Ottawa Fiero Club Forum

I need to work on my crank case and I was wondering if it is at all possible to pull the engine off from the top of the car without disconnecting the suspension and Frame.

Also Does anyone know where the best place in town is to get good deals on Engine BLocks? Im from Ottawa.
Im probably looking at the standard 2.8,  3.4, or 3.8  Not sure what I want tho. Im doing the whole pros and cons of pricing vs. work

I plan to leave my engine in, work on the new one and then swap them when the new ones is all ready to go in.

Ive never really torn down an engine before so this will be fun but I also have help from some friends who have done it. I just am looking for tips if anyone has had a good experience pulling one of these suckers out and how they possiblydid that. I have a haynes book but ehhhhh. I find it misses alot.

I read somewhere that you can remove the engine from the top but you have to keep the transmission attached to it, so you will need to remove the axels meaning you will have to partialy dismantle the suspension.

Read this : http://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum2/HTML/088599.html (http://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum2/HTML/088599.html) for the "traditional way"

I've pulled one out the top and dropped the cradle a couple of times.  It isn't that hard to drop the cradle, but you will find other things that you want to do at the same time.

If you just want to throw in a new motor and be done with it, you won't get into the Gee I better fix that while I'm here blues.

There's room to get the 2.8 out the top if you dismantle a lot off the front of the block so you have a little wiggle room to separate the tranny.  If you undo the back cradle bolts (and anything else holding things up) you have a bit more 'adjusting' space as the cradle will rock down a bit changing the angle the engine sits at.

K so just so we r clear, I can't really pull the engine out and leave the tranny in? I like ur ideas guys. this is helping.  :)

Yes you can, but you have do what Gary said first.  Without removing some of the components from the right-hand face of the engine, there isn't room in there to pull the flywheel clear of the tranny's input shaft.

Excellent so I will try that then. Prolly gonna start this project in the summer, if at all. Its gonna be busy this year cus im graduating and looking for something they are telling is called a careeeeer? Ne ways. that might be the only thing that holds me back from tearing down my car, that and the fact that My mother might just kill me in my sleep for dominating her garage for a 4th year by filling it with a heap of undriveable metal and plastic. Just weighing the options.

so 2 questions...

How long on average labour hours will it take to do this job, not inlcuding snags, ill add that in after...

Does anyone know where I can find a  good deal on used blocks... it appears my fav G&L auto no longer exists for some reason...

Much appreciated. :D

You kind of just have to call around the local yards to find block you want.  If you are willing to drive a bit there are much more available in Montreal and Toronto.

How long it takes depends hugely on how involved you want to get and what motor you want.  To swap the exact same motor, you are looking at two guys for two days (lets call it less than 30 hours).  If you are looking at doing an involved swap it could take 600 hours.


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PS: go out the bottom

Alright, Thanks i am probably gonna go out the bottom when I do it. Just worried about those Springs. I guess I just use a compressor..

You don't need to muck with the rear springs for an engine pull.

Undo the three 10mm nuts which are arranged in a rough triangle at the top of each strut tower - the ones with oblong "washers" underneath them.  The struts are now free from the chassis.

My personal preference is to also disconnect the strut from the knuckle, or remove the knuckle from the a-arm before dropping the cradle.  Less stuff to whack off of and/or get in the way of other stuff that way.

Since you are close to me and my motor is out, you might want to shoot by my place so I can show you the basic steps.  Send me a pm with your contact info if you are interested.


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Ooooh i will :)

Thanks guys

I also have questions about how difficult it may be to just change the crank berrings from under the engine without pulling anything else out.

im otld its possible by other mechanics but not sure if it applies to Fiero engines :P

changing the bearings will only work if the crank is still smooth, any scoring from the shot bearing and its pointless. 

try droping your oil pan and looking for bits floating around in there...

Ya Im gonna do that. If I dont find any bits i am thinking of taking it to a nearby shop in orleans. The owner actually owns a 87 GT and thus he is very sympathetic to my cause. lol

Pat Faubert is his name he works over on mer bleu at Autotek. Great place and deals plus he wont cring when he looks at u and ur fiero :) A real Keeper.

So the update is I found a "Brand new" ie completely refurbished 2.8 L engine and im getting it installed sometimes hopefully within the next two weeks.

So Happy.

The next post I put up will be to host a GTG when its finished :)