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New metro fan
Topic Started: Nov 8 2014, 01:32 PM (576 Views)
.Geist.
Fresh Fish
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Hello all. I just got my metro a few weeks ago and I'm already in love with it. I didn't go seeking out a metro - I was actually searching for older civics when I found it - but I'm glad one found me. The Hondas I tried out didn't move me much, but as soon as I drove this little gem I knew I had to have it.

What I got is a 97 slushbox with only 56k miles. I wanted a manual... The ad said it was a manual... I got there and it was auto but I still loved the car enough to take it home. Didn't realize till later about the three speeds but she's got enough pep that I wouldn't have guessed.

Now, I'm painfully new to any sort of auto work. I've never even done an oil change myself, and as much as I'm trying to learn from lurking before bombarding anyone with my cluelessness... I probably will be asking some pretty dumb questions. Sorry in advance!

One thing I know is I'm coming up on 60k and though the car seems in good shape 1) it has an unknown service history and 2) the previous owner mostly drove short distances (a few blocks) so I absolutely want to get started on all the scheduled maintenance that's coming up. I'd appreciate if anyone had a recommendation for what to start with, or if certain jobs should be combined or done in a certain order.

As far as where the car's at right now: the weatherstripping and paint suck. Previous owner was an obsessive cleaner and may have used some harsh agents, not totally sure, but nothing's leaking that I can tell so it's just aesthetic for now. I've got some dents on the passenger side and some crappy texture on the hood where someone did a cheap job with bondo and repainted the panel in a flat red that doesn't match and is mostly just covering up perfectly fine original paint. Again, aesthetic and not high on my list.

I've got a little jitter in the steering wheel and a consistent slight pull to the right. I know I need new tires and an alignment (tread is super worn on all but front left tire) and I'm hoping that will resolve it.

I worry about the effect of all the short trips this thing suffered, so I put seafoam in gas, crankcase, and through throttle body last night. Smoked up a storm. We didn't realize, boyfriend in the car on the gas and me with my head under the hood, but we fogged up his whole street behind us. No one came out to yell at us though so I think we're okay :) And damn if the car didn't run way smoother afterwards. It didn't like accelerating before and there was a feeling of lag when it would shift to second, like a drop in power. Now it's more responsive, feels smooth and powerful through its full range, and the idle, while still characteristic of a sewing machine, is distinctly quieter. I took it for a 30 mile round trip on the freeway when we finished and I'll change the oil on Monday (should be ~50 mi since seafoam by that point).

When I got it out to seafoam, the air filter on top of the throttle body looked mostly super clean except a single spot with a lot of dark buildup... Is that a fairly normal thing or should I be worried about the uneven buildup pattern?

The underside isn't perfect but I don't see any major eating through things type rust, just the surfaces aren't exactly shiny. This car has spent its whole life in the california Bay Area so frame rot shouldn't be too big of a concern. I'm not sure what I should be doing to protect it in the future though.

My gas gauge worked fine when I got the car. I filled up a few days ago and it didn't reach the top, quickly dropped to 1/2 and has slowly dropped from there. From what I've found in old threads this looks like something I'll just have to live with, and I'm fine with that, but I am wondering 'why now?' Could it be related to type of gas? This was the 1st time I'd gassed it up myself, previous owner gave it to me with a full tank and I'm not sure what he used. I go with the cheap stuff but maybe I shouldn't?

Thanks in advance for any advice. It looks like there's a lot of knowledge concentrated here - another reason I'm glad I stumbled my way into a metro :)
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Old Man


First thing and very important: go to amazon and/or ebay and purchase a FSM (Factory Service Manual) This will become the bible for your car.
go here:
http://www.amazon.com/Chevrolet-Metro-Service-Manuals-Platform/dp/B001DU3N46/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1415476322&sr=8-3-fkmr2&keywords=97+Geo+Metro+Service+manual
Yeah I know, $45 is a lot----but it is the most important 'part' you will ever buy for your car.

BEFORE you do the new tires and alignment check your ball joints and tie rods. If you need new ones they will affect your alignment.

Jack up the front tire. Grab it at 3 and 9 O'clock. wiggle it back and forth. Watch/feel the tie rod end for any movement. No movement is allowable.

Then; grab the tire at 12 and 6 O'clock. wiggle it. watch/feel the ball joint for any movement. No movement is allowable.
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evmetro


Welcome! Since you have no experience working on cars, getting a metro should be a great opportunity to learn. These are some of the easiest cars to learn on. You may want to pick up some basic hand tools, and this forum can be a great tool as well.
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Car Nut
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Welcome lady. You didn't do anything to your gas gauge by using the wrong gas or whatever. That's just how a lot of Metros are. You'll find that your Metro will be much easier to work on than a Civic. ( This coming from a Honda man.) Read all you can here, ask questions when you need to & we'll help you out as best we can. Don't be shy about jumping in & doing repairs. We have a few very talented ladies on here that do all kinds of repairs themselves. I know of one that rebuilds her own transmissions. :thumb
Post some pics of your ride when you get a chance. We like pictures here.
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Murf 59
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Welcome to the forum. What part of Cal are you in?
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.Geist.
Fresh Fish
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Picture time! I got off work too late last night to get anything good then. Retail does weird things to your schedule.
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Some areas are really nice. Others look like this...
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The dash is in really good condition except for all the glue and velcro they used to hold down a big fuzzy cover that interferes with the vents. If I can find a way to get that crud off without damaging anything it should look really nice.
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No leaks that I could see. Detail: x x
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This is what I'm talking about with the filter. If that's not normal I'll start looking into causes, and replace it to see if the pattern is something ongoing.
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Metronomicon - would you recommend I add Seafoam to the new oil after I change it and/or repeat the throttle body application, or just continue with the gas? It's the LSI, 4cyl, 1.3L

Thanks for the link Old Man - I will definitely get the FSM. I thought I could get by with Haynes/Chiltons but once I got them they had so little detail that I couldn't possibly rely on them with my current level of knowledge. Can I do the wiggle test with a regular jack? that's all I've got right now, but I think BF's dad has a floor jack somewhere if I need it.

I'm definitely glad I got a metro. It does seem to be an ideal car to start learning on. I'm not a lady, Car Nut, but thank you for the encouragement. It's a little overwhelming and part of me is terrified I'm going to break something, but I don't like not knowing how this thing I rely on on a daily basis works, or how to keep it working, so I'm determined to learn.

Murf - I'm in San Jose, more or less.
Edited by .Geist., Nov 9 2014, 02:12 PM.
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Old Man


.Geist.
Nov 9 2014, 02:11 PM
Posted Image

These air cleaners are 'washable'. Saves quite a bit of $$$
read this:
http://geometroforum.com/topic/4613268/1/

You asked: "Can I do the wiggle test with a regular jack? that's all I've got right now, but I think BF's dad has a floor jack somewhere if I need it."

I suppose you could use the Metro's jack. I don't know. Havent used one for years, since I bought a $20 floor jack. Check around light weight floor jacks are cheap. In reality tho, the "wiggle test etc" that you are referring to is done with the tire on and no part of you under the car so if its all you have then the 'metro jack' is OK............. with a generous amount of common sense.
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Car Nut
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.Geist.
Nov 9 2014, 02:11 PM
I'm not a lady, Car Nut, but thank you for the encouragement. It's a little overwhelming and part of me is terrified I'm going to break something, but I don't like not knowing how this thing I rely on on a daily basis works, or how to keep it working, so I'm determined to learn.

Murf - I'm in San Jose, more or less.
Oops.. Sorry, my bad. There I go assuming & messed up.
Anyways, try some goof off or goo gone to remove the sticky stuff from the dash. Nice pics, by the way.
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Woodie
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I think that's just PCV vapors staining the air filter, no worries. Normal operation sucks some vapor out of the engine and burns it, this vapor carries a little oil with it.

I think that's enough with the Seafoam. Put good quality fresh 5W-30 in it and drive it. Things will get better with some simple exercise.

Gas gauge sounds as if it has a bad connection between the sending unit in the tank and the gauge itself. There's a connector under the rear seat and another on the back of the instrument cluster. Could be the sending unit itself. Nothing to worry about really, drive it a few tanks and see if it's consistent.

Oh yeah, Welcome!
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MR Bill
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Nice Metro, welcome to GMF.
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