MAJOR problems with 1989 metro

I just purchased one for $675 last week. Everything was fine except for the minor oil leak and the turn signals weren't working.

One week later after putting in synthetic oil, many problems started appearing.

First, the minor oil leak has turned into a major oil leak. It doesn't just drip in one spot, it runs to various spots of my car, even leaking from the middle. When I park my car, there are various oil spots on the right side.

Second, the turn signals still do not work after installing a new relay. When I turn on the signals, all i get is a buzzing sound coming from the fuse/relay board. Neither to interior nor exterior lights flash.

Third, and this one is the most frustrating since it won't allow me to drive at night. The rear lights and interior lights do not work. I checked the fuses and one of the 15 volts do not work. When I put a new fuse it, everything works fine until I hit a bump or slam the door too hard, which is when the fuse will blow and I'm in the dark again. Obviously I have a short somewhere but I went through the wiring to the back lights and I found no signs of wear.

A friend of mine told me to just use a 20 volt fuse, but I am a bit skeptical since I do not want to damage anything further. Also, my battery cable has some corrosion on it. The ground battery rubber is eaten away in the middle, about an inch long, but I wrapped it up in electric tape. I would like to replace it, but the auto shops do not sell it.

Does anyone have similar experiences to the one I'm having and could any of you offer suggestions to an extremely frustrated me. That'd be greatly appreciated thanks.

Brian

Drain the synthetic.Change the filter.Refill with a good quality regular oil.A Valvoline 20w..20/50 is good.Valvoline seems to be good for engines that burn/leak oil.MANY,MANY! people have gone through the "switch to synthetic"..oil leaks,burning..on previouslly sound engines.Some have said this goes away..after the seals..previouslly swollen by regular(mineral) oil shrink.Ya..I'll be right with you..I am going to CONTINUE to pour $10 per litre(Amsoil) as it is pi**ng out.Be right with ya.Happens on some engines.Some engines..when switched to synthetics..doesn't seem to matter how new they are..start leaking,burning and don't stop until you put good oil back in them.MANY Geo's..DO NOT like this stuff.Most say if the leaking,burning is excessive enough when the synthetic is put in..it simply does not stop.I JUST went through this!! not long ago.With an engine that DID NOT! burn or leak a drop! Sure did after the synthetic went in.The synthetic fans AND the manufacturers of it say this is bull.FUNNY! how AFTER enough of this happened pretty much ALL the synthetic oil manufacturers offered their synthetics with HIGHER viscosity.Whatever happenned to that "Oh No..a zero synthetic is better than a 30 or whatever weight in regular oil". I am of course NOT saying that synthetics don't work.They do in their right applications.NOT ALWAYS! though.

Ya I hear ya..sometimes replacement original cables are EXPENSIVE! and a pain to put in.Patch it.Cut both sides of the cable about an inch or two back from the damage.Bare the wire..strip/peel back the insulation.Get another piece of equal size size wire.Bare the wire back the same.There are special connectors for this.Home Depot sells some.Or you can use wire rope clips.Slip[ 4 small hose clamps over the wire.Grease up the old and the new splices."Kint" them together..by forcing the ends into each other.Tighten the clamps.Neater is to knit the ends together with a piece of copper pipe over them and squeeze it together with vice grips.Pretty perfect is put some shrink tubing over the ends.Knit them,solder them,do the tube.Check..redo..clean re-grease the grounds.

Find the short.Raising the fuse is like telling the fire:
START HERE!

If you really have trouble finding the short(s)..Run new wires..ground to tail light.Battery WITH fuse to taillight.And a discrete switch somewhere.You can do the same for the turn signals.One of those centre off switches mounted safely and securely..to the steering column..or CLOSE!..again discretely and easily accesible.

This will keep/get you mobile quick while you fix/figger it out.

DO IT NEAT!!..and safe.Sloppy with wires and junk laying around.Poorly mounted,accessible..will pretty much GUARANTEE that if the cops stop you they will pull the plates off the car.Done neat and safe and you'll be ok..till you can figger it out/fix it/get it fixed.

When we got our Firefly the lunch bucket that had fixed? it before..did some sort of wiring repair?: Rear window defogger came on ONLY when you pressed the brake pedal. Guess how you got brake lights??