Rain delays mean I still haven't gotten my 'new' 2000 Chevy Metro 3cyl/5spd/3dr running & am still putting it back together to evaluate it, fixing as I go. Its only been here since Tues & on a rainy afternoon I called every wrecking yard in this county & the next looking for donor Metros. Found a 'new' U-Pull yard that's very convenient for me & much friendlier than the old 1. Not only is it free to look, but they said they had 3 newer Metros, a '97, '99 & '00! The old yard won't even hazard a guess, its $1.25 to look, they're snotty & had no Metros. The new gal's system needs help, the section she sent me to had no Metros, they'd been moved. However there weren't 3, there were 6! Their prices are very modest, they still hand out 'menus' & 'package deal'-"How about $20 for that box of parts?" As you might expect its getting popular & the cars can get picked. However I found 8 out about 20 items, including several items that might make the Metro run again.
Got the air cleaner hold down parts, fuel pressure regulator, ignition module, 'black box' next to it, but no crank position sensor. Bunch of other small cosmetic pieces & unused/hard spare. For an idea of prices: seats are $15, a mntd tire $10, headlite $15, bumper cover $20, muffler $10. Of course there weren't any perfect headlights-only hazy like mine, only 4 dr tail lights. Most items guaranteed-you can get another, or yard credit. Think I can get a muffler, forgot to look at headliners, will be back.
Hopefully the 'Snowball' will be running by then. Washed ~10 months of dirt, algae & mildew off it after today's rain stopped-its was turning green! Of course I might be looking for a tranny next time.
Not as "glad" as I am. Will be back Tues. Rechecked basic timing/wiring, then installed the ignition module, Power Unit J121 & fuel pressure regulator, but still get 2-3 weak sparks then nothing.
Suspect the crank position sensor & learned its the same on 1.3, so I'll get 1. Also a coil, TPS & FI'er, will test VG looking SP wires. If that doesn't do it I've got to consider replacing the 'brain'! Will only a 2000 work or will '98 & '99 be OK?
Noticed my eroded exhaust manifold is also cracked & recall a pristine looking 1 to recycle. How easy is it to remove studs from AL block? Must rely on recycling the 'new' studs. Are the old ones likely to be 'welded' in place?
Also noticed my rear muffler is perforated at seam, recall a fresh looking 1 at U-Pull & believe hatch & 4 dr use same muffler?
Can get dash center AC outlet, if I can figure out how to remove it?
No joy resurrecting the 993 cc Metro motor today, so I removed the L front fender & sat down w/hammer to beat out the dents, it was disconnected at bottom & would flap in the breeze. Now its nice & tight again, a minimum amount of Bondo will make it slick, if I ever paint it. Maybe just find another white fender that's straight?
Nice to have air cleaner back together & ordered a used owner manual on fleabay.
2-3 weak sparks then nothing could be a timing issue. Did you do the belt on this? I cannot remember if you did replace it or not. First thing really to do is to get a scan of the OBDII system to give you a good starting point.
Exhaust manifold will need heated before you remove them or the studs/bolts will break. A brand new muffler is like $80.00 from Walker.
The mechanic who ended up w/it, that I got it from, said it needed a timing belt. I originally worried when parts stores said it was an interference motor, but found the belt looked perfect. I'd expected missing teeth on the belt. Rolling it over & seeing the belt OK, I went on to the obviously broken distributor, assuming the cam timing OK when I got compression approaching TDC. Guess I have to consider that the same hands that boogered the distributor may've installed that timing belt.
Could being off a tooth, or so, result in the 2-3 sparks then nothing symptom? Guess so, the 'brain' would be confused between crank position & distributor pulse. Or should it just make normal sparks at the wrong time? Will check tomorrow & if its not on right I'll kick myself for assuming anything. Already got a Goodyear timing belt. Weren't points so easy?
Got a crank position sensor & coil today. Made no change, same 2-3 sparks, then nothing. Of course a couple days before I didn't know it used a crank sensor. The same sensor used on 3 cyl is also on 4 cyl that used them before distributorless.
Got the excellent $10 exhaust manifold, O2 sensor & gasket at U-Pull today & it came off easily, including the studs. Only 1 exhaust pipe bolt was seized, but they'd sawed off the cat, so it was easy to take home. Blue Tip wrench quickly freed it, all studs/bolts perfect to recycle. Hope the rusty studs come out of my 1.0 so easily.
I was quoted $68 for a Walker muffler. Today I got a 2000 Chevy Metro brochure that confirms the SS "muffler and tailpipe" so I'm wondering if Walker is SS. Had hoped to get a good used OEM muffler today, after being told the 3dr hatch used the same as 4 door-they are different.
Thanks again Johnny Mullet. Kicking myself & scratching my head. When I'd assumed the 'surprise' of finding the timing belt good also meant it was on right, it was supported by the distributor fitting in it's narrow window. Now I know that was just by chance. What I found deepens the mystery!
When I'd gone for TDC & found #1 cyl compression stroke I just trusted the mark on the crank pulley. Today I discovered that notch is far off the mark! In fact its not even close to the degree scale on the timing belt cover, its ~1" behind it! Why is not yet clear, is it a harmonic balancer w/rubber ring inserted that could slip? I had not tried to look at the piston thru spark plug hole & merely rotated the crank until the mark lined up. Today I did look at the piston & confirmed the odd problem w/crank pulley timing mark.
To make matters worse I'm embarrassed to report the cam timing mark is ~180 degrees off, which accounts for why the distributor just happened to fit. Its a good bet the same gorilla that mangled the distributor installed the timing belt.
Rechecking the timing belt brought back my other handicap, being limited to Haynes. I'd forgotten that a reason I left the 'surprise' good belt alone was that Haynes '85-'01 does not show the components in my '00 Metro. There's an entirely different cam sprocket & a crank pulley. So I set out for the library to find better information, struck out, then went to the Chevy dealer. Got a print out of the official GM procedure. However a mile wide downpour picked my property to dump on & it was the hottest day of summer, so it'll have to wait until morning.
The crank pulley has a keyway that may have sheared or worn to the point of no return making the mark so far off. While you are there, put a new front seal in.
Howdy! I'm down in Orlando. I got a '94 5-speed Geo Metro a couple of years ago. I've seen the Geo referred to elsewhere here on the forum as a "street legal go-cart" - hahaha! and I agree! I always wanted a go-cart when I was a kid and my last two vehicles (previous was a Ford Festiva) have been excellent buys. Anyway, I've looked around here in Central FL and the local junkyards had only ONE geo. That one had almost everything on it removed. So, I'm looking for a parts place, so if you don't mind sharing your info about the location of the yard, I'd deeply appreciate it. A pm would do, if you prefer.
I did the work on all four brakes six months ago, using a Haynes manual. This morning, I noticed that the fluid level went down, not all the way down, in the fluid resevoir so I filled it. Since I replaced the brakes I hadn't really monitored the fluid level. Now I'm going to keep an eye on it to see if there's a leak somewhere or if this low level is just the normal drain of fluid to accommodate the wear and tear of breaking in new brakes.
I may just have to bleed the brakes, JUST IN CASE air got into the line somewhere/somehow but, looking through the manual, I didn't find any reference to the brake fluid capacity. Any ideas?
Good luck to you with your Geo. I love the mileage.
Metro Resurrection
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