MPG versus year of Metro ?

[DOCTORBILL]

My '93 Metro 3 cyl (The Phoenix) gets 49 mpg average.

My son just bought a '96 Metro 3 cyl ($1,800) and the guy we bought
it from says his meticulous records showed he got 44 mpg on it.

I am wondering why the '96 is lower than my '93.

Were they heavier in '96 ? It has 13 inch wheels & Tires.

Should I check the spark advance ? What should it be set to ?

It has a 40,000 mile Japanese replacement engine in it plus 20,000 on the engine.
Also replacement Japanese 5 speed transmission.

Most everything had been replaced about 20,000 miles ago.



DoctorBill

[doug2060]

Hey Doc, Good looking Metro! I'm not sure if the weight was changed in them. If so not much but in a Metro every pound makes a difference. I do believe the emission controls in 96 were different than in 93 and that could have some affect. Plus that was when they changed to OBD2. The computer and other devices would be functioning differently. Even if you don't get any improvement in MPG the 44MPG is a pretty good thing. Good luck tweaking the Metro.

[Johnny Mullet]

Wow, you found a black one! Black is a hard color to find. The 1995+ Metro was redesigned for safety regulations and they weigh much more than the 1989-1994 models. Weight makes a huge difference.

[DOCTORBILL]

We just got this two days ago and it has been raining. 194,000 miles.

My son thinks the '96 Metro has been repainted.

How could I find out ?

Tomorrow a Window Glass guy is driving out to replace the windshield
for $160 + tax on some "Special"...

The windshield was cracked across toward the bottom.

My son wanted a NEON, but I talked him into this Metro.

Nice deal. Here is what the Ad on Craig's list said...(Copied and pasted)

The good:

1. Has a 40,000 mile motor from "Foreign Engines" in Coeur d'Alene, installed at 175,000 miles
2. Has a 40,000 mile transmission from "Foreign Engines" in Coeur d'Alene, installed at 190,000 miles
3. Has new wheel bearings all the way around, done at 180,000 miles
4. Has new brakes all the way around (including pads, shoes, rotors, drums & wheel cylinders) done at 185,000 miles
5. Has new CV axles done at 180,000 miles
6. Has new clutch done at 190,000 miles
7. Tires were new at 177,000 miles
8. Has a new catalytic converter done at 180,000 miles
9. Has a new water pump done at 180,000 miles
10. Has a new alternator done at 188,000 miles
11. Has a new serpintine belt done at 180,000 miles
12. Fuel filter, spark plugs, plug wires, cap & rotor done at 180,000 miles
13. Oil has been changed every 3,000 miles


The not as good:

1. Body is not perfect, it has the normal light sratches and door dings you would expect from a 13 year old car,
it has no major body damage, big dents or rust.
2. The interior is not perfect the seats and carpet have stains in them and could use a good shampooing,
otherwise in good shape.
3. The dash is a little faded from the sun
4. The antenna is broken off (the radio still gets reception fine)
5. It has an oil leak I go through about one quart every oil change (engine does not smoke or burn any oil)
6. The check engine light is on and has been since I got it, this has had no affect on the way it runs or the mileage,
this car has never broke down on me and runs perfect.
7. It is missing the passenger side mirror.
8. The windsheild has one small carack in it but does not interfere with vision.


The DS Mirror - $42 new at a wrecking yard.

The "CE" light bothers me.....(?)

Would this have been made in Canada ?

All in all, I think we got a good deal.

Now - if my son can only keep it in good shape and not beat the crap out of it...

DoctorBill

[c140flyer]

Hi Doc,
I've read your posts over the years and enjoyed your tutorials on various Metro projects. I have a black '96 Metro as well! I love the car and live in a fairly cold climate. In the winter months, I get in the low 40's for mileage. In the warmer months, I get high 40's and low 50's. I'm pretty sure that the 95 and up Metros weigh 200 to 250 lbs. more than yours. I don't have any problem with that kind of mileage though, considering that my Dodge Dakota gets 13 to 18 M.P.G.!
Larry

[Woodie83]

The GEN3 cars are 250 to 300 pounds heavier than the GEN2 cars (depending on which exact model or year you compare) and they're also wider and taller, therefore pushing more air. I had two post 95 3/5 cars and both got 43 mpg. They're enough heavier that they were never built with the three cylinder and automatic transmission.

All Metros were built in Canada except the first of the 89's and the convertibles.

Go to AutoZone or O'Reilly's and have them check your failure codes for that check engine light. I'll bet it's some sensor failure because that replacement engine is missing a sensor. Probably Crankshaft Position Sensor, fairly sure the Japanese take-outs didn't have those.

All internal combustion engines run best with the most timing advance that doesn't cause "ping". The factory sets Metros at 5 before purely for emissions purposes, most of them run best at 10 or 12 before. Best bet is to throw away your timing light and advance it until you hear ping while driving, back it off a hair and tighten it down. You'll enjoy more power, better mileage, longer exhaust valve life, and less carbony soot in your exhaust and EGR system.

[DOCTORBILL]

Are there any links (with photographs) that show WHERE I would find that
Crankshaft Position Sensor (CPS) ?

I have an OBDII reader and maybe I can read the codes myself...(?)

It has been two years since I did all that work on my '93 (The Phoenix) and
I am an old fart and can't remember where my butt is !
I think it is that big fat thing behind me.....

My son leaves for the coast (Coast Guard) in a couple of days and I'd like to
get his '96 Metro squared away before he goes.

DoctorBill

[idmetro]

Doc;

I also have a black 96 metro and your mileage is in the ball park. I typically get low to mid 40's when the weather is cold and mid to high 40's or sometimes into the 50's when the weather is hot.

If the CE light turns out to be an EGR code I found mine to be clogged solid for approxmately an inch where the passage enters the intake manifold right below the throttle body. The EGR valve and the passageway through the head were fine with only minor carbon buildup. You could test yours by pulling the EGR valve and then using a piece of tubing (rubber fuel line works fine) and attempting to blow air through the passages, if you can't blow through it then you have found your issue.

Best of Luck!

[Johnny Mullet]

The crank sensor on a stock 1996-2000 3 Cyl engine is right under the crank pulley. They may have used an older engine and this would cause the CEL (check engine light) but to be sure, just scan the sucker and post the codes here.

[idmetro]

Doc;

You can often tell if a car has been repainted by looking carefully at the rubber windshield moulding. If you see any paint on the rubber the car has very likely been repainted at some point. The factory paints them before the windshield is installed. You can also roll up the edge of the rubber molding on the car and check the paint underneath, compare it against the paint nearby on an exposed part of the car, same color? shinier under the rubber? If not then it's been repainted, not necessarily bad but always nice to know.

A portion of your oil leak is probably due to the distributor o-ring, check for oil on the block directly below the distributor and on top of the transmission if you find it, odds are the majority of it is coming from the distributor o-ring. Easy to change, simply match mark the distributor as it sits, pull it out swap on a new o-ring, reinstall, match up your previous marks, tighten down the bolts and away you go.

I've had good luck reducing the fading of my dash by the application of copious amounts of armor all. So far it has gone from being grossly discolored and scaling in some spots to only a minor discoloration. It's my understanding that this era metro is very prone to dash fading.

Radio antenna is not hard to change (especially while you have your younger and more flexible son at hand) just have your son unplug the cable from the back of the radio, thread it through the various wires and other obstacles so it is laying on the floor at the drivers feet, attach a thin piece of strong cord to the cable, cover the attachement area with electrical tape to make it smoother, unscrew the old antennae mount from the outside and lift up gently, the antennae should come out without much problem if it gets "stuck" simply pull it back into the car with the attached cord apply a little patented wiggle and jiggle action and try again until it slides through. At that point you will have the antennae out and a cord threaded down the door pillar in its place. Attach the cord to the cable of the new antennae and work the process in reverse to install the new antennae.

Good Luck!

[leonbentz]

Nice little car. This one should deliver a lot of good service. As some of the guys here say, the newer metros are a bit heavier.

[Mike_Van]

My '96 1.0 l gets around 44 MPG, combined. Yes, it has different emissions controls and 'extra' weight.

I have a recurring CEL P0420 'catalyst system, bank 1 efficiency below threshold'.
My mechanic thought it might be related to the ECU map, meaning that a re-map might resolve it. Or the Cat itself, or one or both O2 sensors?

[Woodie83]

420, in addition to being secret code for "let's get high" is either a bad cat, or a bad second O2 sensor.

[DOCTORBILL]

Code 420, beyond indicating the Catalytic Converter might be bad or an O2
sensor might be bad...does not affect the engine - does it?

I mean - driving around with the CEL on won't "booger up" the engine...(?)

The computer doesn't sabotage the whole car if it reads bad cat or O2 sensor(s), does it...?

Would it be like

"Your fly is open..."

or would it be like

"You forgot your freaking parachute !!"...?

DoctorBill

[Johnny Mullet]

P0420 will not harm the car and having the light on will not either, but if the cat is plugged, this will cause performance issues and higher combustion chamber temps. I removed the cats on both my 1998 and my 1997 Metro and have no issues at all since there is no inspections here.