My friend can't get his 3 cylinder to run right no matter what he does.

[kcg795]

Could it just be old age? It has one of those damn 5 digit odometers. So we can't tell if the car has 100,000, 200,000, or even 300,000 miles. It's a 1990 or 1991 Geo Metro. Not sure exactly what year. It's around there. He had to have his whole exhaust replaced a while back. He's got new plug wires and new spark plugs. It's just losing power little by little and is getting hard to start. You have to floor it to start it. He's been running carburetor cleaner and seafoam through in the gas tank. We even ran seafoam through a vacuum line while revving it. The computer threw an O2 sensor code. So he replaced that. Then he replaced the fuel filter. But it's not helping. He also said he had the throttle body replaced. He can no longer drive it in 5th gear because it lacks the power to do so. Soon, he'll have to drive it in 3rd. I keep telling him to have a compression test done. He said the shop said the compression is fine. But I think they're full of shit. Everytime that engine's running, it's never smooth until you give it some gas and I always smell raw gas. Something's not right somewhere.

Is this a sign of old age? He's really planning on getting a new car now. But if there's something simple he can fix that would guarantee that the engine will run right again, then he can hold off getting a new car for a little longer.

[Staypuff]

this is what i would do

new battery
new alternator
new plugs and wires and distributor cap(get timing reset to make shure its right)
check the fuses
check for engine codes
check all fluids
check compression(if this isnt good it wont want to start and will get worst as you said)

after doing that i would buy a rebuild kit pistons and rings and gaskets etc....

now this is a little above and beyond what your daily joe might want to do but you can try any of those problems......if you do replace the plugs get some copper cores one....bosch platnium plugs are junk when it comes to our cars.

[kcg795]

Yup. I did check the timing one time when he was here. I also had to turn the idle up so it would stay running on its own.

I'm almost positive that it's a compression problem. I think rebuilding the engine would be a very fun project, but he'd rather get another car and never turn back to a Geo Metro. But you have to admit. They are a pretty tough car until they get old.

I have been suggesting that he'd try a can of Restore to see if that'll help. I hear that stuff does work. He just needs a temporary fix until he can get a new car. He's thinking about getting a Suzuki. Don't remember which model he was looking at. But it was one of the inexpensive cars.

Thanks for your help.

[Crvett69]

another think that could be doing it is a plugged cat convertor unless that is one of the parts they replaced. you should buy a $30 compression gauge and see what it is, should be 170-190 on all cylinders

[Staypuff]

yep. those 1.0 engines are frickin indesstructible unless the are abused. properly maintained they can go forever.

[kcg795]

Yeah. It does use a bit of oil sometimes and he has ignored the oil light a couple times on his way here. He has to go up a mountain too to get here. Imagine the damage that engine's getting going up a mountain with the oil light on. But I'd top it off for him before he'd leave. If I didn't have any spare oil, then I'd tell him to pick some up on his way home.

[jason-1995fbody]

sounds like age is getting to the old 3 banger but the compresion is a big thing do that first but it dose sound like a fuel problem if comp. is good start looking at sensors or a weak coil since you mentioned the gas smell
good luck