Question : 3.4 DOHC swap into Fiero

[69Bobcat]

I am a newbie here so bear with me. I am considering a 3.4 DOHC swap into an 88 Fiero with a Getrag. Is there anyone on here that assembles a wiring harness for this swap. I want to retain all the factory gauges and tachometer. My car has cruise, and A/C. Any links to archives on this swap or additonal info will be greatly appreciated.

I am looking at a 95 crate motor with all the accessories on it. I know I will need to remove the power steering pump and install an idler. Is there a factory idler pully that will replace it?

Let me know the good, bad and the ugly......

Thanks,
69 Bobcat

[sspeedstreet]

I have a 1988 GT I swapped a 1995 LQ1 crate motor into. Mine was just a long block (no accessories), so I used all the parts off a 1992 Z34 car. I'm in California and to pass inspection with a 5-speed it needed to be a 1991, 1992 or 1993 engine.

I did my own harness. It seemed overwhelming at the start, but wasn't too bad. I had a 5-speed Lumina Z-34 harness that I peeled the covering off of, tagged all the LQ1 connectors and began separating the wires that would go either to the computer, the Fiero C500 plug, the Fiero C203 plug or through the cab to the front of the car (A/C and the clutch switch).

Some things you'll need to plan before you start:

1. Figure out where you're going to put the ECU. I kept mine in the stock Fiero location.

2. Decide whether you're going to leave the coil pack in the stock location or mount it elsewhere. I started out with mine down low but the stock Fiero exhaust is just too close, so I built a mount next to the C500 plug.

3. There isn't a temperature gauge sender on the motor. There is a warning light sender in the front head. I pulled that out and then drilled and tapped the hole for a stock Fiero combination warning light/gauge sender. That way it works for the stock instruments.

4. The Right Side Electrical Center is part of the LQ1 harness. You really need to eliminate it. It's mostly relays and those are already on the Fiero firewall on the driver side.

Are you familiar with Pennock's Fiero Forum? This is a link to a lot of info on the swap posted over there:

http://www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum1/HTML/062728.html

Ask any questions you have; maybe I can help. Perhaps someone over Pennock's is still doing harnesses. I decided to do my own for a number of reasons:

1. People seemed to have a lot of trouble getting their finished harnesses (flaky suppliers).

2. You'll still end up making changes in what-ever you get.

3. It helped me understand the car's electrical functions. Important if you're doing your own swap.

As for the P/S idler, there are several ways guys have done it and there are plans in that thread. Some advice: DO NOT mount the idler directly to the front cover. Several have tried and end up with a broken front cover. Pick a setup that is stout; there's a lot of force there. I have P/S on my car so I still have the pump on mine.

Neil