1992 Metro sedan needs a new engine - What/Where/How - advice appreciated greatly!

[Crono]

Ok, so my dad's here and he went out and took a look at things. I think I also have a little better idea of what went wrong. Basically, something wasn't rebuilt right with the crankshaft, something of a wrong size (key?) was put on somewhere, and at a certain point it kept spinning but didn't spin anything but itself because it had worn out due to the wrong size, and a bunch of stuff kind of got wratched up as a result.

We're going to try some kind of patch job on this in the next day or two here to see if we can get it running again, I'll see if I can get some pictures of the damage to clarify for lack of my better choice of words.

One thing I'm wondering is if anybody could tell me which cylinder is the #1 on this car? (If you're facing from the front of the car?)

[gwahir]

The left one. Also on the passanger side front of the engine you will see a two bolt motor mount. Pad a floor jack, place it under the oil pan, and then remove those two bolts. You will then be able to lower the engine and see your area of concern through the wheel well.

[Crono]

Alright, so we JB welded the outside gear onto the crankshaft (that was what had stopped working because there was a wrong-sized key or something like that, not sure) and have put it back together...only problem now is that the pulley which holds the alternator belt is kind of wobbly. Not sure if the gear at the bottom isn't on straight or if the pulley somehwere along the way got warped. Anyway, other than that it runs pretty nicely, sounds good and everything, but might have to tinker around with the timing a little still.

Once this thing is for sure running properly, I'll worry a little more about other ecomods. The fact that it's JB welded together makes me a little hesitant to put too much work into it though. (Maybe if it's not in the engine department)

If I were to get an engine rebuilt for this thing, would there be anything I could change "while I'm at it" in order to make it better on gas afterwards?

[gwahir]

Ya dun gud. Kudos to you and your dad. Perfect alignment of you jbed part would be difficult, but if it runs, it is better than not running! The 'repair' didn't cost much and the experience is educational. I am not sure about the jbed solution compared to a real weld, but lets see how it goes.
Higher compression (shaved head) might help gas milage, although others here would know more than I do about that. XFI regrind on the cam works well, and you can move the cam to any future engine.

[Johnny Mullet]

So I presume the shear pin (key) was not inserted right or broke and this caused the crank to wear the main pulley or even wore the crankshaft end. Using JB Weld to fill in the worn area is not really a permanent fix in my opinion, but who knows! I am guessing the other part is wobbly because maybe you guys did not get it centered perfectly, but I would run the thing till it goes again and that could be a long time. It looked like this.........................





Another thing you could do is make a new keyway 180 degrees from the original with a dremel tool or die grinder and mount the gear 180 off, but that would require some precise measurements.

In the meantime, maybe locate a crankshaft, main and rod bearings,crank pulley, seals, gaskets, etc so you have the stuff you need on hand.

[99metro]

If you do decide to go JDM (replacement motor) in the future, Nippon Motors has them. I got mine about 40k miles ago and still going strong. Yes, I put the older engine in it in a newer Metro.

Nippon Motors

The engine prices have gone up since I bought mine 2 years ago - was $295, now $395. Still worth it since engine parts can add up when you buy them separate for rebuilding.

[Christ]

Nippon-motors.com The engine code is G10 from Suzuki for the 3 cylinder, G16 for the 4 cylinder.

PS, if you wanted, you could sell the pistons from that engine, if they're useable. Honda guys eat them up for turbo pistons, since they pretty much drop into D-series honda engines (all Civic 88-99, basically) and lower the compression substantially. They use the Vitara's pistons, but the Vitara uses the G16 engine, and the G10 is the same piston, just one less cylinder and a diff stroke.

Also, in fixing your crankshaft issue, open the keyway for the stupid little key thing up to the next size before inserting it... worst case scenario, you screw up a bit and you're off .5*... which won't make a comprehensible difference.