COOLING SYSTEM RENOVATION / UPGRADE


Below is a quick run-down of the repairs / restoration I've performed on the cooling system on my 1987 Pontiac Fiero SE / V6. Note, some of these links may take you to other pages on my site. List of repairs, in no particular order:

  - RADIATOR SUPPORT RESTORATION

  - COOLING TUBE RESTORATION

  - REPLACING RADIATOR

  - HEATER CORE HOSE REPLACEMENT (Link to another page)

  - COOLANT OVERFLOW, HOSE KIT AND CAP

  - NEW RADIATOR SPLASH GUARDS






RADIATOR SUPPORT
12/3/2010
- CORE SUPPORT:

Before installing my new radiator, I refinished the core support. The one in this car was in servicable condition. These apparently take a lot of damage and wear as I could not find a decent one in the junkyard, and the one from my parts car was in poor condition. I sanded the support down to bare metal and coated it with a heavy duty chassis epoxy. This under-area of the car is exposed to a lot of rock chips, etc, so this will hopefully protect it. I re-used most of the mounting gaskets, but used new condenser fasteners and tree-clips from the Fiero Store.

Fiero Store: 84-88 RADIATOR LOWER SEAL RETAINERS
Fiero Store: 84-88 A/C CONDENSER MOUNTING KIT







SIDE COOLING TUBES
12/26/2010
- COOLING TUBES:

I'm making quite a bit more progress and have most of the front-end back together at this point. The parts Fiero I had turned out to be a real benefit in this rebuild. From the parts car, the cooling tubes were in significantly better condition than the ones already on my car. The drivers side tube on my original car had a major kink in it from a time when a local shop tried to use that as a jack point. I had to bend it back in order to make the car driveable. The passenger side wasn't as bad, but still had two noticeable kinks in the tube near the back, where as the one on the parts car had nothing but a small ding at the end. I polished them up using a buffing wheel and re-installed them. Getting the drivers side tube out was much more difficult. It required removal of the steering column and the wheel. The passenger side came out very easily with me only having to remove the wheel. I went ahead and replaced the cooling tube drain plugs as well.

Fiero Store: 84-88 COOLANT TUBE DRAIN PLUG








NEW RADIATOR
12/28/2010
- RADIATOR:

Earlier in the year, I picked up this radiator from a Fiero in the junkyard. Normally, I would only buy new parts when it came to this, but this radiator was basically brand new. It appeared to me as if the previous owner of that car in the junkyard had just replaced the entire cooling system, only to have a hose chafe and fail, causing the entire car to overheat. All I did was flush the radiator (it was clean inside), use compressed air on the fins to clean them, and installed it as-is.

Using new radiator hoses from the Fiero Store kit I had purchased, I completed the attachment from the cooling tubes to the new radiator assembly. I couldn't find good reproduction original style hose clamps, so I went with the generic kinds from the local auto parts store. This is also an automatic radiator, and I'm converting to a manual, so I sprayed WD-40 and lubricant into the transmission cooling tube, and capped it off on the top and bottom. After installing the radiator, I also placed my new OEM radiator warning stickers from Rodney Dickman (picture 4) back onto the radiator support bracket.

Fiero Store: 85-87 V6 COOLANT HOSE KIT

Rodney Dickman: UNDERHOOD RADIATOR STICKERS










COOLANT OVERFLOW SYSTEM
12/28/2010
- OVERFLOW SYSTEM & CAP:

To finish up the radiator, I installed a new overflow tank, host kit, and a new OEM style radiator from STANT. I purchased all of these items from the Fiero Store. The new overflow bottle fit nicely, and was identical to the OEM style. The overflow cap and radiator cap are both available new, but it appears as though the Fiero Store no longer offers a new overflow container or the hose kit. The overflow container can be cleaned with a solution of salt, bleach and sand in the container (shake for 10 minutes).

Links for the Fiero parts:
Fiero Store: 84-88 COOLANT RESERVOIR CAP (Note: no longer has white lettering)
Fiero Store: 84-88 COOLANT RESERVOIR TANK (Note: discontinued)
Fiero Store: 84-88 THERMOSTAT HOUSING CAP








NEW RADIATOR SPASH GUARDS
12/31/2010
- SPLASH GUARDS:

An often overlooked component of the Fiero's cooling are the radiator splash guards. These serve two functions; first, they help contain and direct the airflow from the front of the Fiero's chin spoiler / air dam directly into the A/C condendser and radiator; and second, they prevent water and rain from infiltrating areas of the front compartment that they shouldn't. There are four splash guards in total, three for the sides of the radiator, and one that sits on top of the radiator. These splash guards are often in disrepair because they dry out and tear over time. Until recently, they were not being reproduced. They are currently available from Rodney Dickman (the original creator of these kits) and the Fiero Store.

The kits replace the rubber fabric of the splash guards, and require dissasembly of the old splash guards. You will need to re-use the plastic sections of the original splash guards. Dissassembly requires removal of the old staples from the plastic shields to separate them from the old rubber sections. Take great care not to damage these panels when removing the staples. You will need to re-use the same holes upon re-installation. I found it easiest to replace and work on one component at a time. The most difficult part was puncturing the new rubber guard with the new stainless staples. I used a pair of needle-nose pliers to help bend the staples. Be patient, these parts are not easy to work with, but are necessary for proper function of the Fiero's cooling system.

Rodney Dickman: Radiator Splash Guards
Fiero Store: 84-88 AERO NOSE RADIATOR SEAL SET (3 piece)
Fiero Store: 84-88 UPPER RADIATOR SEAL










 

More coming...

00/00/2010
- NOT STARTED










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