94 metro lack of power

[Crvett69]

hope someone can help with this. just picked up a 94 metro with a bad engine (piston #1 was in pieces in the pan) bought one of those japanese engines for $300 with 1 year 12000 mile warranty. installed engine and now it has a problem, not sure if it was from before or is something wrong with new motor. when cold it is hard to start, starts fine when warm. main problem is when you want to drive it down the road, does ok in 1st and part of second gear and gets worse in higher gears, does not want to accelerate, if you give it more gas it slows down, if you let up on gas or pump pedal it will speed up. speed tops out at 50mph in 4th gear. won't pull at all in 5th gear. engine revs fine when your not in gear, just doesn;t want to pull driving down road. have replaced wires, car, rotor plugs gas filter etc no change, also replace entire intake and throttle body with a spare one i had so all the sensors have been swapped out, still has same problem. only code from computer is code 12. hope someone can help with problem. also for someone doing engine swaps i find best way is to pull engine and tranny out the top together then take them apart on the floor, took me about 45 minutes to pull engine out the top using a floor jack and engine hoist.
thanks for any help

[Zogboy]

have you checked for draging brakes?
is the compression ok?
is the clucth ok? oil on it or bad perssure plate?
maybe the timing is off a few degrees or it could be the wrong year for your on board computer check the numbers

[Crvett69]

seems to coast fine so don't think brakes are dragging, just acts like engine has no power. the intake and exaust manifold and dist are off the old motor so should be right ones. even tried swapping intake and throttle body to a spare i had, same problem. fuel filter is new and fuel pressure is at 15 psi, seems low but book says 13-20 is normal. this thing is driving me nuts

[Nalfein]

Does it idle high when warming up?
I know this sounds funny, but check your coolant level. If it lags when you floor it, it might be a waterpump problem.

[Crvett69]

nope, idle is 700 when warm, just filled radiator up again after i changed intake and throttle body. stumbles when you give it lots of gas and won't go over 50. have to let up on gas to get it to smooth out and slowly pick up speed

[crazyinkc]

Timing belt a tooth off? sounds like it is 1 or 2 teeth retarded.

[Crvett69]

never messed with timing belt, was way motor came from japan, ignition timing is correct so doubt belt is off at all, will check though

[tavarish]

what happens when you buy a GEO.

[SeanMurphy]

Go back under your bridge, Troll.

[mik13usa]

really, I don't think the 98 Maxima is all that! so Be careful tavarish ... I like the Troll reference Sean! LOL

[Staypuff]

where did you buy your engine from???? site???? post link

[tavarish]

oh, it's all in good fun...

I've driven one of friend's Geo Metros, and she loves her car. I can't understand why, but hey, i guess your car, especially your first car holds a place in your heart.

I didnt mean to offend anyone, just in a geo metro forum, someone complaining of a lack of power was just too funny to me, a car that has 65hp stock.

i'm not a troll, but i'd like to say that I believe my maxima's alot more refined than ANY Geo. I DO believe it is all that, just like you believe your cars are all that and a bag of doritos

[SeanMurphy]

I think the main difference between a Maxima and a Metro is that a Metro sold for under $10,000CDN off the lot, and you'd never find a vehicle better engineered for that money. They go forever, compared to cheap American cars, need very little in terms of repair or attention, and have very pleasant Japanese styling and engineering. The engine, while small, is reliable. The styling was modern for its time, even the new Aveo, Focus, Protege 5, what have you, don't make the 97-2001 Metro look out of style. Additionally, the interior, while being cheap plastic and fabrics, actually fit together right and don't snap as soon as you touch them. Not even a brand new Honda can say that. I install aftermarket electronics for vehicles all day long, alarms, stereos, remote starters, etc. Nearly all 'cheap' cars, as well as many expensive ones are quite a hassle to remove panels for such work. Honda panels are brittle, American panels never fit back together right, and so forth. The Metro has a simple design that allows for quick and easy access to anything like that, but still looks relatively stylish, if a bit sparse.

Just because a car isn't the fastest thing on the road, doesn't mean it doesn't have it's merit. Not all of us need to go 0-60 in under 10 seconds. Not all of us need to brag about our quarter mile times. The Metro is inexpensive, but there's a difference between that and cheap.

[tavarish]

I bought my Maxima for $6200 USD. Used, of course, I believe that it is engineered much better than a Geo, the VQ engine has been in the World's top ten best engines for the last nine years, so when I drive my car, i know it's dependable. I've seen Maximas with 300,000 miles on them and still running strong. I'm sure Geos have those numbers, but if you drive most any car regularly, and moderately, with a light foot, your car will last you. I like my car because it's sporty, fast, handles great, and has some luxury elements. Nothing has gone wrong with the car, and it was relatively cheap for me, being my first car.

And american cars can be reliable, as reliable as Foreign cars, look at saturn. Obviously Geo is an american car. The "being made out of cheap plasic" thing doesn't really appeal to me, i dont want a car that looks like a toy.

[SeanMurphy]

Geo's aren't american cars. And saturn is no different than any other GM car now, they share the same drivetrain as the Cavalier / Sunfire now (Ecotec). Geo Metros and Trackers were made by Suzuki, Geo Storms were made by Isuzu. Last I checked, neither of those are American car companies. Geos were SOLD by GM, but weren't designed or built by.