Adventures in METROing

[Will]

Greetings from Tennessee yall’. Welcome to my humble little thread. This thread is about my adventures in and with my 1997 Geo Metro.

[Will]

I got the car on a really good deal, but had to drive 300 miles into Missouri to get it. The car was in pretty bad trouble. It had been in a frontal collision and only ran on 2 cylinders. My history with the Metro (I have owned two before) told me that all was not lost. The lower control arms were in good shape and that was the most important thing. I bought the car.

[Will]

Now that I bought the car I had to get it 300 miles home. I decided that if the car made it the engine was strong enough to rebuild, and if it did not make it I would tow it and buy a new engine. It made it 300 miles on 2 cylinders getting about 30 MPG or less. I put more gas in that Metro than I did my wife’s Buick Century on that trip. It was funny in hindsight coming through the mountains doing 60 downhill and 5 uphill. I stalled it twice and used the Buick to pull it up one hill.

[Will]

I rebuilt the engine long before joining this site, so I have no pics. Here is a thread where JohnnyMullet rebuilt his. I did pretty much the same thing, but with a little less insight given that he is a mechanic and I am certainly not.

Mullet's Metro Project

[Will]

One thing I did on my rebuild that I have not seen here was the gasoline test. CAUTION: THE FOLLOWING IS DANGEROUS AND SHOULD BE DONE CAREFULLY.

When I took the head off of the engine I found that my number two exhaust valve was burned through. I thought that was the only problem. My dad, a mechanic, suggested that I pour gasoline into the cylinders and watch what happened. I turned the engine so that #1 was not TDC and tried it. I noticed that the gas stayed in numbers one and three, but ran right through number two. This indicated that the piston and or rings were bad. I could not have found this on a compression test because of the hole in that exhaust valve.

I pulled the pistons and noticed that there was a crack in number 2 from the bottom of the skirt to the top of the dome. I can only guess what would have happened if I had subjected this to full compression…

IF YOU DO THE ABOVE TEST MAKE SURE TO CHANGE YOUR OIL BEFORE YOU START YOUR ENGINE. YOU DO NOT WANT FUEL IN THE CRANKCASE WHEN YOU START IT UP.

[Will]

After I rebuilt the engine I broke the engine in by using conventional oil for the first 7,000 miles. I changed it at 500, 1,000, 2,500, and 5,000 miles. I noticed a lot of metal on the 500 mile change, but that decreased over the next few changes. I had a good deal of blow-by the first 2000 miles, but that went away too. I did this on regular gas using normal driving habits. I would also get a little more aggressive at times. The thought behind this was that the engine would run how I broke it in. I do not know if that is true, but it made sense to me. I switched to synthetic oil at 7,500 miles.

[Will]

The car had been in an impact before I got it. It was hard enough to deploy the airbags, which had been replaced. I got most of the dents out by hand. I dropped the wheel wells out and pulled out most of the interior tri. I used my hand to push out as many as I could. It is better now, but not perfect. One problem is my alignment. I have had it fixed, but due to the damage my driver’s side tire is two inches behind my passenger side. This seems to be ok, but the car vibrates at higher speed.

[Will]

I have added fog lights to the Metro. The area I drive in is out in the middle of nowhere with a heavy population of deer. The lights are mounted inside my “guppy mouth” to minimize overall aerodynamic impact. They are aimed out a few degrees to the sides to increase the area of light. I ran my switch behind the gear shift because it is not something I need to reach very often. I work a rotational shift and only need them ½ of my commute two weeks out of the month. They have made a very big difference in visibility.

[Will]

During the initial time I had this car on the road I had several problems with oil leaks. This kept ruining my air filters. I used a dryer vent from a clothes dryer and ran it from the air cleaner to the front of the grill. I noticed that this made a difference in my power from the start. I decided to keep it even after I fixed all of the oil problems. There are too many bends in it to call it a CAI. Every week I open the air cleaner and take the filter out. I turn it upside down and bang it out. I mostly get dead bugs out of it. I think the bees fly up there when I am at home and die on my commute. I never have any other problems, and the filter does not get dirty. It is still white.

[Funny]

Originally Posted by Will

One problem is my alignment. I have had it fixed, but due to the damage my driver’s side tire is two inches behind my passenger side. This seems to be ok, but the car vibrates at higher speed.

I am not your mother, but may I suggest that you go to your closest body shop with a fairly expensive piece of equipment called a Frame Straightener. Have them straighten the frame, grind off the spots that they make when they clamp the frame, and have them perform a four-wheel alignment. This will solve your vibration issues. The frame being this, for the lack of better words, ----ed up, you will whip though tires, lack control at high speed, and present a dangerous hydroplaning potential in the rain. Just my $0.02. Good luck and keep on Hypermiling .

[Will]

I had them check it out when they did the alignment, and the unibody is not bent. That is just fine. The arms monting the wheel to the vehicle are bent. I will have to replace the whole assembly to fix it. I will someday, but it only vibrates over 60, and that is faster than my 55 mph takes me.

[Will]

I decided that my Metro did not need a passenger mirror, afterall, it's not like I spend any time in the hammer lane. Removal was easy.

1. Pull trim piece off on inside
2. Unscrew mirror
3. Pull the mirror off
4. cut something and put in it's place to cover the hole

I used an old top from a storage bin. I cut out the shape using a utility knife. I spray painted it black and glued it to the car using black RTV sealant.

<<I will update with pic later>>

[Johnny Mullet]

Glad you can share the info on your mods.

[whitevette]

Originally Posted by Will

I did this on regular gas using normal driving habits. I would also get a little more aggressive at times. The thought behind this was that the engine would run how I broke it in. I do not know if that is true, but it made sense to me.

This is old wive's tale # 37 ! From a machine's view, it makes little sense. All the lapped seals between the various metals depend on three things - 1) Do not over-heat or over-load. 2) Always provide a clean ( not "clear") lubricant. And 3) Do not abuse ( like your break-in procedure ). There is a definite difference between "lap-in" and "BREAK-in".
Have one of them "nice days."

[93Cobra#2771]

Very cool, and hello from a fellow Tennessean! East Tennessee, actually - Sweetwater to be exact.

[Will]

Originally Posted by whitevette

This is old wive's tale # 37 ! From a machine's view, it makes little sense. All the lapped seals between the various metals depend on three things - 1) Do not over-heat or over-load. 2) Always provide a clean ( not "clear") lubricant. And 3) Do not abuse ( like your break-in procedure ). There is a definite difference between "lap-in" and "BREAK-in".
Have one of them "nice days."

Hmmm... I don't think you understand my idea of "more aggressive". You should check out my mpg log. My idea of more aggressive is most people's idea of normal. Thank you for your input, though.

[Will]

Originally Posted by 93Cobra#2771

Very cool, and hello from a fellow Tennessean! East Tennessee, actually - Sweetwater to be exact.

Wow... That is some serious mpgs given the terrain in that part of the state.

[MetroMPG]

So, on your 2008-10-28 fill in your fuel log, you got 61 mpg - nice! But you say "This is cool, but too much like work!". Details?

(Sorry if you already talked about this somewhere else.)

[Will]

Getting 61.33 with just a vac. gauge was a lot of work. I would be going 55 down hills, and 25-35 up hills. I spent my all time above 15 in. of vac.

It made the drivers around me a lot more aggressive, and almost got me in two wrecks from people passing me across the double yellow. I guess I have become a little more gun shy behind the wheel than I used to be. It was really nerve racking.

I was really glad to hit that mark, but I guess lately I have begun to be a little more worried on the road. I think maybe time will fix that.

[Funny]

You just have to stick to it, man. That is the hardest part is ignoring the jerk behind you that thinks he/she is running late and you are the one holding them up . It is a skill that is quite difficult to hone.