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| Tweet Topic Started: Nov 22 2011, 04:53 PM (901 Views) | |
| MetroMikeD | Nov 22 2011, 04:53 PM Post #1 |
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Fresh Fish
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How the hell is everyone... New to the forum because I just bought a 94 Metro, 3 cyl., 4 door, automatic, 80,000 miles, single owner..I paid $2200, which I thought was a fair price. Was it? I got it home two days ago. The morning after I got it home I had trouble starting it, the engine would turn over but would not fire up until I gave it gas. The previous owner had just replaced the timing belt and the water pump. When I tried to start it a belt (or something) screeched. It runs great when started. Started with a little trouble this morning, but I didn't have to give it gas!? Any ideas? Should I start by replacing the plugs, wires, distributor cap, etc...that seems to be the first step from what I have been reading around here so far. I am not much of a mechanic, but am willing to learn. Anyhow, this looks like a great place to learn a whole lot of new stuff, and I appreciate any help that can be provided... Mike
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| crankcase | Nov 22 2011, 06:58 PM Post #2 |
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Hey MetroMikeD, Welcome on, and congratulations on the new car. Metros are a great asset! A basic tune up, including putting in the parts you mention, is good idea, especially if it looks like it has not been done in a while. Check your plugs for a nice brown-gray color. A black and oily looking one would need attention. Your EGR system may need to get cleaned. Many times they will be found packed shut with carbon build up. Vacuum lines are another thing that gets over looked. If you do them one at a time, they are easier to keep track of. Keep us informed of your progress and results with the TLC regiment. Edited by crankcase, Nov 22 2011, 06:59 PM.
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| Coche Blanco | Nov 22 2011, 06:59 PM Post #3 |
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Troll Certified
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2200 is probably too much. Check your timing marks, and your compression numbers, get back with us when you do. |
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| 1.0smallblock | Nov 22 2011, 07:06 PM Post #4 |
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DirtBag
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Welcome...... never ask these guys if you "paid too much" the answer will always be YES!!...Coche, and Steved want to buy everything for $1.00....and i do believe Steved DID buy his cars for a damn $1.00. Edited by 1.0smallblock, Nov 22 2011, 07:07 PM.
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| wayn | Nov 22 2011, 07:14 PM Post #5 |
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Really fresh fish
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If you dont have A/C, you only have one screechy belt. So,YES, check and tighten your alternator belt. |
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| crankcase | Nov 22 2011, 07:32 PM Post #6 |
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If you still can't get the screech to go away, try cleaning up the pulleys with a wire brush and some solvent. |
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| allmountain40 | Nov 22 2011, 07:34 PM Post #7 |
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Welcome to the forum. 2200 is pretty much in the middle of the going rate out here on the left coast, so no, you did not pay too much provided it has no major engine or transmission issues and the frame horns are not rusted out (not a problem out west, as long as the car didnt come from the east coast). As stated above, start with the basics, a tune up, EGR clean, and then go from there.
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| Bad Bent | Nov 22 2011, 10:26 PM Post #8 |
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Facetious Educated Donkey
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Welcome to your new forum, MetroMikeD! Well, considering that gas in NoCal is still above $3.55 and mostly above $3.75 then a 35-40 mpg automatic Geo Metro is going to go for $2,200. If your alternative transportation is 15 mpg, like mine, then it will pay for its self sooner than later. But yeah, with a new-to-you car I start with the basics so I know they are good. Later you can get into lowering, air dams, grill blocks and other stuff if you want better fuel economy. The plugs will tell you a lot on the engine condition also. Try NGK BPR6EY-11 v-power plugs and gap them to 0.040" or whatever the sticker on the hood of the car says. A torque wrench will come in handy in the future as will a service manual; eBay 94 service manual - not Chilton or Haynes. |
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| 1.0smallblock | Nov 22 2011, 10:31 PM Post #9 |
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DirtBag
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i will second that motion.... |
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| bogs | Nov 23 2011, 11:17 AM Post #10 |
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Duct tape heals all wounds
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You just provided the best answer available, you and the seller agreed it was a fair price, be happy, you got a deal Prices on any object, but especially cars, vary widely throughout the country. It would be nearly impossible for someone in my region to find a rust free car. My wife, who is from CA keeps getting this disgusted look on her face when ever we shop used cars and tells me time and again she would never pay for half the cars I've bought here without a second thought. Here though, I'm buying them "cheaply". There I would be getting "ripped off". So congratulations on your "new to you" car and welcome here
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| MetroMikeD | Nov 23 2011, 11:29 AM Post #11 |
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Fresh Fish
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Thanks for all the replies folks, but I have to follow up my first post with my last post...for now, maybe... Driving home through town the car would die on me each time I came to a full stop, and I then I had a hell of a time getting it started again. I ended up driving the car back to the person I bought it from and told them I wanted my money back. $2200, was the upper limit I was willing to pay for the car, this was also assuming I wouldn't need to dump any money into right away, which it seems like I will need to the way it is running. I had full intentions of getting into the car and performing my own service, repairs, etc, but not right from the get go. Shoot the car has less than 80,000 miles on it, which averages to roughly 5000 miles per year over the life of the car. If it is having problems now, I can't see things getting better as the car gets older. The brother of the owner called me last night and did tell me he knew it had some issues still (even after he replaced the timing belt and water pump). He said it needed an IAC...would a faulty IAC cause the car to be hard to start and to die at a complete stop? I told him I still wanted my money back. His sister ended up calling me later that night (I bought the car from the sister, her brother did all the "work" on the car as he had had it for roughly the last year)....Anyhow, his sister calls me and says I will get my money back and that she is just going to try to sell the car to someone else, as is, for $1300. WTF!!! So...this post is getting close to a tl;dr post, but much thanks for the replies. I wanted the car to work out and this board seems to be a great resource for these cars, but I don't have the time to take on a car with issues...commuting is bad enough without adding the worry that my car won't even be able to get me home. Anyhow, if you want a 4-door 94 Metro with 80K miles on it for 1300.00 I can probably get you in touch with someone. Northern California area. Mike Edited by MetroMikeD, Nov 23 2011, 11:30 AM.
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| bogs | Nov 23 2011, 12:27 PM Post #12 |
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Duct tape heals all wounds
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Sorry to hear it did not work out for you, but glad you were able to get your money back on it as this is not usually the case in an as is deal. Good luck on finding another car/situation more suited to your needs. |
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| 1.0smallblock | Nov 23 2011, 12:32 PM Post #13 |
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DirtBag
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just a side note mike...in my opinion, there is no way youre going to buy one of these metros and not have to work on them. im bummed your purchase didnt work out...do you like the car? ask her if shell refund part of your money and keep the little beast. if you take a little time and fix all of the neglected stuff...they are damn reliable cars...but you have to keep up on them. most people buy them as quick, cheap transportation, and never work on them, so the "fix it" list gets longer. once you get them out of the "major" category, the rest is usually little things....it will nickel and dime you a bit, but what car doesnt?? think about it. |
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| crankcase | Nov 23 2011, 04:48 PM Post #14 |
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Man, everything smallblock said!!! The IAC can cause those symptoms. Even if you had to do work on it from the get go - what most new owner encounter - you would probably only be down a couple of weeks (or less), with a typical worst case scenario. 80,000 miles is low, so your problems could be simple fixes, although the odometer may have turned over. These cars usually need a valve job at some point in their life and that may be the problem with the one you had. Even if it needed that and a ring job, it would still be a good deal at the discounted price. If you do a compression test you can go a long way towards diagnosing any valve or ring problems, another quick test is to look for black/oily/carbonized spark plugs. These cars are very dependable, easy to work on, and of course get great mileage and are well worth dealing with problems that occur with them. A lot of this depends on the owners being willing and having the time to do their own work. |
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| Woodie | Nov 24 2011, 05:28 AM Post #15 |
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How about she just give you that $900 and you use that to make the car right? She doesn't have to bother with selling it all over again, and you've got a fistful of cash to get it fixed quickly. |
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