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Bear Creek, WI Car Consumer Discussions

Re: 1998 Metro lack of power AGAIN! [brokestudent2]

by zaken1 on Tue Sep 23 00:30:53 PDT 2008

Thank you for following up! The new battery probably had more of a surface charge on it than the old one; which enabled it to supply additional power to the ignition system when the alternator belt began slipping. So that gave the car a stronger spark; until the belt started slipping more. At that point, the battery was no longer able to make up for the deficit in what the alternator was producing, so the spark became weak again; and that's when the car lost power. I have run the alternator belt on my Metro at proper (very, very tight) tension for over 271,000 miles. I am still using the first Goodyear belt I bought for that car; which was installed at least 120,000 miles ago. I am also still using the second alternator which has been on that car; that I also installed about 120,000 miles ago (and I bought it used, at a wrecking yard). I finally replaced the original water pump a few months ago. It had over 265,000 miles on it, and the bearings were still tight. The reason I replaced it was because coolant began seeping through one of the seals. I think this should answer your concerns about the likelihood that the tension required to prevent belt slippage will create premature wear on belts, water pump, or alternator!!! Like yourself; when I first encountered a Metro, I had been used to the fan belts on older American vehicles. The belt on my 1971 Dodge runs just fine with about 2 1/2cm of deflection in the middle of its run. But Japanese alternators are a very different animal.When their field winding is energized, they create far more resistance to being turned by the belt than do American alternators; and their bearings are engineered to carry the additional load. Metros are not the only alternator that needs a tight belt. Toyota alternators also do the same thing. And I have had to become used to tightening these belts to tensions that I wouldn't dare to have done to an American alternator. But that is absolutely necessary in those cars; and it doesn't hurt a thing when it is done there. On the contrary; if you don't tighten them to those levels; then the belts start to slip and burn. It sounds like the belt in your Metro is stretching, if it has loosened again. As I said, I haven't seen any brand except Goodyear and original equipment Japanese belts which will hold up in this service. The American belt manufacturers are still using materials intended for turning American alternators; and they just don't cut it in a Japanese engine. I also need to point out that the Metro, along with many other Japanese cars, now use a different design belt than the old "V-belts" that were on American cars. The earlier Metros use a belt with a series of parallel ribs running lengthwise along the inside face. These ribs fit into grooves on the inside face of the pulley. Your year Metro has now gone to a wider serpentine belt; IF YOU ARE USING A BELT INTENDED FOR AN EARLIER YEAR METRO, IT WILL BE THE RIGHT LENGTH, BUT IT WILL BE TOO NARROW; AND THAT COULD CAUSE IT TO SLIP AND WEAR RAPIDLY. I looked up the proper alternator belt for your car. AC Delco lists one which, since it is a serpentine style, probably would be sufficiently durable. The part # is 4K320, and the dimensions are 9/16" wide by 32 3/4" in length. Is your belt that wide?? I would recommend buying an AC Delco belt at a local parts store. I do not think the distributor, coil, or anything else warrants consideration in this situation. For now, try using the correct belt and tighten it properly. Once you have the right belt, at the proper tension, I expect you'll see the problem is gone. Joel

Re: Thanks & Hello [paul_p]

by csky on Mon Mar 31 17:07:53 PDT 2008

Howdy Paul, Yes Ive owned a 93 extended cab sr5 v6 5 speed 4x4.I purchased this pickup from my step son 2001 or 2002. I live in colorado so my wife and i love camping in the mountains .after I bought the p.u. we purchased a 25 ft gulf stream travel trailer [ i was setting us up to buy a tundra hehehe]anyway the p.u. had 99000 miles on it when i bought it ,and ive towed that trailer over wolf creek pass ,loveland pass and the list goes on,I,ll tell what a few times I had to put the transfer case into low range ,to pull some of these mountains ,but what a view ,I sold the p.u. with 164000 miles on it ,[$4500.00] to friends 17 year old son and he loves It. There is no secret as to why toys jus keep on going an going , This truck was well maintained by the 1st owner ,then my step son and me being the 3rd owner --- I had history maintainance records from the 1st owner and on down to me. I did regular maintance as ,timing belt was replaced at 78000 and then at 15000 miles ,I put a new clutch ,pressure plate flywheel ,t.o bearing at 134000 miles ,the old clutch still had about 10000 left on it ,and the truck is still going ,I used synthetic oil ,since it had a history of syn. use. I used about 1/ 2 quart between changes . Any how you have an excellent p.u. -change all you fluids including differintial ,regularly and i recomend timing belt replacement before you find a cruise controll unit ,your truck will not die !! oh ya i did buy a 2005 tundra ,luv it . Good day

Re: Still Squirming, low mileage 07 'or 08 Q56 [mlevine]

by benbo on Fri Mar 21 16:08:02 PDT 2008

I wanted to reply to mlevine and share my buying experience. I traveled to Coconut Creek infiniti, about one and a half hours away, after making contact via the web. This is a hudge dealership with hundreds of cars on the lot. They also have plenty of salespersons who greeted ( kind of swarmed) me as I pulled up. As mlevine noted ,be prepared to spend lots of time. I spent the greater part of six (6) hours. If you stick to your guns, refuse to be intimidated, get good numbers before you go and stick to them, you can make a good deal. Bear in mind that the store must turn a profit and are not going to give cars away, you will do okay. I received a price a little over $7000.00 off MRSP. I left feeling that if I had haggled a little,more, a little longer and a little more aggressive , I could have wrung a few more hundred out of him. But,, I guess that I will never know. Life is good!!!! Thanks for the lead.

Re: grinding sound when turning - not CV [jonboymetro94]

by zaken1 on Mon Jan 14 17:32:20 PST 2008

It is probably a front brake pad that is worn down to the audible wear indicator. If the pads on a given caliper wear unevenly, it frequently results from sliders that have not been lubricated properly. There is also a chance the noise comes from a bad front wheel bearing, but it is more likely from a worn brake pad. You can order a new timing belt cover from your local Chevrolet dealer, but you can also get a used one for less money from a wrecking yard. Many wrecking yards have an interchange book that lists the range of Metro model years with timing covers that will fit your car.

Re: Addendum to not starting [9thirty3]

by zaken1 on Sun Nov 11 22:51:36 PST 2007

It is fulfilling to me when someone becomes empowered by what I write!! Thanks for the kind words. I have a 1990 2 door hatchback, with a 5 speed. I bought it in 1992, with 58,000 one owner miles on it. The previous owner never put anything but Castrol in it. He broke it in on GTX, and then began using their 5W-50 Syntec at about 10,000 miles. He also installed a huge Amsoil bypass oil filter. Since I'm a fanatic about using only one brand of oil, I've stayed with the Syntec, and have kept on using the super fine Amsoil filter. I also add 3 ounces of Tufoil when I change oil (every 7,500 miles, due to the type of oil and the superior filtration). My Metro now has 270,000 miles on it, and never has even had the head off. It now runs better than it did when I bought it, still uses almost no oil, and recently broke it's own gas mileage record (by getting over 57mpg on a 300 mile freeway run). The only work it has ever needed was a timing cover oil seal, a wheel bearing, an alternator, and a water pump. The water pump ran almost 270,000 miles, before the seal finally started leaking about 2 months ago. The car still has the original clutch, original CV joints, and the original struts, But the CV joints will have to be changed soon. I think the Metro is an absolutely fantastic car. People who've driven it are amazed at how much power it has (yes, I've done some fiddling with the tuning). So I intend to keep this car for the rest of my driving life. And I've learned to live with the tire howl, which always seems to reappear after a set of tires gets a few miles on them. But since It gets better mileage than my friend's brand new Prius, I really can't complain. Suzuki outdid themselves when they built this car. Maybe that's why they decided to stop making them. But I did modify their design in one important way: I replaced the driver's seat with one from a Camry. I hope you keep yours going forever! Joel

Re: A New Metro Protege [91m4l]

by zaken1 on Tue Nov 06 17:00:12 PST 2007

In order to sort out the knock, I'd need to know the load and speed conditions under which it can be heard. Specifically, do you hear it at idle; under light acceleration; under heavy acceleration; at steady low speed; at steady high speed; and while decelerating. Is it loudest under any of those conditions. Does it change in volume with changes in engine load or speed? Regarding the high oil reading, bear in mind that the Metro is more sensitive to how level the car is when checking the oil than most cars. But it is not good to run it with too much oil. Incidentally, a leaky head gasket can let coolant get into the oil, and raise the oil level. And just what do you mean by 'cherry compression? The stock compression pressure on that engine is 190 or 195 psi. Most other engines are a lot lower. If the compression is higher than that spec, there could be a carbon buildup problem, which could create a knock. Anyway, welcome to the Metro owners fraternity!