiring issue, GM ran it through the hot of the ignition, so double ground your temp gauge, or re-route the power through an accessory power, so it doesn't do the "jump and peg" everytime the key goes on.
(I can even email this retrofit if need be)

2. one of the oldest racecar tricks in the book: pull the thermostat, and using a 3/ - 5/16" drill bit, put three or four holes on the flange/mating lip of the t-stat, allowing additional coolant to flow; prior to operating temp being reached. this allows the coolant to flow past the t-stat usually about 7-12degrees cooler (on the gauge)
(or run some speaker wire from high side fan to a toggle under the dash, then to the battery, this option ensures you will never overheat, as long as you watch the needle and/or run the fan manually)
(also BMW coolant switches have same thread as GM 2.8L-V6
models, and allow adjustment from 65-80-105 degrees Celcius, which is on the money low side and optimum "op" temp, but may be little on the high side (depending on your driving)
for under $20. you can download the entire alldata info AND up-to-date TSBs from GM for the Fiero!

as far as your "specific" overheat problem, try Lar's suggestion first, as entire cost for that: zero dollars.

then you can try mine (if you'd like), still, total cost: zero dollars.
or, isolate the problem, by giving us as much specifics as you can;
miles, type of driving, what does "gone through" mean to you?, did you change the t-stat's operating temperature?, your climate of operation, and duration?, using 50/50 blend? 60/40 glycol/water?, auto/manual?, four cyl./V6?, overheating with or without A/C?, what, if any other mods on the car, etc....

but Old Lar's post is first, and foremost THE easiest (and mostly on the money), as the fill/flush/bleed procedure (if not done properly) can make or break ANY vehicle.

hope this helps,
chris
nrt racing