|
Alright, a few updates.
I finally got the car on the road today and got to REALLY put it through its paces. I have found the CV axles will need replacing (one probably pretty soon, the other not needed as soon). For a temporary patch till I can do such, I will be cleaning the CV joints tomorrow and packing some CV joint grease in them. The boots are shot so no worries about screwing them up lol. While I'm at it, I will be getting a closer look at the tie rods/ball joints. It seems the rack and pinion steering sounds and feels a little "dry". Anyone know what to look for lubing on that system? When steering you can slightly "feel" what reminds me of metal rubbing against dry rubber. I presume something needs lubing. A replacement is around $250 plus labor (I lack the skills to do it) so hopefully I won't need such.
As well, the car coasts like a brick. It drops quite a bit of speed (more so than I would have thought). I'm suspecting the CV joints are contributing but it may also be bad alignment.
Not sure exactly when pictures will be had, tomorrow is the Red Beans first fill up in my hands. The maintenance records are unknown except I did spot evidence in the glove box and under the hood that it had it's oil changed at around 86K miles. It probably needs another oil change. Transmission fluid looks and smells fine so will likely be changing it as well since unsure when it was last changed. The coolant also looks like it needs changing. Not sure when all this will get done, time and money will tell.
I am curious if anyone else here has a 2001 Chevy Metro. If so, I would be interested in an audio recording of the engine running to compare. I always like to get comparisons when I can. Each engine design can make different noises.
After a closer look over the body, the aerodynamics look pretty crappy. A lot of room for improvement, especially in the rear and on the front.
The upcoming work for the Red Bean will be a tune up and solving of the issues with it. Once it is in good running shape, then I will focus more on "other mods". I have plenty I want to try.
Overall, it drives well. The steering is nice and precise (if it weren't for the noises I would think nothing is wrong with it). It has a bit of pep, although still pretty slow to get going lol. It sounds like it's going somewhere fast, yet isn't. It shifts smoothly, but only having three gears will be something I need to get used to. I have to learn when it shifts. So far it shifts into second at a pretty low speed and doesn't shift into third till over 55MPH. My typical route is mostly 45mph with a few miles of 55mph and a mile of 25mph. Will be interesting to see how I handle it. Once I get the front end work done, I may just take the interstate to get it into third gear and hover just above it.
I've already taken out the "factory AM/FM radio" but haven't installed the "new" radio yet. I misplaced the wiring diagram for the Metro. I noticed they sure don't give you much wire to work with lol. It will be interesting cutting the stock connector and wiring up the new connector with big hands in a small radio compartment. I have what some have called bear hands.
*end of updates
__________________
|