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starting problem (timing belt?)


rruddfan21
06-02-2004, 10:48 AM
hello. this morning i went to start my car, and it caught at first but then died. when i went to restart it, it made a noise as if the engine were revved up. not a ruh-ruh noise but a steady, higher ruuuuuhhhhhhhhhh!!!! it has new plugs and wires; if it is timing belt, how can i take of timing cover? thanks in advance guys

geozukigti
06-02-2004, 11:23 AM
ooo, that does sound like a timing belt (open valves, no compression) Easier way to check is to take off your distributor cap, and crank the engine. If the rotor spins, your timing belt is OK. If it stands still, it means the cam isn't moving. (busted belt). I would get a repair manual before starting a timing belt. Timing is VERY delicate. It will also tell you exactly what you need to take off to get the timing cover off.

rruddfan21
06-02-2004, 11:40 AM
thank you much i was hoping you would reply since you know so much. i'll check to see if the rotor spins when i get home in a little less than an hour. i don't have to the tools to take this thing off and replaced...how much in repairs am i looking at?

geozukigti
06-02-2004, 02:48 PM
Belt at a store is around $20. Labor is about 1.5hrs@$70/hour. So I wouldn't pay more than $100. $115 max if they jack the price on the belt. You can do it yourself with a 10mm socket, 12mm socket, 10mm box wrench, some loc-tite(for the crank pulley bolts), and a spark plug wrench. For a first-timer, it might take a few hours. But it's really not as hard as it looks. Just a lot of tight spots to get at.

rruddfan21
06-02-2004, 03:14 PM
well, rotor was spinning!! not sure what it is now but i had it towed to a shop in town. we'll see what it is; i'll keep you posted...

geozukigti
06-02-2004, 04:16 PM
Maybe one or more of your spark plugs rattled loose, lol. Kinda far fetched, but I've seen it before. You'll lose all compression. Just hope no valves crashed, or anything to do with the head. That can get expensive.

geozukigti
06-02-2004, 04:16 PM
Maybe one or more of your spark plugs rattled loose, lol. Kinda far fetched, but I've seen it before. You'll lose all compression. Just hope no valves crashed, or anything to do with the head. That can get expensive.

rruddfan21
06-03-2004, 09:37 AM
well, if it is the head or valves or something i'll probably sell the thing because i'm not investing that much in repairs for a metro. anyway i have made my guess i think that it is a fuel problem. i'm hoping the belt is ok because the rotor was spinning and giving the spark. we tried starting it again and it kept getting so close to starting. see, i started it the day before and it was fine; didn't drive it, just let it start cause it sat for a few days. then i started it yesterday and it wouldn't. don't understand how a problem can occur from sitting (it isn't battery)

2gooses
06-03-2004, 11:31 AM
even easier, just take off the oil cap and see it the camshaft is turning when you are trying to start it.

rruddfan21
06-03-2004, 12:07 PM
didn't think of that (duh!) but it is no longer with me. at the shop. i'm calling today and i'll let you guys know what's going on.

geozukigti
06-03-2004, 01:34 PM
Oh yeah. Forgot you can actually see the cam moving in the 3 banger. In the DOHC, there's a splash shield under the oil cap, so you can't see in there. Keep us posted.

rruddfan21
06-04-2004, 10:06 AM
well, the guy working on it called me and told me that it started up when he tried it but it was a little shaky. he says that it is either flooded or it is starving for fuel. my guess in the beginning after i figured it wasn't the timing belt was that it was a fuel problem. so i can breathe a sigh of relieve. he is gonna check the cap and rotor again (i already have) and the fuel filter (which i coulda done) and basically replace any "maintanence" part (wihich, again, i coulda done). so he's gonna call back today. i'll keep the updates coming

rruddfan21
06-10-2004, 12:35 PM
ended up being clogged fuel filter and timing was off....$216. coulda done it myself for $30.

geozukigti
06-10-2004, 04:10 PM
Tune-up's are the major killer. After time, things do go bad. I'v gotten several cars dirt cheap just because they needed a tune-up. 2 years ago, I bought a 1991 Metro convertible automatic. Body was perfect, blue, new top, 52,000 miles. $500, because the "engine was ready to blow, and the transmission won't shift anymore. This car is a piece of crap". Well, he had the car for 7 years, drove it for 5,000 total miles the time he had it, and stuck it in the garage under a cover. Never changed the oil, plugs, cap, rotor, trans fluid. I bought it, changed all those, and drove it for another 30,000 miles, and sold it for $3700 on Ebay :).

rruddfan21
06-11-2004, 09:57 AM
that brings up an interesting question....this is just a normal four door hatchback, 91, bought used for $500, and looks in relatively good shape. now the question is....when i sell it, how far can i pump up the price? it has new speed sensor ($130!!), plugs, wires, air filter, fuel filter, pcv valve, tranny gasket and filter and fluid, coolant system is flushed, timing reset, etc......the amount i've put into it, should that allow me to sell it for more down the road? i realize a lot of the stuff is maintenance stuff but still it is in better shape now then before i bought it.

geozukigti
06-11-2004, 11:54 AM
I've seen the MK2 hatchbacks go for as much as $1400 on Ebay. But those were very low mileage, and in pristine condition. I wouldn't off it on Ebay. Put a "for sale" sign in the window, and put "runs perfect, 45mpg $1600 OBO" And i'm sure someone will leave you a note offering you $1200 or so for it. You can get rid of it in a hurry on Ebay though. But for around $1000.

rruddfan21
06-11-2004, 11:58 AM
well i'll be keeping it for about a year more or so, but i was curious about the price. so do you work on cars for a living or is it a hobby?

geozukigti
06-11-2004, 10:20 PM
It's a hobby. I'm a number-cruncher, lol. I program databases and flight routings for a travel consolidator. I get DIRT cheap airline tickets. Round trip to London for about $200 :)

rruddfan21
06-12-2004, 09:04 AM
that's cool LOL i'm trying my best to learn....this is what i'm gonna do in life for sure. i'm in the vocational auto mech program at my school (i'm a senior). i think you are a big help on this site because you help so many people out. i enjoy reading your posts; they help me learn things.

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