T00FAST4L0VE

Since I'm new to both third gen ownership and this forum I figure I should introduce myself (and my birdy) first. My name is Angel Amore. I'm 24, I'm the drummer in the band Felon Love (yes ooo aahh girl drummer hah), and I've had my 86' Firebird, whom I lovingly refer to as "The Destroyer", for a few months now. I've always been a huge fan of the 3rd gen F bodies but have only had the privilege of owning one until just recently. I must admit I don't know a hell of alot about cars and the people I bought it from didn't seem to know much about them either. I got it from a dealership and they didn't know their asses from their elbows. However, the previous owner must've known something because it's in great shape. So all I know about it is that it's a 6 cylinder engine... and that's seriously all I know. I was hoping that maybe if I posted some pics of the engine and told you guys a little about it that you could help me figure out what to say when someone asks, "So what's under that hood?". haha. I'm really looking forward to being an active Firebird owner and maybe even getting to take it to shows and tracks and all that. This is my dream car and I love it to death. Hopefully you guys can help me get to know my baby better. Thanks all. Looking forward to chatting <3

-Angel Amore

Front view

Rear view

And last one here's me on my baby <3 <3 <3

Orinackra

Hey, wow, welcome to the site! Nice looking car, and umm..... nice posing!!! Lookin forward to seeing you around! I'll have to check out your band sometime too. What kinda music is it?

ternandes

iTrader: (7)

I hate to complain... but where are the engine pix? All I see is a hood ornament.

T00FAST4L0VE

I was planning on posting engine pics in a reply today since it was too dark out last night to take any good ones when i posted. but my guitarist borrowed my car today so it'll have to wait til tomorrow. My band is sleaze metal/rock n roll... basically we're awesome. We just opened for Ratt here in Chicago a couple weeks ago if that gives you an idea of our sound. Engine pics comin tomorrow. Thanks for replying!

-Angel

89RsPower!

Both of you look to be in pretty good shape. Can you post some closer pictures? Maybe some underneath and inside and such to help determine the condition of the car. If it's the origional engine it should be a 2.8 mpfi v6, I believe they were rated at 130hp and 160 ftlbs but that's just going from memory. From what I can see the paint looks to be in really good shape, obviously it was repainted judging by the aftermarket hood. How many miles? How does she run? Any issues or problems? You came to the right place to find out anything you could ever need to know about 3rd gen f-bodies. Welcome aboard!

89RsPower!

Is the hood open in the first pic? If it isn't it might be possible to adjust it to make it line up better.

T00FAST4L0VE

I bought it around 76,000 miles which i was told were original. Runs really great except a couple of issues. when making a hard left turn it seems like the fuel shifts to one side and there is a 1 second hesitation in acceleration. That and when it was cold in the winter the engine would die if i didn't sit on the gas a couple minutes really soft while it was warming up. that problem is gone though now that it's summer. The interior looks really nice (although i really need to vacuum as of this second), it's red and grey cloth seats which i don't know if they are original or not. I am having a slight contact issue with the headlight switch though. The tail lights and turn signals don't turn on if you turn the headlights on. I solved the problem by sticking a piece of a credit card in that little opening between the fog lamp switch and headlight switch. it's a little weird i guess but until i can buy a new switch it works for now. hah.

-Angel

T00FAST4L0VE

Nope it isn't open. That's how it came. I thought it looked a little off by the headlight there. it's not like that on the other side though...

jj74sd455

weird seeing that hood on a v6 car, reminds me of my buddies old 81 v6 with big cragers out back. youve got a nice looking car, also noticed your screen name, must be a crue fan like myself lol

T00FAST4L0VE

yes! thanks for noticing!

Mudskunk

first law of thirdgens is they are never fixed.
first rule of thirdgens is never lend it to anyone.

maks10

Soooo true....car looks great just need to adjust the hood

ATX-Iroc

Im pretty sure the reason It didnt run good till it warmed up was because of the coolant temp sensor. That only like 18 bucks and really easy to do. When making hard turns the fuel does shift and the car will kind of cut out, only solution is to keep more gas in the tank and as far as the hood goes i would look right behind the headlights with the hood open you'll see some rubber bumpers and you just screw those in so it doesnt hold the corners of the hood up

T00FAST4L0VE

my serv engine soon light is on and i can't tell if it's just stuck on or if something might actually be wrong. where do i even start looking and what do i look for??? it's been on since i got it but i've only had the problems mentioned above.. nothing serious. i hate how there's no temp gauge on the dash too... grrr

1MeanZ

iTrader: (9)

There should be a temp gage in the dash. All firebirds have a temp gage. On your car I think it should be the gage all the way to the right and on the bottom.

For your check engine light, you can check the codes yourself with a paperclip. here is how.... http://www.troublecodes.net/GM/

once you figure out what code is flashing let us know and we'll tell you what it could be.

wannafbody

iTrader: (1)

LOL... thats all I can say

firebird896

Where exactly in the ChI, I'm up in the NW suburbs.

The temp gauge is in the last gauge set at the bottom, 100-260 it will read.

87WS6

iTrader: (1)

Down boys. There is no reason to get excited. You should always assume any female on the internet is really a creepy middle aged man living in his mother's basement until proven otherwise. Pictures of a woman aren't proof either. There are probably millions (if not more) of pictures of women on the internet. They do not count unless you've met them in person.

The car itself should have the 2.8L MFPI V6 which made about 135HP@4900 / 160TQ@3900.

T00FAST4L0VE

haha that's really me though. look at my band's website if you don't believe me... www.felonloverocks.com and my facebook is www.facebook.com/angelamore . haha but i can see how you might think i'm secretly a creepy old man in the basement. Anyway, I don't know if the previous owner blacked out where the temp guage used to be but there really isn't one in my car. there are a bunch of circular little holes and one of which is the serve engine soon light but still no temp gauge. here's some pics.





All the little circles that look like they should be different gauges do not have anything in them. they're all black. the one that's on is the serve engine soon light but i swear that's all! no RPMs, no temp gauge, no oil pressure gauge... nothin. all i got is the two big ones that say mph and the gas level.

-Angel Amore

T00FAST4L0VE

And as promised... here are some engine pics as well as a close up of the lack of temp gauge.






seeeeeeeeee???
-Angel

RS Chris

Thats a weird setup on the gauges. Even with it being a v6 base model I would have thought it would have all the normal ones; RPMs, MPH, fuel level, oil pressure, temperatrue, voltage. Have you tried pulling off the cover to see if they are behind it?

T00FAST4L0VE

no i haven't. i'm too afraid to unless i can get a diagram or something on how to do it. i don't wanna F it up /:

RS Chris

The first thing would be to remove the dash pad. Its about 6 or 8 torx head screws. A few right along the windshield and a few under the bottom front edge, closest to you when sitting in the car. After that you should at least be able to get a better look behind the panel. As far as what to remove after that I'm not exactly sure, it would be one of those things I would have to look at. Plus I don't own a bird, yet.

Hopefully someone with more knowledge on Trans Ams will chime in and fill you in on why its setup that way and what to do to fix it.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

Mudskunk

it looks almost like a digital dash on one side and analog mix.

might be a rare option car but who knows i sure dont.


the most common problem that allows a car to run normally and just throws an error is a failing O2 sensor. im no expert however.

http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/de...PartType=C0103 plan on getting one of these myself

1MeanZ

iTrader: (9)

Angel, don't take your dash apart, there's nothing back there to see. Those round holes have the "idiot" lights in them, stuff like your service engine soon light, brake light, coolant temp light, etc. I'm nearly certain it's full of warning lights that will tell you if there is a problem.

That being said, I gotta admit I've NEVER seen that dash in a firebird before. I've never even heard of a dash like that. I also noticed that your car has AC delete which is reasonably uncommon. It is also amazingly clean for it's age, someone has taken good care of it given the good condition it's still in. Rare to find someone caring for a V6 car like that.

Hopefully one of the moderators will step in here and inform us about that dash. Many of us here have seen countless numbers of these cars but your dash cluster has me baffled...

T00FAST4L0VE

yeah i thought there was something fishy about the dash. i like to be able to see the temp gauge especially in the summer just so i can tell what is common for it's temp and when it gets hot. see i knew i wasn't crazy. everyone was like ALL FIREBIRDS HAVE A TEMP GAUGE!! and i was thinking how the heck did i miss it? well i was right. it's also annoying to not see the RPMs because ever since i learned to drive stick i like to watch it kick into different gears to make sure everything is going smoothly. guess i just have to do it by ear. do you think whoever had it put an aftermarket new dash on it? the AC doesn't actually work. do you think it used to have a more powerful engine and someone put the V6 in it before they sold it? Also anyone wanna tell me what i should put in my profile under the details it asks you to fill in? like "type of engine" etc.? i know it's a V6 but what is all the proper terminology? i'm supposed to get a big inheritance soon and if it's big enough i'm gonna see if i can drop a corvette engine in it or something.

and to the guy who said i'm probably an old guy if you haven't already looked at my pictures on my facebook or band website, here are more pics that should prove i'm really me.....



Kindly suck it
-Angel Amore

1MeanZ

iTrader: (9)

I think your car is exactly the way it left the factory except for the hood. I'm positive that dash is original, it is just the base model dash that is rarely seen. As for the AC, it will never work because your car simply doesn't have it. There's no compressor, dryer, condenser or anything. I'm also certain the V6 is original to the car and has not been swapped, it's too clean and all the hoses and wires appear to be where they should be so I doubt it's been messed with. Under your profile, just say its a 2.8 V6.

Dr.NickRiviera

As far as the hood lining up, it's not goin to happen. MY 91 had that same hood on it when I bought it and it was warped just like that. No amount of adjusting or fidgitting is going to fix it.

That car (well they all) needs a power bulge hood.

JT

iTrader: (1)

1MeanZ is correct. You won't find any gauges behind that panel. That's the standard instrument cluster that was found on the very base model Firebirds. Unfortunately, and honestly, I don't have exact figures as to the exact applications.

In addition, the Camaro also had their own version of this cluster:


The three round center circles have "idiot lights" for engine temperature, oil pressure and voltage instead of actual gauges.

However, I do believe you probably should have some extra warning lamps. Even though you don't have gauges to show you the range, you should have another few "idiot lights" that would come on if low oil pressure, high engine temperature or low battery voltage occurs. I know that there was some where a warning lamp was shared between systems, so I'm not sure how many you should have.

RS Chris

So it sounds like you've got a rare find there with that dash. Crazy that it took this long before some of us saw it. And 1Mean Z is right about your A/C, or lack there of. I thought something looked funny about your controls in your interior pics.

87WS6

iTrader: (1)

For some reason there are tons of sick guys who like to pretend to be women online for whatever reason. I can't figure it out but I didn't design the world, I just live here. There are very few women that take an interest in this type of hobby much less these specific vehicles so I'm all for it.

In any case what you have is the base model Firebird dash. It had idiot lights instead of real gauges. Most of the time dealerships ordered the "rally gauge" package because it was a low cost option and people often preferred actual gauges to the idiot lights. As a result you just don't see it in very many cars. Your car looks stock for the most part. The wheels and hood are different than the stock ones and the AC seems to have been removed. The car is basically a base model from the look of it. On the plus side it seems like its in great shape. That's always great to see. So many of these cars are neglected or treated poorly. Many if not most are one step ahead of the scrap yard and that's about it.

These cars are easy to work on. I've worked on several different cars and I find these much easier to deal with than most. Read the stickies and tech articles to familiarize yourself with these cars and that will give you a good baseline to learn from.

The "SES" or Service Engine Soon light can be generated for any number of reasons. This thread: https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/tech...ine-light.html addresses how to pull the code and see what it is. Once you've determined the code you can figure out what it means and what to do about it. The only tool you'll need is a paper clip. (No I'm not joking.)

Here is a list of GM trouble codes:

http://www.automotiveforums.com/t679458.html

Let us know what you find.

87bluebird

thats a base model idiot light dash only a mechanical speedometer and fuel gauge my car has the same thing. if you want extra gauges you can get after market gauges and wire them in.

1MeanZ

iTrader: (9)

How many times do we have to say this? The AC HAS NOT BEEN REMOVED, THE CAR DIDN'T COME WITH IT. The car never had AC to begin with. Look at the heater controls, there are no AC settings. Under the hood all you see is the heater box, not the large AC box. This isn't rocket science people, the car is bone stock and is just the way it came from the factory minus the hood.

87WS6

iTrader: (1)

Dude, calm down. So its an AC Delete car. That's fine. You don't need to blow out blood vessels over it.

1MeanZ

iTrader: (9)

I'm not blowing a blood vessel, I simply have little tolerance for people that post up before they've read the whole thread. Please post AFTER you get the facts, not before. It's annoying to spend time helping with facts only to have people post wrong information because they can't read an earlier post.

87WS6

iTrader: (1)

We are all guilty of skimming a thread and missing a post or two every now and again. No need to get bent out of shape about it.

88gta_hiflyer

iTrader: (1)

Angel that is a sweet car! I love the original rally wheels, you hardly ever see those. The car looks VERY original except the hood and that's some of the nicest factory interior I've ever seen on a car that old. Someone has taken serious care of the "destroyer". Third gen Firebirds have always been true rock n roll cars and I'm glad to see someone who recognizes that end up with such a nice one. Enjoy it!

whitedevilTA

iTrader: (8)

Welcome to the boards, and thats a sweet looking bird! Congrats on getting one in such awesome shape. I could only see one pic of the car since I'm on my **** work computer but I'll check out the rest when I get home......and judging by the comments from other guys, I'm guessing your "attractive" lol (24 is a good age by the way ). Anyways, Can't wait to check out the rest of the pics after work.

JuggaloRon

the car looks amazing. the interior is awesome. love the dash. i got a berlinetta with the all digital dash that everyone seems to love. i hope you and the bird have a long and happy life together.

$750 L98

You must be light, put me on a fiberglass hood and I'll likely split it in half! Don't you know you don't sit on fiberglass? lol, welcome to the board.

whitedevilTA

iTrader: (8)

WOW! Soooooo, do you have a boyfreind?

87WS6

iTrader: (1)

Some of you guys act like you've never seen a pretty girl before.

whitedevilTA

iTrader: (8)

Seen plenty of girls, just none that are pretty AND drive an 86 firebird!

87WS6

iTrader: (1)

I've met quite a few attractive women that drive cool cars. Though I can't recall one that drove a third gen specifically. At least, not since I've known them.

T00FAST4L0VE

haha well thank you guys. yer all makin me blushI'm kind of a tom boy so i don't really get alot of compliments in real life so thanks! and thank you all SOOO much for all the help with my birdy. Like i said in my intro, this is the car i've dreamed of owning since i was a little kid. It's my barbie corvette so to speak (: . well i've still yet to find out why the serv. engine soon light is on. i have to something with a paper clip as you've all told me, but i haven't clicked on the link that says what exactly i need to DO with the paper clip. I can't wait to work on my car. i need to change the oil soon (which i'm planning on doing myself and really excited about!). i should use 10W40 i'm assuming?

oh YEAH also i am planning on driving it to california in october. i'm moving to LA. My whole band is going with me. We'll do much better out there and quite frankly i'm sooo bored with this city and it's lack of cool people. i honestly can't frickin wait. that drive is gonna be SWEET! anyways, so i wanna rent a 4'x8'uhaul trailer to bring all my stuff in (bed, dresser, tv, drums, clothes, amps etc... it won't be THAT heavy) and getting a hitch to stick on the back of the bird. anything i should know before doing this? questions? comments? advice? is it easy enough to install a hitch on the bird or should i get someone to do it?

I believe someone asked earlier what part of Chicago am I in? Bridgeport. It's a little south side neighborhood around 31st and Lock. But as I said I won't be here for much longer /:

Thanks again for all your help guys. You are all awesome!!! and yes i have a boyfriend. He's big, loud, fast, and bright red. I guess you could say he's really "driven" by me

hehe
-Angel

whitedevilTA

iTrader: (8)

Sounds like a GREAT boyfreind. I have a girlfreind too, but shes in pieces now and I think it might take me a while longer to put her back together, but she will be SMOKIN when shes done! Best of luck to you and your bird.

87WS6

iTrader: (1)

I'd rent a small truck from them and tow the Firebird with the trailer if it were me. These cars don't tow well and weren't designed with hitches in mind. It would be ashamed to install such a device (trailer hitch) on such a good looking bird and ******* it out that way. Also, depending on the weight of the trailer, you are asking for problems towing something like that through Arizona and parts of California. The hills there no joke. I doubt that V6 can handle that very well. (Again depending on trailer weight.)

T00FAST4L0VE

well it's a HUGE difference in price. the trailer to hook to the back of my car is about $650 total. Renting the truck to tow the car is about $2,000! I can't afford that and i GOTTA get my car AND all my stuff out there.... so basically I don't have a choice and the trailer shouldn't (and i'll make sure it won't be) too heavy. I'm really just taking my bed and my tv and my dresser is plastic and has all my clothes in it so it's not really that much heavier than just all my clothes. Also the route from here doesn't go through arizona. I think i'm gonna be taking route 66 all the way actually so i can see some sites and crap. haha

ternandes

iTrader: (7)

Ummm.... Route 66 goes through Arizona.

T00FAST4L0VE

Wow. I was not aware of that. Aaaaannnd now i feel dumb. Well if that's true then I will NOT be taking route 66 ALL the way but instead avoiding Arizona like the plague. Not just because of the desert and the reasons mentioned above but because there are much better things to see on the way up north. I think I'm gonna shoot up to Portland and then go down the west coast line til I get to LA. anyway! We are missing the point here. I need advice on the hitch. Is it easy enuff to do myself ya think?