Friendly Wager: 60 mpg 95 Mercury Tracer

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by M_a_t_t

Also a note to any escort/tracer owners looking into lean burn; I am running Potenza re92's which are 165/65 r14. Stock size is bigger (175/65 r14) so mph readings I've posted are accurate with the smaller tires.

Last time I saw such narrow tyres, they were meant for 13-inch rims.

[M_a_t_t]

Do metro transmissions have syncro problems? I cant decide if I want to try and rebuild the transmission or just put it in. Car had like 150k miles I think.

Once I get the van back together and some junk cleaned up around the house I will probably start the swap.

[serialk11r]

Maybe I'm crazy, but my first car had shot synchros and I drove it for 3 years just fine (double clutched all downshifts, some upshifts). If I took it to a race track then maybe that would be a problem, but on the street the engine rpm fell between upshifts more than quickly enough.

[M_a_t_t]

Originally Posted by serialk11r

Maybe I'm crazy, but my first car had shot synchros and I drove it for 3 years just fine (double clutched all downshifts, some upshifts). If I took it to a race track then maybe that would be a problem, but on the street the engine rpm fell between upshifts more than quickly enough.

Was the first car a metro? It is very likely I will be trying to megasquirt it (mostly for experience) and having to deal with that at the same time seems like an unnecessary hassle.

[serialk11r]

It was an MR2 Spyder w/ a 1ZZ-FE and 5 speed. IMO the transmission shouldn't have much to do with it, because they're both cable throttle so you have similar engine deceleration off throttle.

If you're messing with an electronically controlled throttle, then yea maybe it's a good idea to have a transmission that shifts well in case you don't have the transient behavior dialed in.

[M_a_t_t]

I was cleaning the transmission off and noticed some cracks near the tail end. They don't seem very deep or anything. Picture isn't very good, but you can kinda see them. Has anyone else noticed cracks in their metro transmissions? Does it seem like something I should worry about (maybe just keep an eye on it?)?

[MetroMPG]

Originally Posted by M_a_t_t

Do metro transmissions have syncro problems?

I seem to recall more than a couple of owners reported 2nd gear synchro wear.



My first Firefly had a slightly crunchy 2nd gear, remedied by going with GM semi-synthetic Synchromesh gear oil from the more viscous recommended weight.



But my other 3 had no synchro problems.

[M_a_t_t]

(temporary) Bad news. The trailing arms broke and the mounting points so rusted I won't be able to just replace (plus they are $50 a piece). I will probably take the tail off and put the trunk lid back on. Attempt to seal all the holes in the car. Then at some point cut out the rusted stuff and try to weld in some new mounts. Goal would be before winter so I can keep the rest of my stuff out of the salt.



Edit: I got it rigged up for now, but the next major repair will be the trailing arms.

[M_a_t_t]

I had gotten it rigged up again, but the passenger side broke (again) due to rust. I ordered the trailing arm for a 94 protege because the ford's are unavailable and the early 90's protege used the same body/chassis. I tried to take the bolt out of the front for the trailing arm and it was just too rusty. The busing was still pretty good though. After looking at the car in more detail though it's just too rusty to try to keep it longterm. So rather than risk having to weld new mounts on I cut the old and new trailing arm in half and bolted them together. So far everything seems fine. I think right now my plan is to just continue driving it until something really breaks or if it just gets really bad. Then I want to buy another one, but this time from somewhere with no rust.

The saddest part: I removed the tail. It was getting tattered due to poor material choices and I opted to just remove it. I wasn't sure how much of a difference it made, but WOW I just got back from my moms (previous record of 48 MPG US) and although I didn't do any EOC I did plenty of coasting in N and I still only managed ~35. Usually at the time of day and traffic level I could easily get ~38 with no EOC. I can't say I noticed it slowing down faster, but the mpg for the trip is really eye opening.

Immediately after removing the tail:


Putting the trunk and lights back in:

[M_a_t_t]

I found a 95 tracer wagon just down the road from me. Looks like it got traded in to a used car lot. 112k miles and same drivetrain as my car. The important thing though is that it appears to have little to no rust. I am going to stop by tomorrow and ask about it. The dealer that it was traded into doesn't sell many older cars. The oldest on their website (for my city and all nearby ones) is an 05. Maybe something will work out.