1996 Geo Metro Won't Start in the Cold!

[Freya]

Ok, I have a 1996 Geo Metro LSI 1.3. It will not start for anything since yesterday. For the past few months I've had problems starting the vehicle, but I've generally been able to convince it to start. Now nothing I do seems to work.

Symptoms:
*Chuga, Chuga, Chug.....death. Only futile attempts to turn over ending in it just giving up altogether upon startup. The battery seems to be OK. Everything comes on when the key is put in the ignition but the car engine itself!

We took it to a mechanic when it wouldn't start a month ago and it started right up for them so they had no idea what the problem was despite the fact for the last 4 days it wouldn't start for us, despite all the different things we tried including starting fluid, battery check, oil, checking to see if the fuel pump was working, etc. So after an hour of bewilderment they threw some water on the distrubtor and car stopped and they figured that must be the problem. As an extra measure, because they weren't exactly sure that was the problem, they did the following:

*New spark plugs.
*New distrubutor and associated parts
*New fuel filter and fuel system cleaner

Yesterday I go out and it is -4. The car will not start with same problem I described above and I have no idea what to do. I have read all the threads on this, but can't find anything quite like my problem or solutions I haven't tried. If anyone has any suggestions, I'd be greatful.

Thanks!

[geozukigti]

Well, sounds like you've ruled out the simple things. I would be thinking blown headgasket or cracked head now. I would run a compression check. all 4 need at least 150psi across the board, with all 4 within 10-20 psi of each other. If one is low, it's considered a dead cylinder. Could also just be a bad injector. Spray some brake cleaner down the intake to clean it out, and try to start it up. If the same thing happens, run the compression check. If they all come out ok, msg me back, and I'll give you a few other things to look for.