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Engine replacement; Lost compression on original engine.
Topic Started: Apr 25 2011, 12:49 PM (1,787 Views)
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Hello Geo Forum!

I've been lurking around this site as a guest since I got my metro last August. The car is in great shape overall, very little surface rust and everything but the A/C works. After reading a few MPG topics I've been getting 48mpg regularly with the occasional 52-53 when I'm really trying.

Here's where the bad news comes into play. I graduate from ISU in two weeks and have been so busy with work and school I ignored my oil light when it started flickering on last week. I assumed that b/c it was on again off again that I could wait till I had a free Saturday and then give her an oil change. Well two days later I developed a knock and a mile after that was on the side of the road kicking myself and knowing full well I screwed up.

Long story short I called my buddy/boss and we towed it over to a small mom and pop mechanic near my work. I had lost compression in the 3rd cylinder and he said there might be a busted rod in the 2nd. No use crying over spilt milk, so I made a few calls and Saturday morning I ran up to Wisconsin and bought a used G10 from a guy. After talking with him I know the following:

It had 90,000 miles on it. leaked no fluids. and was only pulled b/c the uni-body had rusted through and he was parting the car.

Now I'm planning on just swapping the two motors but want your advice/criticism/thoughts. What would you pay for the engine I bought (I'll let you know later)? Would you have even bought a used engine or is a rebuild smarter? Seriously everything you want to throw at me I'm open to.

Last night I spent 3 hours and almost have the engine out. I just couldn't quite get the tranny separated. It's loose and ready to go I just couldn't get it all the way over the back bolt. Tonight I have a friend stopping by and hope we can giggle it loose.

Again tell me your thoughts. Am I flying off the handle by just swapping them? I kind of thought I'd just get her running again and then fix the old engine to have as a spare...

Thanks!
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Coche Blanco
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Did you do a compression test on the new (used) engine?
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snowfish
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Welcome Friend!

Sounds like you're on the right track. :thumb

Compression check is not a bad idea, but kind of mute at this point. Your new engine will be better than the old.

Drop it in, with a new clutch, and run it. If it runs good, who cares what the compression is? :dunno You can check it for fun, but you're doing a build on the old one anyway. :gamerz

If you spent $300 +/- you did pretty good. :cheers
Edited by snowfish, Apr 25 2011, 01:54 PM.
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snowfish
Apr 25 2011, 01:53 PM
Drop it in, with a new clutch, and run it. If it runs good, who cares what the compression is? :dunno You can check it for fun, but you're doing a build on the old one anyway. :gamerz

If you spent $300 +/- you did pretty good. :cheers
Well I paid 150 for it (plus 60 in gas to get it) so that makes me feel a little smug haha

Also, why add a new clutch?
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Coche Blanco
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Wait, are you rebuilding the old engine?
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I'll end up rebuilding the old one eventually and either sell it (to recoup the cost of torching the thing in the first place) or just keep it as a spare. I don't ever plan on selling my metro b/c the thing is seriously the most amazing car in the world.

FYI I recorded everything I did last night and plan on posting a time lapse of the swap!
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dayle1960
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Hmmmmmm. About to graduate from college and your engine blew up because of a lack of oil. Hmmmmmmmm. Let's chalk this one up to a life lesson learned at a young age. Hope you will remember it years into the future when your kids ask for advise.

Welcome and merry Christmas.
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Coche Blanco
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Apr 25 2011, 03:09 PM
I don't ever plan on selling my metro b/c the thing is seriously the most amazing car in the world.
I know right?
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snowfish
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Apr 25 2011, 02:34 PM
Also, why add a new clutch?
I suppose you could reuse the old clutch. :hmm

But you know the wrestling match, that you've Just Begun, removing the engine? It Will Escalate before you're done! :smackface

Plus, with the new engine on the bench, changing the pilot bearing and installed the new clutch, is a breeze. :thumb Compared to being in the "land down under". :die

Minimal expense doing a new clutch. :news

All depends on how soon you plan on building the old engine, if you're selling or swapping again, and how often you have :gamerz to or want :gamerz to be down there again? :dunno

Things to consider................ :hmm
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snowfish
Apr 25 2011, 03:32 PM
Plus, with the new engine on the bench, changing the pilot bearing and installed the new clutch, is a breeze. :thumb Compared to being in the "land down under". :die
Thanks for the tips! I'll ask my friend about that tonight as well. He's a mechanic and might be able to get me a clutch on the cheap.

Any suggestions on a new clutch? Brands or models that you have used or trust?

And before I jump into a new clutch, how long can I expect the current one to last? It works perfect and shifts smoothly through all the gears.
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snowfish
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On both my Wife's "refresh" and my build, I used a Sach's Clutch kit from Rock Auto.

Kind of a "crap shoot" as to how long yours will last. Both of ours had over 160k and still were fine. Getting pretty worn, but still fine relatively speaking. But we live in the country. Kind of. Very little stop and go.

To me, it's worth the $100 not having to go back down there because of the clutch.
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Good bye


If you ran the old engine far enough to knock it is probably not cost effective to repair. This is just my opinion as I have 5 engines under the bench. Some of the parts may be usable but they don't have cam bearings and if the mains spun in the block---you see what I mean. Sorry to rain on your parade. :(
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It's out! With a fresh set of eyes, and another hour of tinkering we noticed the dust shield was still on the bellhousing... rookies :-/ After that was off it was a matter of minutes to remove the thing complete with pulleys and all.

So not that it's out of the car I've had a few new thoughts.

One, at the suggestion of snowfish (and a quick second from my friend) I'm planning on replacing the clutch while i have the new motor out.

Two, i'm looking to do some preventative maintenance and maybe a few worthy modifications while its on the bench. The first thing i'm doing is removing the oil pan and repainting it. Along with a general cleaning of the engine. I was also curious about advancing the timing? I've read a few threads on the issue but am still a bit in the dark. Will it help me out or hurt me?

Anything else I should do before dropping it back in this Saturday would be great!
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snowfish
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Congrats! :thumb Dust shield on? :smackface It's a learning experience for sure. :news

Since you're planning on removing the pan to paint, the Rear Main Oil Seal would be a good thing to change too. It's behind the FlyWheel, so if/when it does start leaking, either the engine or transmission needs to come back out. :shake

The Cam & Crank Seal would be a Great Preventative measure as well.

And as Me & My Metro state, the old engine may be too far gone since it was ran dry. You'll have to see when it's torn down. :news

And where's the pictures? :dunno We all Love Pictures! You're doing great! :cheers

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96Geoman


As mentioned above ^ I would highly recommend replacing the crank & cam seals.

I would also recommend replacing the water pump and install a new clutch kit (Sachs from Rock Auto, as mentioned above) You will need to have the flywheel resurfaced or you can buy a reman flywheel.

And lastly, a Timing belt kit that includes a new belt tensioner.

While it's probably not cost effective to replace the oil pump, a new pump comes with the crank seal installed, a new O ring for the dipstick tube and a new O ring for the oil pickup tube.

Very important, there's an EGR Tunnel on the side of the head that is next to the transmission. Make sure the tunnel has no carbon buildup. Many times, the tunnel will be completely blocked with carbon and will not allow the EGR to function properly.

GM service manuals are available on Ebay for your car

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