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Hatchbacks Chevrolet Metro/Geo Metro Chevrolet/Geo Metro
1696 messages, Last post on Dec 06, 2009 at 11:26 PM
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Zaken1: One other thing-and I hope I am not driving you crazy, if I had the money right at present I would just take the car to a good shop to get it fixed..........but, alas funds are very tight right now. Here's the other thing. As you know the ground wire for the battery goes to 2 places: 1st-the smaller ground wire is connected to the fender well. 2nd. the bigger ground wire goes to the engine block and is bolted to it. What you have just related to me regarding "resistance" made me think of this: awhile back when I first started having starting problems the engine kept on running as I previously mentioned after I shut off the ignition switch, so, I quickly unlatched the hood and disconnected the battery at the "ground" cable connection to get the engine to stop. Well, the bigger ground cable that gets connected to the block overheated to the point where the insulation was burned through in one spot about 1/4 inch wide and around 2-3 inches wide. Now you can see the bare wiring showing through at this point on the ground cable. My thought is that that entire "ground" wire connecting to the block probably suffered from overheating and who knows how that affected it. I didn't worry about it at the time because I figured a ground wire would be ok as long as it was connected at both ends. But, the car started and ran for a couple of days ok even after this, so I did not let it concern me. But, even if it did cause a problem, could that affect the spark quality coming from the coil? I mention this because I'm trying to think of ANY reason to get this cute little car running again AND to stop asking you all of these questions.
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Replying to: annielulu (May 28, 2009 11:13 pm) |
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Roger-Wilco-Over & Out. Thank you profusely. |
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Replying to: annielulu (May 28, 2009 11:37 pm) You can make a crude test for a shorted alternator diode by disconnecting either one of the battery cables for a minute. Then touch that cable briefly back to the battery post it was attached to. If there is a spark when it touches; there probably is a bad diode in the alternator. (but it may be normal to see a tiny spark; I'm saying that a more substantial spark means there is a bad diode.) This would gradually drain your battery overnight; unless the diode has by now been completely burned through. But even so; it still would not be fully charging the battery. When the alternator works properly; there should NEVER be a need to recharge the battery (unless you leave the lights on, or something similar). |
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I copy what you posted regarding the alternator/battery ground scenario. All I can add is that the present battery is brand new. Maybe I got lucky, as I have really asked a lot of this battery in the last week or so, trying to start, etc. It seems to work ok, really spins it over very well until at some point, it gets weaker as I keep trying to start the car. Anyway, the next day when I try to start the car again-it performs very admirably. If I get the car running, I'll make sure I get it checked, charged, etc to keep it in good condition. I will check out the alternator as you suggested. For now, my next step is to put in the plugs you suggested, with your recommended gap, and see what happens. If it's a no go, then I guess its new coil time. Thanks. |
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Replying to: shaggyman1 (May 28, 2009 11:08 am) The distributor ignition pickup is very sensitive to engine RPM, and is also prone to developing winding shorts in its sensor coil. If the sensor coil becomes shorted; it is very likely to create a situation where the engine will not have a spark below a particular RPM. In view of this; the observation you previously made about the engine only starting in first gear, but not in second; now sounds more like the ignition pickup is bad than either a module or a coil problem.
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I performed the test as suggested to check the alternator diode. Not even a hint of a spark when reattaching, and I did it a couple of times. Maybe my luck is changing with this baby. |
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Replying to: zaken1 (May 29, 2009 12:23 am) Last night I went through the checklist on AllData for "engine Cranks But Will Not Run" as far as the ignitor, but all the tests appear to be only for the circuit, without the ignitor connected. Circuits are good, and I'm going to RPL the ignitor with a salvage yard component, just to see if it helps. The sparks I do get are yellow, so I'm thinking either coil or igniter are not up to snuff, regardless of whatever other isuues there may be. I will try closing the plug gap to 30 first, and see if it kicks up, but I'm not confident that it will start in the one or two revolutions where I still have spark Having replaced the distributor, since the engine will not start, I can't properly set the timing- is 5 BTDC a good ballpark static time?
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Replying to: shaggyman1 (May 29, 2009 5:34 am) Regarding the crank sensor; I don't know how accurate the test procedures for that item are. I've heard of many instances where a defective crank sensor will cause the spark to shut down after the first few revolutions. Because of that; I would consider replacing the crank sensor; even though it tests good by the tests you have done. Hey; I also want to mention that Rock Auto just happens to have one remaining brand new Beck Arnley ignition module (which they call "Distributor Transistor Unit) for your car; which is a closeout purchase from some other warehouse. The regular price for that part is about $88; but they want $23.79 for this particular one. Beck Arnley is the highest quality supplier of import parts; and I have bought closeouts from Rock Auto before, and have never been disappointed by what I got. You can find this by going to www.rockauto.com looking up your car make, year, and model in their online catalog; selecting the engine size, and scrolling down to "ignition." There are separate listings for ignition modules and distributor transistor units; but they are really two different names for the same part. The Beck Arnley unit comes mounted on a metal heat sink.
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Put 3 new Autolite #63 plugs in, gapped at .030. Still just spins and will not start. I'm going to bed and worry about this tomorrow. Sigh.
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