87 GT Ecotec
Printed From: West Coast Fieros
Category: General Fiero Chat
Forum Name: Members Rides
Forum Description: A place to show off your car. Please try to keep your pics under 800 x 600.
URL: http://www.westcoastfieros.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2201
Printed Date: 21 November 2024 at 6:28pm
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Topic: 87 GT Ecotec
Posted By: Medic
Subject: 87 GT Ecotec
Date Posted: 27 November 2010 at 12:55pm
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Well, I got the car home and to my surprise the engine is seized. Kinda a bummer. I guess it sat too long. But I still got a great deal on the car. Now what to do with it................ I don't know how to post pics on this site or I would put up a few. ------------- 88 GT Northstar 6 Spd |
Replies:
Posted By: Medic
Date Posted: 27 November 2010 at 1:08pm
  ------------- 88 GT Northstar 6 Spd |
Posted By: Car-2-Lo
Date Posted: 27 November 2010 at 3:07pm
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That looks AWESOME 
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Posted By: Romeo
Date Posted: 27 November 2010 at 6:41pm
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That's incredible! And for what it's worth, an Ecotec shouldn't be too bad to overhaul, given the sheer volume of cars they're in. ------------- Never shift into reverse without a back-up plan. |
Posted By: Capt Fiero
Date Posted: 27 November 2010 at 7:32pm
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To be honest, I would pull all 4 plugs, put some auto trans
fluid down each hole and use a long breaker bar to try and hand crank the motor over. Its possible that it sat so long the rings are just "stuck" for lack of a better word and the ATF will help to free them up. One you get it to hand crank over, leave the plugs out, spin it over a few times with the starter, then put the plugs it and try and fire it up. Oh and don't use too much trans fluid, maybe an ounce in each hold and DO NOT TRY AND START IT, UNTIL you have cranked it over with the starter and the plugs OUT. If you try and fire it up with the ATF in the cylinders, it will hydro lock and possibly break things. ------------- Capt Fiero 88 Fiero GT 5spd V6 Eight Fifty Seven GT V8 5spd. |
Posted By: Medic
Date Posted: 27 November 2010 at 10:06pm
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Good info thanks, I will try that. It would be a shame to overhaul an engine with only 30k on it. Getting a breaker bar in there will be pretty tight though  .I hear that marvel oil works really well....... ------------- 88 GT Northstar 6 Spd |
Posted By: Patrick
Date Posted: 27 November 2010 at 10:17pm
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I bought a car with a "seized" engine only to discover it was the alternator which was seized.
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Medic wrote:Posted By: Medic
Date Posted: 27 November 2010 at 10:27pm
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That's the first thing I did. I took the belt off to make sure it wasn't the alternator or the power steering pump. Did I say power steering? This guy put power steering in this car..............hmmmm. someone had money to burn. ------------- 88 GT Northstar 6 Spd |
Posted By: Patrick
Date Posted: 28 November 2010 at 12:19am
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When was the last time this engine was reported to have been running?
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Posted By: Medic
Date Posted: 28 November 2010 at 7:08am
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three to four years ago. It has since sat out in front of the guys shop collecting dust. You can smell the old gas when you remove the plugs.
------------- 88 GT Northstar 6 Spd |
Posted By: Dawg
Date Posted: 28 November 2010 at 11:30am
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I second Dave's suggestion. All I would add to it is let it sit for a few hours after squirting the oil in and don't be shy about how much. You want at least a couple tablespoons full of oil in each cylinder. Additionally, you could hire John (Dr Fiero) to come over with his inspection camera to have a look inside first. Seems odd to me that it would be so seized up. I bet it will be fine if you can get it moving again. The Dawg ------------- You dream it up....I'll make it |
Posted By: Patrick
Date Posted: 28 November 2010 at 12:34pm
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I agree with adding some ATF to each cylinder and letting it sit for awhile (at least 24 hours) before trying to turn over the engine with a wrench/breaker bar. As mentioned previously, leave the spark plugs out while doing this. From what we've seen so far, that's a nice looking GT!
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Posted By: Medic
Date Posted: 28 November 2010 at 1:29pm
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I didn't have any ATF so I used WD40 and let it sit overnight. Put on a bar this morning and it broke free. It wouldn't start, it wouldn't even catch but at least the motor is free now. It turns over quite slowly though...... my deep cycle battery is fresh and charged so it must be internal. I guess the next step is to drain the gas and change the oil and see what happens. ------------- 88 GT Northstar 6 Spd |
Posted By: Capt Fiero
Date Posted: 28 November 2010 at 3:49pm
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Also, clean and gap the spark plugs, use starting fluid on the plugs to help dissolve any left over oil, maybe even put a spritz of starting fluid down the intake before you go to crank it. ------------- Capt Fiero 88 Fiero GT 5spd V6 Eight Fifty Seven GT V8 5spd. |
Posted By: Patrick
Date Posted: 29 November 2010 at 2:58am
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I think ATF would've been superior (for its detergent and lubricating properties), but at least you freed it up. Maybe you'll get lucky after all! |
Posted By: Romeo
Date Posted: 29 November 2010 at 3:53pm
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You have me optimistic for you! Hopefully it's just something minor at the moment. Best of luck! ------------- Never shift into reverse without a back-up plan. |
Posted By: Medic
Date Posted: 03 December 2010 at 12:47pm
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It's alive! It runs! ------------- 88 GT Northstar 6 Spd |
Posted By: kharmata
Date Posted: 03 December 2010 at 1:13pm
Nice looking toy! 
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Posted By: Patrick
Date Posted: 03 December 2010 at 4:01pm
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Right on! Is it driveable? Will you be able to bring it to the club meeting on the 11th?
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Posted By: Medic
Date Posted: 03 December 2010 at 5:08pm
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No way, it has clutch hydraulic issues. Plus it runs but has a hesitiation when you hit the throttle. The clutch is a mix of fiero and sunbird hydraulics so it has to be worked out. It was apparently "locking up" after getting warm......? for the previous owner that is. The shift pattern is backwards, it is not a hard fix but is a little lower on the priorities list. Maybe on the road by summer. ------------- 88 GT Northstar 6 Spd |
Posted By: Patrick
Date Posted: 03 December 2010 at 5:20pm
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Dang it. Did the engine seem okay when it was running? No apparent damage (knocking, smoking) due to it being "seized"?
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Posted By: Dawg
Date Posted: 03 December 2010 at 5:43pm
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You need to do a oil and filter change right away. Then run it for a good 20 minutes and do a compression check on all cylinders. This will give you a good idea of what shape it's in. The Dawg ------------- You dream it up....I'll make it |
Posted By: Medic
Date Posted: 03 December 2010 at 9:56pm
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No obvious issues,in fact the engine was very quiet. A little white'ish smoke for the first few minutes but it cleared up. There was a water leak that started up front somewhere around the rad. It will have to be addressed. power steering was not working either. The car was actually out of gas, I found that out when I tried to drain it and nothing came out. Put a little fresh gas in and a little ether down the intake and it fired up with out much problem. ------------- 88 GT Northstar 6 Spd |
Posted By: Patrick
Date Posted: 03 December 2010 at 10:07pm
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Great. It'll be interesting to see this GT actually running around with this particular engine in it.
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Posted By: Romeo
Date Posted: 05 December 2010 at 9:54pm
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Oh thank goodness! I'm glad the ecotec perservered, it's a uniquity in the club, and quick as hell to boot. ------------- Never shift into reverse without a back-up plan. |
Posted By: bill
Date Posted: 11 February 2011 at 8:46am
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Just came across this thread. Is that the 2.4 LE5 motor, or.....? Although they cost a few bucks there is a well travelled raod to more power using supercharging for them. I also want to see someone stick an LNF turbo motor in there. 300 whp is easy with nothing more than tuning.
------------- 1988 3.2 turbo Fiero 1957 3.4 in Jamaican MG 2009 2.0 Pontiac GXP coupe |
Posted By: Romeo
Date Posted: 11 February 2011 at 2:13pm
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Better yet, an LNF turbo and the Eaton supercharger. Twin-charging, it's the future. ------------- Never shift into reverse without a back-up plan. |
Posted By: bill
Date Posted: 11 February 2011 at 3:25pm
No, not in this case. The supercharger would be superfluous and a wasted expense. The turbo is sized to make power from 2000 rpm and is capable up to around the 400 BHP level, after which a larger turbo is used, but still no supercharger needed - you'll hit fuel limitations inherent in the DI injector availability before you could fit a turbo large enough to leave a hole down at the bottom that you'd want a supercharger to fill. ------------- 1988 3.2 turbo Fiero 1957 3.4 in Jamaican MG 2009 2.0 Pontiac GXP coupe |
Posted By: Romeo
Date Posted: 11 February 2011 at 4:22pm
Yeah, but a turbo doesn't whine. Or look nearly as cool. Or whine.  ------------- Never shift into reverse without a back-up plan. |
Posted By: bill
Date Posted: 11 February 2011 at 4:45pm
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Let me guess - you'd be one of those knobs that installs bigger BOVs just so you can listen to them pop? How lame. It isn't about what the car sounds like, it is about performance! If not, maybe you could be one of these guys......
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbNxugO-uf0 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbNxugO-uf0 ------------- 1988 3.2 turbo Fiero 1957 3.4 in Jamaican MG 2009 2.0 Pontiac GXP coupe |
Posted By: Romeo
Date Posted: 11 February 2011 at 5:02pm
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No, I don't like BOV popping (Also known as Butterfly Chirp). I like this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-TUHmyNJ7w - sound way more. Oh, and this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmJH84FnQa8 - sound . And http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87n8jhVO784&feature=related - this . And these engines don't need a sound, they just http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_QyUD6V5_I - sound cool stock. I have all those on my iPod. But no sissy BOV noises, or turbo whistle. ------------- Never shift into reverse without a back-up plan. |
Posted By: Medic
Date Posted: 12 February 2011 at 8:35pm
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It's a 2.2. I have a S/C for it as well from the 2.0 Cobalt. At the moment I can't get it to start after putting in the new clutch. Ran fine before, not sure what the problem is at the moment. Must be a wire connection. ------------- 88 GT Northstar 6 Spd |
Posted By: Romeo
Date Posted: 12 February 2011 at 9:17pm
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If it doesn't even try to turn over, I'd recommend checking the clutch-depressed lockout switch. ------------- Never shift into reverse without a back-up plan. |
Posted By: Medic
Date Posted: 13 February 2011 at 6:59am
It turns over but does not start. I hard wired the depressed switch. It doesn't even try to fire, just spins. Odd since it fired up right away before I did the clutch. It must be a wire or other issue. So far everything looks to be in the right place and hooked up. A little confused about it at the moment. ------------- 88 GT Northstar 6 Spd |
Posted By: Nexus
Date Posted: 13 February 2011 at 7:53am
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is your fuel pump working/plugged in I had this problem when I pulled the batterie out of my car, the fuel pump wire is close and was pulled apart slightly not allowing it to run!!
------------- Charlie 84 SE |
Posted By: Romeo
Date Posted: 13 February 2011 at 11:14am
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Well bud, you want me to stop in? We know it has to be fuel, air or fire if it's turning over like that. ------------- Never shift into reverse without a back-up plan. |
Posted By: Capt Fiero
Date Posted: 13 February 2011 at 1:12pm
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Dumb question, but Steve does the car still have 2 ignition locks, is the 2nd key on and in the run position. Did the wiring to the 2nd lock get tugged? ------------- Capt Fiero 88 Fiero GT 5spd V6 Eight Fifty Seven GT V8 5spd. |
Posted By: Medic
Date Posted: 14 February 2011 at 7:12am
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Yep, checked that as well and found the rats nest of wiring tucked under the console. Problem is I don't have a wiring diagram for the Sunfire harness but the key seemed fine. It may have been tugged when the console was removed but looks intact.
------------- 88 GT Northstar 6 Spd |
Posted By: Romeo
Date Posted: 14 February 2011 at 7:53am
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Oh boy. Have you got a scan tool to use? Or is this going to be a wire-by-wire continuity check? ------------- Never shift into reverse without a back-up plan. |
Posted By: Medic
Date Posted: 14 February 2011 at 8:02am
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Hmmm....I had/have a code reader for my S10. Scan tool nope. ------------- 88 GT Northstar 6 Spd |