Fuckin alternater!

[lucky]

I've been running on the same module since I got my car... And yes, my car is running again. It started under it's own power just before sunset on wednesday.

[CincinnatiFiero]

Aaron, paypal me $2,000, and get a plane ticket to Cincy, we'll do a 3400 swap.

[jelly2m81]

I can honestly say I would swap out a 2.8l, even in a DD. Reliable is not a word to describe the 2.8l. Mine would fail me about once a month, and it was a well taken care of, relatively low mile engine.

I say you need a better mechanic.

I have been driving on the same 2.8 since '93 and it has broke down twice, an ignition module, and a fairly new MSD coil.
2 breakdown's in 16 years is acceptable, and only 1 of the breakdown's was on a stock part.

I put a high mileage abused 2.8 in the wife's 85 in '98. What oil it didn't burn, it leaked. It had a slight knock at high RPM's. She drove that car daily for 6 yearswithout an issue. Disregarding common sense we took that car to Carlise in '02 and it made the ~3000 mile trip flawlessly.
We sold that car in 04 and the 2 owners since are still driving it around to this day.

We got the black 88 GT in 03 with 160k miles on it. I haven't done anything other than oil changes and a tune up to it and it's been rock solid for 6 years now.

I'm not sure what kind of retards have all these issues with the 2.8's, I never abused mine hard, but I never baby them, but for a 30 year old technology engine they are fine when an ounce of common sense is used.

As much as an advocate of imports and doubtfullness of Domestics that I am, I have to admit that the fiero has been the most reliable cars I ever owned when you figure out cost per mile and maintance dollar per year.

[BC2002SS]

i have owned my fiero for 1 year... and drove the fucking peice of shit once. HOME.

fuck fiero. paid 3K got Notting out of it.

so it was OK till you got it.

[CincinnatiFiero]

Okay more problems. Got a new belt and alternator put on the car. Car ran good for like 2 weeks. Now the alternator light is on and the voltage gauge reads at nothing. Car was starting with no issues but the gauge was down the light was on, drove around for a while and got two restarts out of it. Then we went to autozone and it would not restart. Autozone tested the battery, low voltage, but good. My friend brought over his optima, fired right up. So my battery is good, and so is the starter. Limped it back to my house.

On the ride to Autozone before it died, the radio started cutting out and the tachometer was lagging. But that was the like 5th time the car had been started that day so the battery was probably super low on power.

We:

Cleaned the ground on the starter (battery neg to starter)

Cleaned the ground by the battery box. I also have the $Rich$ battery box to water pump ground. Cleaned it up too.

Connection on the back of the alternator is tight

Belt is tight, we even redid it.

Fired the car up. Gauge still low, light still on. Disconnected the negative terminal on the battery, car died instantly.

One would think its the Remaned Pep Boys Alternator, but is there anything else I should check before I pull this bitch out and go fight for a warranty replacement on the Alternator?

[Aaron]

You kind of already did this, but with the car running, test the voltage between the two posts on the battery. <14, go get a new alternator. In other words no, you tested everything, go get your new battery. Hate remans, half the time they'll work for the rest of your life, the other half, they'll work for a week.

[CincinnatiFiero]

There was a Pep Boys reman on there before, by reading the previous owners note in the FSM, he replaced it like 12 years ago. My new pep boys reman lasted 12 days. I bought the P Boys one because my friend gets me good deals, now I kind of regret it. Back when I worked there like 15% of Remans I sold came back by the end of the month. Some of the guys were smart and asked us to test the alt out of the box right when we pulled it off the shelf. Periodically one would test bad straight out of the box.

Alright I'm off to the shop to pull the alternator and have her tested. I have a lifetime warranty on this alt so if it tests bad I am covered. I get the sneaking suspicion I will be pulling these things out every other year to replace them. However they don't stock them so it will take 3-5 days for me to be driving again.

[CincinnatiFiero]

With the volt meter on the battery terminals the battery was sitting 11.9-12V with the car off, fire it up, and it sits a 11.9-12V. Never comes up. Reading from the terminal on the back of the alternator and grounding to the chassis with the car running you get 11.9V so its never going to the 14V it should run at.

The plastic around the base of the positive bolt on the alternator was melted and the bolt jiggled around inside the alt. The bearings also were nasty sounding.

It tested bad three times but each the machine said the wiring adapter on the machine may be faulty. Either way they went ahead and ordered me a new alt, so stay tuned.

[fierogt28]

i have owned my fiero for 1 year... and drove the fucking peice of shit once. HOME.

fuck fiero. paid 3K got Notting out of it.

Well scram lowlux...get the fuck off of here...take your fiero with it. Your more annoying that your fiero. Or fir-air-o like you say.

[fierogt28]

I don't know if anybody knows this, but on 88s the altenator has a "square" on the casting that makes a perfect lever once a wrench is put in.

With that in place, you don't even need to use a crow-bar. I think its a 15mm wrench. Anyways, sometimes its fun to be creative with parts and tools.

Instead of watching shit on youtube, spend more time in the garage than your PC.

[CincinnatiFiero]

New pep boys alternator is in, and working.

Little hiccup, the lower bolt wasn't tapped, nice work pep boys. Yeah tapping it isn't an issue but still... last alternator I buy from the Boys down at Pep.

[The Dark Side of Will]

OEM's use a LOT of different variations of the same casting, so configuration management for a rebuilder is frequently difficult.

[Nashco]

Alternators have a jillion different configurations, so remans can be spotty. I always check the pulley, clocking, connections, and bolt holes before leaving the store...obviously, if you have the old one in your hand it's a heck of a lot easier to compare.

Bryce

[CincinnatiFiero]

This one seems to be working, so we'll see. The past two I've had, this current one and the one that lasted 12 days had to be shoved to get to fit in front of the lower track to be bolted up. The other one fit right and slid forward and back to adjust easily.

I've got a lifetime warranty, I just don't want to spend an hour under the car every two weeks, wait a week, then put it in.

[crzyone]

your fucked.... you will never drive it again.

He has already proved that he can remove and install an altenator. GTFO.

[Blue Shift]

Lowlux - put down the lighter and take the glass pipe out of your mouth, then go fix your shit or STFU. You fail at life.

I used to take the jack handle and carefully put it between the alternator and the engine and pry it out till the belt was tight with one hand, while tighting the bolt. It gets more fun if you stripped the bolt and used a nut on the other side, but if you click locking pliers on the nut, or carefully prop up an open end wrench that's held by tension, it's still a one man job. The best solution I've found as well is to change the alternator, and while you're at it, the engine as well, hopefully to something made in the 90's or later. Takes a liiiiiitle bit more work, but no more fixing distributors, modules, cracked manifolds, squealing V belts, or bruised egos after the garbage truck walks you, etc.

[Starlite528]

I use a big-ass channel-lock pliers and hook one side on the end of the bracket and the other on the alternator and give a good squeeze. Seems to work fine, haven't had a squeaky belt in years.

[Atilla the Fun]

I saved the alternator off my '97 Bonneville, because it was perfect for me the whole 4 months I had the car. It's an odd-looking thing though.

[cactus bastard]

I saved the alternator off my '97 Bonneville, because it was perfect for me the whole 4 months I had the car. It's an odd-looking thing though.

Did you sell the car without an alternator?
(Because that would be hilarious)
When the alt died on my 88, I was busy as hell for weeks before I had a chance to put in the new one (which failed after a couple weeks). But for those several weeks, I just kept charging my battery every couple days, and tried to avoid driving with my headlights on.

[Atilla the Fun]

yes, I sold it without an alternator, but the catch is that I sold it to Allied Metals to be crushed, since the engine had seized and the 4T60E was in bad shape. But if you need a known-good alt, and the '97 version would fit your bracketry...