There’s only few major issues with Sierra’s and only one from the factory. Here we will address all of the most common issues and their fixes.
Rust – The every car enthusiasts nightmare. Sierra’s hold a reputation of rusting out, however, we have to take in to consideration that each shell is at least 30 years old and many are well over 40 years old, many of them see salt in the winter and have spun the odometer few times around at least at this point. Thankfully, Sierra’s are not the worst kind, but there are some common spots that rust out due to poor design, more about that in the Rust subpage.
Fueling – This is a new problem that has surfaced, on social media in the last few years ever since 2020 it’s been a common sad sight to see more and more Sierra’s burn down due to original fuel regulators failing after 30+ years, and if not that, then the original fuel lines cracking in the engine bay and letting the distributor to give the spark. All which should have been replaced years ago. Please change yours if it’s unknown when or if ever have they been replaced.
Suspension – This is a heavy topic. Best way to describe it is the suspension sounds like a great idea, but in reality it sucks. Sierra’s with stock suspension and handling are alright for daily use and road trips. However, if you were to loose grip and start to slide, whether its rainy, snowy or you being the drift king of your life, the suspension is not forgiving. Very small drift angle, and when you push harder the car betrays you. All of a sudden the car will straighten out or you spin out hard. What makes it scarier is the fact that majority of the Sierra’s didn’t come with power steering, meaning most of them have 4 full turns of steering from lock to lock, and yet, the steering angle is super small without modifications. The car is capable, it just isn’t beginner friendly and it’s not made for flashy driving. However, the suspension is significantly better in the Cosworth models (yet, they differ too). Thankfully, there is a lot of parts for many different ways to upgrade the suspension and handling, thus upgrading the driving experience. Should you do it? Well, that’s for you to decide, but the very first thing you should upgrade is the bushings, springs and shocks to some quality ones. It’s a major difference in driving with just that and is more than likely enough for you too (unless you are a hardcore racer).
Wiring – Only real problem with the wiring is the wiring diagrams have become very hard to come by, especially if you’re looking for something specific in better models or doing perfect restoration. However, we are here to bring you just that, one place to look up any wiring diagrams you might need.
Rarity – As we could guess, after 30+ years without new ones being produced, parts are very scarce to come by, and when you find a good deal or a part you’ve been looking for even months, it gets sold in just matter of minutes. This is the harsh reality, especially with the more rare and sought after parts, for example Cosworth parts all along. Weirdly enough, there’s still plenty of people throwing good condition parts to the trash daily instead of selling them or giving them out free to keep the community alive.
Starting – This is only specific to EFI models (from 1990 upwards), they carry an inertia switch (white button) in earlier models (1990 to 1991) in the spare tire well in the boot, or in newer later models (1991 to 1993) behind the kick panel in the drivers foot well. The inertia switch is supposed to cut off the electric fuel pump if you ever get into a crash minimizing the risk and size of the flames. However, these can be faulty, or it might have popped out from a pothole cutting your fuel all of a sudden without a warning. Push the white button inwards and you should be able to hear the fuel pump prime when you turn the ignition. However, it’s not uncommon to get rid of it and put the wires together to get rid of a possible problem or if the inertia switch has been faulty.