Ben Nelson's Electro-Metro Build thread

[bennelson]

Today, I officially got the gas tank off the Metro - including the filler tube.

The gas tank was full - that's right FREE 8 gallons of gas with my purchase of the car.

I got the catalytic converter completely off.

I also started unhooking little wires and hoses in the engine compartment.
I disconnected the alternator and starter, and lots of wire harness bits.

Out of town tommorrow and I have to fix the alternator on my wifes car Sunday.

Not sure when I will be working on the Metro next....

[bennelson]

I got the new alternator put on the Sunfire. Had some time available after that, so I kept working on the Geo.

I poked around the engine trying to find out what holds the engine to the transmission. Doesn't look like a lot.

I put a couple of jacks under the transmission and engine. Took out all the bolts. Wiggled everything around for a while. Found that last bolt that was in there. Took that out. Wiggled everything again.

Took off the starter. Turns out the bolt for that goes through the starter actually comes off the transmission, through the engine, and through the starter.

I don't have an engine hoist. I DO have lots of weird ropes, cables, and pullys.

I rigged up cable, rope, and a couple of moveable pulleys to hook to the top of the engine.

I don't seem to have enough room in the engine compartment to slide the engine out of the transmission. Is there some sort of trick to it?

Darin, how did you do it? Do you have to take the transmission out at the same time too? I really wanted to leave it for now.

PS: In case you haven't figured it out yet - I have never done ANYTHING like this before - I have no clue what I am doing!!!!

I am just following the Haynes repair manual and trying to figure this all out!!!

PS: My sister stopped by today. She seemed pretty excited that I chose to convert a Metro. Both she and her husband had Metros. She now has a Focus, and he still has a 2000 3 cylinder Metro. (He said I can convert his to electric once I am done with my "prototype".)

[SVOboy]

I would advise you to just pull the whole thing at once. Much easier in most cases.

[Ryland]

I agree, pull the two of them together and save alot of pain, the tranny is light so re-installing it should be a breeze.

[MetroMPG]

Ryland's right - the transmission is fairly light (~65 lbs), so putting it back in isn't that hard.

I imagine wiggling the engine off the transmission would be quite difficult, mostly because they have to remain perfectly aligned to keep the clutch hub from binding on the transmission input shaft as you separate them. There are a couple of guide pins between the engine and bell housing which will also probably tend to bind during the wiggling process.

When I changed the Blackfly's transmission, I left the engine in the car, and I had quite a time with the tranny (and it was easier, since I was only wrestling the lighter transmission, not the heavier engine).

Don't forget to drain the transaxle oil before pulling the drive shafts from the differential.

[bennelson]

Can anyone tell me what they think the engine from this car is worth?

It did seem to be in fine running condition, and it made left-hand turns in first gear very well.

Of course I am trying to recoup as much money as I can on this.

I also have the starter and alternator which I could sell seperately or together with the engine.

Any thoughts!?


I am also a little confused about which "generation" of Metro this is.
The manufacture date on the door frame says May 1996, and the title says it's a 1996 Model Year.

When looking in my repair manual, the engine looks like the one listed in the "1994 and earlier" photo, NOT the one in the "1995 and later" photo.

There are a couple of pix on Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geo_Metro

My headlights look like the ones in the 1st gen pic and bumper looks like the one in the 2nd gen pic. (except it's black)

Looking closer at the photos of the two generations in my repair manual; there are a few non-engine differences. The 1st gen battery is parallel to the side of the car, and the 2nd gen is on an angle, and the coolant resevoir is in a little different location.

My battery bracket and coolant resevoir match the 2nd gen photo.

Also, on the title, it lists "Additional Vehicle Detail: Titled in WI as: Rebuilt Salvage.

Does this mean that I have a 2nd gen car that had the engine pulled out and a 1st gen engine put in it? I still have no idea why a gen 2 car would have gen 1 headlights. There is NO sign of any front end damage on this car.

The engine wiring harness all looked original - not modified for engine changes. Does anyone know if engines are often interchangeable between car generations?

Wikipedia lists the Suzuki 1.0L and 1.3L engines for both generations. I would imagine the engines would be the same and they just changed the air filter and a few other components external to the engine.

Part of why I am asking all this is I found a guy looking for a 3 cylinder for his '98 Metro. I am not sure how much money to ask from him, and if the engines would be 100% interchangeable.

[metroschultz]

Junk yards in your area are charging $300 to $700 for that motor.
I say split the difference and sell for $500.
I have no clue what Salvage Title means in WI.
In Va. it means the car was totaled by an insurance company, purchased by someone who wanted to fix it, repaired by same, Inspected by DMV, and deemed safe for re-entry to the system.
The repairer is not obligated in any way to use year model parts.
I thought your lights were wrong when I saw the first pictures of the Metro.
You may have an older front clip welded to a newer back half.
Look underneath for recent paint, or undercoating or visible welding.
This is no reason to condemn your ride.
Just info to be aware of.Again I have no Idea what it means in WI.
But I don't think it could be too far off from VA.
Stay on track. We're all pulling for you.
S.

[bennelson]

Thanks Schultz,

I think what you said about the salvage sounds about right.

Anyone know what a used catalytic converter on this thing is worth? I saw generic ones at the auto parts store web page were as cheap as $90 and went up to $150 or more for "performance".

[metroschultz]

You will have to get the Yellow Pages out and look for a recycler that will accept Cat's.
You can not sell them used. EPA. In our area the recyclers pay from $25 to $50 depending on size and condition.
Have fun.
S.

[bennelson]

(The Author poses in his car with his favorite tools...)


The engine is out! I already got the gas tank out earlier, so the car is now officially gasoline free!!!!!

I ended up seperating the engine and transmission and pulling the engine out the top.

I have never worked on transmissions or CV joints before, and disconnecting everything in the transaxel looked daunting.

The engine did not snap my tiny, makeshift rope block & tackle system, and did NOT fall and crush me!!!

It also got above freezing today, and I noticed that my socket set is finally ice-free.

With the engine out, I rolled the car backwards, out of the way, and then lowered the engine down onto my bathroom scale. With the alternator, it weighs about 150 lbs. I got smart this time and put the scale back in the house when I was done.

Then I wrestled the engine onto a dolly, so that I could move it around as needed.

With the car now out of the garage (and light enough for me to push back uphill without the electric starter boost) I was able to clean my work area and properly put away all my tools.

I am very excited; I feel like I really got something done.

More photos here.