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Just picked up a 95 GEO Metro Lsi (auto) with 68K on the dial for $1800 CAN. It's in great shape with a 1year old exhust system, new brakes, new plug cables, new timing belt and new coil. After market Sony CD/AM/FM with rear speakers sitting in truck for some reason not hooked up. (?)
It's in a funky metallic purple that has a few chips and scratches that I want to touch up. Does anyone know the paint code off hand for this colour? Is the paint code in my VIN number?
This is my third car of this type of class.
- Had an 89 Chev Sprint (3cly) which I put 346K . The clutch caught fire, jammed the car in gear, locked the front end, clutch cable broke and the car slid to the side of the road and burnt to the ground. Not a good day - not a good way to end a relationship with what was agood car. Saved the child car seat and my cell phone.
- Had a 97 3 door, 4cly, 5 speed Geo Metro. Got to 80K before deer decided to mate with car at 120KPH. Deer ended up in backseat and took passenger side airbag with it, (Gift wrapped?). Gave the cop the deer.
This is going to be my kids car as I won't let her drive the 05 CTS and she "can't be seen" in the 97 Taraus Wagon! So the *Grape* is her car.
Hello all, I have a question of why my oil pressure light won't go out after I just rebuilt my
engine in my '92 Geo Metro. I used all standard size bearings. I pulled my oil pressure sending
unit and started it to see if any oil is getting to it and oil started coming out of the hole so
oil is being pumped, just not very much it seems. When I put it together I used assembly lube on
all the bearings, could it be that this lube is blocking the passages some and might just take
awhile of running to get through? I let it run for a minute or so and pulled my oil fill cap off
to see if any oil was being thrown by the cam and it doesn't appear that it is. I also noticed
when I was putting it together the oil passages on the head gasket I used didn't seem to be the
same sizes as the passages on the head and block. The rebuild kit I used is by ITM if anyone has
used them before. I've only let it run a couple of minutes since the rebuild but since the light
isn't going off I'm not sure it's a good idea to let it run much more w/o knowing why it doesn't
appear to have oil pressure. Any input would be appreciated.
Also, the brake pedal has always had a lot of travel. New brakes on the front and rear have not fixed this...any thoughts?
Thanks,
thanks
Consider this labor: probably around $400 US from your local grease slinger. Rebuilt transmission, probably $500-$1000 US (just guessing)
Salvage yard, probably around $150-$250 US (just guessing)
check out JDM (Japanese domestic marketing) that is where I just got my engine from, they have low mileage engines and transmissions. good luck!
When I was putting my engine in the alternator wire grounded out, and I blew the main 60A. I popped the top off the fuse and put a drop of soldier on it. WARNING! dont do that its dangerous, and can ruin your parts, I only did that in the shop, until I could get a replacement.
check the codes. record them then clear the codes, umm pull the brake light fuse I think. then run it a few mins and check the codes again. It could be a stored error from the past screwing things up.
All I can say about the oil under the valve cover is that I noticed small ie 1.5L engines dont usually 'sling' much if any oil under the valve cover on an OHC at idle. It just kinda dribbles down from the main caps. but thats just my experience.
Hope I've helped
I finally found that the O2 wires just above the sensor were shorting together. I managed to buy some of that electrical tape in a can, I brushed that on and all is well again.
Thanks for all of the suggestions that I got, I did try some of them but unfortunately they didn't work.
Hans
Thanks
Hans
Can anyone provide step-by-step instructions on how to do this? Apparently we can get the part for about $20, so of course would want to install ourselves.
Thanks in advance for any help.
Lianne
It also seems to improve when I run injector cleaner through the gas tank, but the fix is only temporary.
Any ideas would be appreciated.
80K miles on it so far - engine remains top notch; ditto clutch, 5 speed manual transaxle, etc. I had front seats re-covered locally @ $150 a seat - well worth it in a (then) 10 yr old car I intended to keep.
I consistently get 32 -35 mpg in town; out of town depends on speed & wind. 70 mph @ no wind - 40 - 42 mpg; 75 (OK tollway - legal!) into 25 - 30 mph headwind - 30 mpg.
Goes 3000 miles betw oil changes & have never had to add oil.
Both Bridgestone & Pirelli 55 profile tires (as specified in the book) are awful; I now have a set of Michelins on it - 60 profile, so speedometer is off 5%, but much better traction on wet streets, smoother ride, and handling just as good. A bit of a penalty on acceleration, but on a car that takes > 20 seconds from 0 to 60, it doesn't really matter!
I hope you enjoy yours - I'm guessing it's not a ragtop - mine is & I'm still in love with it.
My interior is in really good shape other than the dashboard, which needs to be replaced. I had it repainted the original color (Polynesian Green) and I had a new custom white ragtop put on last fall. The top is usually down, especially since the A/C keeps going south. I'm not going to spend any more money on it for a while.
Thanks again for writing. I guess I won't worry about it for a while. I've always thought it was crazy to think three cylinders could run as smoothly as four. Where are you in OK? I bought this one in Tulsa.
Will upgrading my tire size from 155/80/13 to 175/70/13 (2001 1.3 auto) hurt my fuel mileage (a solid 33 mixed driving)? Has anyone done this? Is hydroplaning worse when upgrading the tire size? Please advise. Go Metro! 61K and reliable city.
My paint still looks good if I wax it, but, after 13 years, the clearcoat is gone. I took it to a body shop recently - the owner told me to wax it 4 times a year and not spend the $$ to have it repainted until the actual paint (blue) deteriorates. Yesterday I had it washed - then I used Kit car wax on it - it still looks good. Also, to get the scratches out of the rear window I use Kit scratch remover - I still have the original window, and it is in really good shape. Of course, it has been garage kept - I think that helps, but, like you, it's driven almost every day. In winter, with lots of snow, I drive my 4wd F250 stick Diesel - "slight" difference in clutch pressure & torque!
Best to you.
Larger diameter tires WILL negatively affect acceleration - so be prepared for that.
Best to you.
Fireflies worth talking about are the 3 cylinder models coupled with a five
speed. I've read through all of these postings for fun, and afterward I got the feeling that there should be a separate forum for us. Why did they ever bother building
a four cylinder automatic for this car? It only boosted the horsepower slightly and killed the fuel economy. An automatic with overdrive Chevy Cavalier with more than twice the engine does better in fuel economy. I think people in North America have a stigma with the whole idea of driving a car with only 3 cylinders. I've never had trouble getting up to highway speeds even with 3 adults in the car. I think that a lot of people need to change their thinking before our crisis gets worse. I have owned a 1997 Geo Metro for seven years now with no major problems. I've got 80,000 miles on it, and my only complaint is that its rusting out. I live in an area where there is way too much salt used on the roads, so it is a losing battle. I've never had the opportunity to keep it in a garage, so that does not help. I cared for it with Mobil One synthetic, and it does not burn any oil. It runs as good as day one. I am currently looking for another one from the south or out west, 95 or newer unless I found a mint XFi. I really wish they still made these cars, they are very difficult to find with what I'm looking for. I'm guessing people either trash these
cars, or don't let go of them.
.
I had the opportunity to drive an automatic rental Metro convertible (3 cylinder) in Miami the summer before I bought my stick. My thoughts at the time were that, if the car came with a decent 5 speed & clutch, it would be a fun car to drive. I sure never wanted to own that 3 cylinder engine coupled to the 3 speed automatic. Absolutely terrible acceleration - maybe 10 - 15 seconds to 30mph???
Having kept it for 13 years (and still willing to hand wax it - I'm nearly 63), I guess I could say that the 5 speed has been a fun car - at least I'm still in love with it! You'd get a second opinion, though, from my wife. The seats hurt her back unless we pad the seat with lots of pillows, and she really has no desire to examine the undercarriage of 18 wheelers at 70mph while driving down the highway!
Is your blue one the metallic blue or the bright one? Thanks for the advice about the KIT scratch remover. I already have some bad ones on the new back window. Do you have the scratch protector piece that was supposed to attach to the velcro on the top? MIne was long gone when I bought it.
Take care.
Yes, I still have the scratch protector - it is vinyl on one side (the side which does NOT touch the window) and sort of a thin terry-cloth on the other. I had misplaced it earlier this summer, and we just used a soft beach towel in its place. For the few weeks I needed it (until I found the original), it seemed to work quite well.
Per another comment also written today, don't be afraid to use the Metro for long-distance travel. Mine never had air conditioning - and my wife and I had some very uncomfortable Sunday afternoon drives home to Amarillo from Albuquerque - top town, we just got too much sun - top up, and the heat got even worse.
When I retired, I knew I'd be doing some travelling without my wife, since she wasn't ready to retire yet. I already trusted the Metro in snow, but I added after-market air conditioning (a place in Phoenix) in May of 2004. That meant I could travel however far I wanted any time of the year. In the last 2 years, the car has been to St. Louis, Chicago (twice), Washington (DC), El Paso, Albuquerque - this time with air!, and Austin several times. One of the Chicago trips & the DC trip were both in winter.
In all that travel, the only unexpected incident came when someone pulled up alongside me at a stop light in east Texas. All of a sudden I heard an extremely loud exhaust. Unfortunately, when the person pulled away, the noise remained. I pulled over into a parking lot, opened the hood, and found out that one of my 3 spark plugs had come out of the cylinder head. Can't explain it - the plug had been there between 5k & 10k miles. I let it cool off a bit, carefully seated it so I wouldn't strip the threads, then used my thin wall deep socket (normally used for removing my alloy wheels - fortunately the wheel nuts & the spark plugs turned out to be the same size) to tighten the plug. Voila - problem solved. When I got home, I had my regular mechanic torque all the plugs to proper specs.
Perhaps the most "interesting" travel segment in all the above was from Joplin to Oklahoma City. The tollroad is posted at 75mph, and, at least for someone who's lived in Amarillo for 25 years, lots of hills. Oh yeah, summertime & the new compressor, as well. Oh - did I forget to mention? A 25 mph headwind, too. At least the Metro tried to stay at the posted limit! It came amazingly close (after all, Harleys have 200cc more than do the Metros), but to do so, I could only run the AC compressor while going down hill. Probably my worst mileage ever in the poor baby - just over 30 mpg. Throttle floored the entire trip (except when parting with my cash at the tollbooth).
On the other hand, the triangle trip from Amarillo to El Paso to Austin & return to Amarillo netted 40mpg much of the time - it was March - we rarely used the compressor, and there really wasn't much wind to speak of.
Per the car not being worth much, the only stick LSI convertible I could find on the web was going for $2700 - way above the Edmunds estimate. At this point, higher gas prices will probably increase the value of the car, if anything.
Oh, by the way, her name is Aleytys - the only clue I'll give you is that the name comes from a series of science fiction novels. Like the heroine the car is named for, neither ever quits trying.
Best to you & yours.
Enjoy your GT. Stick or auto? Is the GT a convertible?
Best to you & yours.
My Swift is a 2-door hatchback, with a 5-spd. There was no convertible available, that was only for the Metro. Great car so far - best $800 I ever spent anyway
The white top on mine has made a huge difference in how cool it is during warm weather. It also looks really good, and sets the car off from others. I will probably put another A/C compressor on it next spring. Right now I'm just tired of spending money on it.
It's funny that you mentioned the trip from Joplin to OKC. I live in Joplin and bought the car in Tulsa. The only time I drove it on that road was the time I brought it home. I could tell it had been mistreated in its former life and the whole time I kept waiting for all the dashlights to come on and indicate total engine failure. I was afraid to drive it over 70 MPH but when I apologized to the friend following me he assured me I was driving at the speed limit. That was before I know about the effect of the larger tires. It's actually around 4 mph off. Now I usually limit out-of-town trips to 50 miles or so.
Did Sprint also make a convertible during the same years? I've seen pictures of Pontiac Fireflies for sale in Canada, but didn't know about the Sprint.
My car's name is Fluffy. Actually, I name pretty much everything Fluffy.
Take care.
If you need the name of the company in Phoenix from which I bought the after market AC, let me know - I should still have the receipt. I've had some leaks, but I think the Phoenix company expected the installer to do a final crimp on the connectors. My installers didn't realize they were supposed to do so, and, obviously, the fittings on the ends of the hoses started to leak. The second time it happened, I had the mechanic remove all the hoses & re-crimp all of them. Discharging & charging the system is the expensive part - fixing the hose fittings wasn't expensive at all. The rest of the system has worked fine, and, since they've all been re-crimped, the hoses haven't leaked, either. We'll see what happens over the winter.
I had an MG Midget that had been mistreated in its former life - unfortunately, I was never able to get everything fixed completely, because when I'd start on another problem the car had, one of the ones I had already fixed broke again. I hope Fluffy's not doing that to you.
Mine has the original black top - I agree, white would be much cooler in the summer, but normally, in summer, I just leave the top down unless there's the threat of rain - which isn't very often in Amarillo. Fortunately a Club bar across the steering wheel has been enough to discourage amateur thieves and joy riders, and the pros know the car isn't worth the effort to steal & try to sell! Leaving the top down probably has helped preserve the rear window, too - it rarely sits out exposed the sun.
Joplin is a much wetter climate - I imagine you get a threat of rain far more often than we do.
Per the 4 mph off - that probably is not a constant - it's probably a constant percent based on the speed you're actually going. Mine is 5% - that's 1.5 mph @ 30mph; 3mph @ 60mph, etc.
When you calculate mpg, don't forget to include the additional miles you actually drove that the odometer didn't record - again, in my case, it's 5%. After I calculate my initial mpg, I multiply it by 1.05 to find the true mpg.
Maybe someday Fluffy & Aleytys will get to meet - my daughter lives in DC, and I expect I'll be headed that way again sometime in the future.
Best,
Stan
It's funny to hear you talk about the "Club." I always use mine, too. I figure the car is worthless to a thief, but I would like to mame sure it's there when I come out of someplace. I kind of hope they never become real collector items. Someone could pick it up and put it in the bed of a truck, I think. Have you ever parked next to an SUV and noticed how tiny the Metro really is?
Take care, and let me know when you're headed this way.
Michael
So far my "Club" has worked - I guess - at least no one has stolen the car since I bought it (but then I've heard that wearing copper bracelets in Amarillo prevents one from being trampled by a herd of elephants, too!). Who knows whether there's a cause & effect relationship here - still, I keep doing it.
Per actual repairs I think I had to once replace the water pump - the bearing had begun to squeek.
I haven't had the timing set (other than when the plugs, cap, etc. were replaced), but that sounds like a good idea the next time the car goes in for an oil change.
I'll try to remember to let you know the next time I head up I-44.
Best to you, Fluffy, & yours,
Stan
When I pull into a parking space, I usually don't pull all the way in - otherwise someone might not see the car, assume the space was empty, and not be able to stop in time to avoid a crash when pulling in.
Best,
Stan
The only reason I know anything about cars at all is because I am a car person and my ex loved fixing cars. Too bad "HE'S" not around now..... Any advise would be greatly appreciated. Going today to have it looked at. I'd rather have it fixed today but, not sure I'll find someone in such short notice. Oh and I read about your wife's comments on how small the car is. Thats funny!!! I loose this car in the parking lot all the time! LMAO.... Also I have a real bad back and I agree with her the seats suck and I have pillows as well to help with support. Tina
Our cars are really different - mine is a 1992 convertible (which they stopped making in 1993). Even though both our engines are 1L 3 cyl, I don't know whether they're actually the same. Mine was made by Suzuki for Geo (marketed by Chevrolet dealers).
Per the whine - sorry, I do tend to agree with your boyfriend - pulleys DO have bearings - the pulley spins on a fixed shaft - it has to have a bearing. I tend to agree with him, though, because yours whines more after the car has sat for a while. Then, after moving, maybe the impregnated oil in the bearing circulates enough to stop the whine.
The timing belt on my engine, at least, is rubber (not a chain). Yours should have been replaced around 60,000 miles - if not, you're running the risk of it breaking. Depending on the engine, a broken timing belt can destroy an engine since the valves may actually hit the moving pistons when the belt breaks. My 1 liter 3 cylinder engine is a "clearance" engine, meaning that if the timing belt breaks, there is still clearance between the valves & the pistons - again, I don't know if your 3cyl 1.0L engine is the same as mine, given that it is 8 model years later.
On my car, the last time, the whine was actually the bearing on the water pump shaft. However, since taking off the water pump wasn't a lot less work than replacing the timing belt, I had it replaced at the same time.
I know nothing about California emission standards, or, for that matter, emissions coming from my Geo. I do know, however, not to run it in a closed garage when anyone is around!
When you look for a mechanic, try to look for an ASE Certified shop - that will give you some assurance that the shop meets certain standards. Beyond that, ask friends, co-workers, & fellow students for shop recommendations. People who are satisfied with the service they've received will usually be willing to share the shop name with you.
Best wishes in school.
Stan
I am very curious about mounting a hitch under a 1994 pontiac firefly...lol...i know.. but i am only using it for small handyman jobs, roofrack is getting to small, any idea from which car the hitch will fit the best...with or without adjusting & welding ?
please let me know
which make, brand etc etc ....
guustflater
I am going to install a 5 speed manual in it. I found one locally with all the necessary accoutruments such as pedal rack, the shafts, etc. I think and hope that it is a 4:10 gear ratio. It should work quite well with the 13 inch wheels. I do have a question concerning the speedometer. Will it be out of tune? If so, How do I correct it? Any opinion will be greatly valued. Thank you.
What could the problem be? HELP!
I've never had the problem on my Metro, but the fact that you've had to top off both oil & anti-freeze could mean a blown head gasket. I had that happen several times on a 1978 Datsun (now Nissan) F10.
Perhaps the rear main bearing also leaks - and the mixed fluids began to fill either the clutch or torque converter housing - depending on whether you're driving a stick or an automatic. The combined fluids then had to reach a high enough level to find a vent or other hole to flow out of onto the floor.
Again, just a series of guesses - I'm not a mechanic.
Stan
take the dash apart under the steering wheel
and its just behind the steering column