Couple Issues

Been reading posts here for awhile first post.

I bought a 93 Metro to drive to and from work. It has 84k miles on it, needs a muffler and they had the head off but left the valve seals out when put the head together. So it is loud and uses a little oil, plan on fixing those soon.

When it is cold it is hard to start. It cranks fine it fires and tries to start but it takes quite alot of cranking. Cold has been ten degrees and lower here.

It runs great once it gets started except once you get up to speed and level off. It has a flat spot, when you cruise along giving just a little gas it cuts out(like dies but does not die or running out of gas), give a little more or a little less gas and it takes back off.

I read out the codes and just get code 12. Any tips or ideas?

Thanks

run a compression test on it, should be at least 180 psi per cyl. i doubt the left the valve stem seals out or it would smoke like crazy. probably what they did was had the head redone but didn;t replace the rings. that makes them use oil

Thanks, I checked compression and it was around 120 in each cyl. But it took 7 or 8 compression strokes to get that high, first real low building up with each stroke. I did do a wet test because he just had the head done.

I know the guy that had it I thought him and his son done the head at home. But when I seen him I ask and said no a automotive machine shop done it. He still swears they left the seals out because they gave him 6 seals when he picked it up. But I'm with you I don't see a shop forgetting to put them in.

So I guess I will do the rings now and check the head for sure when I have it apart.

It will use 3 to 4 quarts in 100 miles(it leaks a little). Will the rings let it use that much?

Thanks

Pulled the car apart put in rings, rod bearings, and gaskets. Got it back together and fired right up. So far starts and runs good but only about 50 miles so far. Thanks to DoctorBill's great re-ring post and everybody that helped him through it.
Still has the little stalling issue when cruising along with the throttle barely cracked, work on that later.