Geo Metro convertible / Kubota diesel engine conversion (driving!)

[metromizer]

Originally Posted by kimer6

...I also want to actually remove an early 4 cylinder Metro trans myself to be sure it is the tallest geared one. Mine is definitely NOT 3.5 final drive. It is more like 4.1 as near as I can tell...

Kimer, before getting too worked up over the fianl drive ratio in the trans, there's and EASY way to figure out what you have by just veiwing throught the trans fillplug hole.

All you need is brake Kleen, a flashlight, a paint stick. Remove the fillplug near the driver's side axle, spray with brake Kleen so the paint stick sticks, mark a tooth, while turning an axle you count teeth. Then you just match up your findings with the chart, below... check out this perfect link for the details, it is right up your alley (I cut-n-pasted from that link) It will also help you find another trans.

Ratio # of teeth on crown wheel
3.52:1 74teeth
3.79:1 72teeth
3.95:1 77teeth
4.10:1 78teeth
4.39:1 79teeth

Link:
Metro Transmission and Speedometer Gear Ratio Information–MetroXFi.com

[kimer6]

AWESOME! Thanks so much for this bit of info. I will absolutely use it when I go to Pick-N-Pull to make sure I get the 3.52 ratio...Kim

[Frederick]

Fan Task Tick !!!!


Ah yes, a 3.52 is very sweet.

[JackMcCornack]

Way cool, kimer6. I have a Kubota-powered sports car that's working great (great enough to win five grand in Escape from Berkeley) and I'm sorry I'm so late to find your forum. The xx05x series Kubotas have many parts in common, here are a few relavent part numbers that'll fit your engine:

90 degree thermostat cover: Part #1G25373260
Oil pan: Part #17523-01500
Oil pickup tube: Part #16261-32117

I'm using the D-1105T (1100cc, turbocharged, 32hp), have an overdrive five speed (Toyota T50) and a 3.30 rear end and it goes 71.5mph comfortably on flat ground (the governer kicks in at 3000 and it stops accelerating). It's nowhere near as streamlined as a Metro but a heck of a lot lighter (about 1100 pounds) and I'm having great fun with it as a daily driver and cross-country cruiser...I've put 3000+ miles on it in the last two weeks. But one difference is, I plunked down the (gulp) $4k for a new engine, and the only times it smokes are one puff when I start it, and one time passing a truck on Tioga Pass at 9000 feet...and I think I can solve that with an altitude-compensating turbo control.

[Frederick]

Hi there Jack....
PICTURE?????
Thanks.

[kimer6]

Jack...yes I wanna see! Where are you? Tioga Pass is California. Any emissions or registration problems there? kim

[JackMcCornack]

In Oregon, and registration was a piece of cake. The engine is Tier 4, and thought the parts per million may not quite meet CA auto standards, it makes so little exhaust tham I'm probably okay on parts per mile.

We did Tioga Pass on the way home from Vegas; it had been closed by snow on the trip down.

There was a nice pic in the New York Times...
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/15/us/15eco.html

...and there's lots of stuff on my web site, Kinetic Vehicles

PS--more about the competition, plus a nice 8 pic slide show at...
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/13/us/13eco.html

[pugmanic]

Originally Posted by kimer6

Thank you Jason. I hear that Great Britain has many makes and models of small turbo diesels with common rail injection, computer controls, excellent drivability, and low emissions. The USA will not allow them to be imported. So, the Kubota was my only choice in the 24hp 1 liter range.

Yes we do - but tbh they are developed over seas. The Frech and Germans were the true diesel pioneers until recent years. Diesel has been big in main land Europe for decades, where as its only in relatively recent years that the UK has taken it seriously. This as usual is down to the price for Fuel.

I was quite pleased the other day filling up the Pug with fuel when the price had come down from 129.9p per litre to 106.9p (now roughly $6.22 per US Gallon).

Citroen, Peugeot, Renault and VW were really the major developers of small diesel cars.

[kimer6]

I wish someone would sell them to us with cheap water pumps attached as "farm service duty" so we can import them, throw away the pump and make decent highly efficient experimental cars...but our government is run by lawyers who don't know that wrenches come in different sizes.

[kimer6]

Update: The diesel Metro runs pretty well right now. As I thought, the injection timing was too retarded and one injector had a bad spray pattern. It takes 2 springs inside the governor to get 3900 rpm from the Kubota. Shifts will be at 3600 or so. I moved the top governed speed out of the way because it is so annoying to hit the governor like a rev limiter on a gas engine just as you are shifting.

Smoke is almost non existant now. But the fuse block melted down yesterday when I turned on the blinkers. I don't want to push my luck until the fuse block is changed out. The headlights also don't work.

A bit of advice for anyone wanting to put something like this together....forget using the generator Kubota engine with 1800rpm decal on the valve cover....like mine. This governor is completely different than the ones rated 3000 or 3600rpm. It is a "2 fork" type, with very few adjustments. You need the 3 arm governor to make it drivable. This has a speed variable injection pump timing and a torque limiter to cut excess exhaust smoke. I wish I had known this sooner. My injection timing is by shims. It is now set to run well at 3000 but rattles and knocks pretty good at idle. It costs over $1000 to buy the parts I really need for the centrifugal advancer. I'll keep looking for used pieces. It is a little peppier with the re shimmed injection pump now. Keep you posted.....