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Comments
thanks,.
As far as brands are concerned; Monroe and the other American manufacturers have gone downhill in quality during the last few decades; or it might be that the newer manufacturers are working harder to make better products; while the American companies continue doing what they did in the 1950s and 1960s. The bottom line is that KYB now makes the absolute best struts for this car; and their prices are highly competitive. They make several models; but the GR2 gas strut is the appropriate one for passenger car use.
If you need part numbers; go to www.kyb.com and look up your vehicle. The best prices on KYB usually come from Summit Racing or Rock Auto.
If you haven't replaced struts before; you'll need to know that a special tool is needed to compress the front coil springs during installation. This requires a great amount of pressure; and should not be attempted without the proper tools. I've been a career diagnostic and electrical systems mechanic for over 40 years; but I still pay to have my struts replaced.
I bought KYB in eBay for about $75 a pair. They were sold by some sales companies but shipped directly from KYB warehouse in Indiana. So You will have factory warranty.
There are only a few bolts to remove the strut assembly, but you need to have a special tool to compress and align the strut inside the spring to reassemble it. The shop can do it very quickly, but by hands using that tool to align takes some time, perhaps 3 hours for the pair if you do it the first time.
I've never replaced a cabin filter before, but I assume it's easy as pie.
CELICA AIR FILTER 8.44 x 8.44 Particle Filter 8.44 8.44 TOYOTA P/N P3785 CF9846 C35516 24875 LC74-61-P11
Non critical parts is OK on line. Critical parts like oil filter, engine air filter etc... may be all counterfeits in the internet, too risky to buy and use. So be careful.
These parts are listed in their online catalog, under 2000 Toyota Celica; in the "heat and air conditioning" section.
Mass Airflow Sensor looked dirty. Cleaned with carb cleaner, but did not help.
Swapped a MAS from another car, worked beautifully, cleared all codes, passed smog test.
OEM and Denso MAF retail about $220. Will buy a Chinese knock off in eBay for $20 to see how well it works and how long it lasts.
The car runs rough, has no power for acceleration, and is doing P0171 SYSTEM TOO LEAN AGAIN.
Damn counterfeiters are making bad sensors with TOYOTA and DENSO part numbers on it.
I will forward the fake info to Toyota, Denso and Law Enforcement so they can deal with fakers...
It did not work in the Celica. The car had no starting acceleration. I got into the intersection when the car failed to move. I was nearly broadsided by incoming traffic. So What can I say?
Put the original MAF back and the Celica runs great again.
Put the $26 MAF sensor in the Lexus, the Lexus runs great. No problems, no check engine light...
Not sure what happened.
MAF sensor should be spray cleaned only with CRC MAF cleaner or residue-free electrical contact cleaners.
made in Germany, rated 12V 50W. Can be bought in AMAZON or eBay for about $2 a piece.
This procedure, If done correctly and with experience. should take only about 15 minutes from start to finish.
1 DO NOT TAKE OUT TOO MANY SCREWS! Only 2 x 10 mm hex head crews, at corner and front bumper, facing down.
2. Pry the plastic wheel liner back away from the bumper and stick arm inside cavity to find the fog lamp box.
3. Find the ROUND PLASTIC CAP on the lamp box CONCENTRIC with the LENS in front. CCW to open.
4. Release BULB LOCK SPRING CLIP WIRE, PRESS IN, DOWN and SWING OUT
5. Pull out the BULB and disconnect 1 wire with BLADE CONTACT terminal. BULB's flat metal base has 2 cut outs: HALF MOON TOP and RECTANGLE bottom. Bulb only fits in cavity this way.
6. DONT TOUCH HALOGEN BULB, hold BULB by the base, insert into cavity, TURN BULB AROUND until it's in the correct orientation and fits all the way in cavity.
7. Find the LOCKING SPRING CLIP, it goes over the BULB's base, SWING IN, PRESS HEAD DOWN and IN until LOCK with click.
7. Put BULB GREASE on BLADE TERMINAL, insert into female terminal until locked with a click.
8. Put ROUND PLASTIC CAP back on round hole, rotate around until it fits in cavity. Turn CW until locked in place.
9. Reassemble engine's bottom cover, wheel cover and bumper with 2 x10mm HEX HEADS.
I have had my G6 HTC convertible for 7 years. In those 7 years I have documented the trials and tribulations of my car in this very forum (just read my posts). The latest problem has to do with my top. The top on my convertible will not go all of the way up. The part where the top won't go up is where the trunk has to close to complete the process but it won't.
I have had the car to the only dealer who has worked on my car THREE times. All three times I was told there is nothing with my car and the top is fine. Well today I tried to enjoy my day off and I put my top down and up to make sure it worked... and it didn't.
So I went to the dealer and he put the top down and up 5 times and it worked perfectly... so I explained to him that the top would not work at my house in my driveway... My driveway is on a slight incline so I had him take the car to a hill and when he tried to put the top up it FAILED.
So now the dealer verified that the top will not close while parked on an incline... BUT he didn't want to keep the car to work on it. His suggestion was to close the top on the street and not on an incline.
I really don't like this because I would like my top repaired to complete working condition.
So here I am with a top that works on certain inclines and a dealer who doesn't want to try and repair it. The whole reason for me keeping this car as long as I have is for the hard top. If I can't use it there is no sense even keeping the car.
Does anyone have any ideas on how to fix this or where to go to get it repaired?
not the whole door lock assembly (about $285 at stealers)
Mabuchi motor FC-280PC-22125, about $6 in eBay. This motor is used in all Lexus and Toyota cars
if you hit the power door lock switch and the lock wont lock or only lock partially, most likely the mabuchi motor inside the assembly is worn, dirty or burned out. This motor can be taken out and replaced within 1 hour if you are familiar with the door lock assembly and know what you are doing. Byt he second time, you should be able to finish it within 30 minuted.
1. You can leave the lock assembly in the door. You dont have to remove these 3 screws unless you want better access to the motor housing
Just remove 1 small screw on the white nylon shroud covering the motor housing to lift it up. The nylon shroud is flexible and wont break or cracked.
2. Remove 2 screws that hold the motor housing to the bracket, then wiggle the housing to free its actuator off the end of the wire cable. You may have to hold the cable with a pair of pliers. Pull the motor housing out of the assembly. There are 2 other actuators that will just drop out.
3. Use a knife or sharp blade and flat-head screw driver, cut and pry open the glued motor housing along the long edges. Anything broken can be glued back.
4 Use flat-head screw driver, pry motor (and worm gear) out of housing.
5. Replace with new Mabuchi motor FC-280PC-22125, sold for about $6 in eBay. This motor is used for all Lexus and Toyota cars, probably some Hondas .
Interchange Part Number: FC-280PT-22125
Other Part Number: KF243G-101
Motor body length is 30 mm, with shaft 15 mm long,
Total length is 45 mm from butt to end of shaft.
Shaft diameter is 2 mm.
Body height is 25 mm, depth 20 mm.
There is a collar at the end of the shaft. heat it up and yank off with plier.
Add grease to to the worm gear. Glue housing back with crazy glue or clear RTV.
Reverse the assembly.
Save yourself $285 parts plus $200 labor at the stealers.
The heat will soften the adhesive and you can pry it apart without breaking any pieces.
I should have had both left and right latches changed at the same time, as they have the same duty cycle, and wouldn't you know, a year later the passenger one is failing.
So now I am wondering when I take the car in, should I have the trunk latch proactively changed? Will it be the next to go bad? I will probably ask my mechanic's advice.
I am also looking to quiet the cargo cover. When the car hits bumps in the road, that cover makes a terrible noise as it bounces. Underneath the cover are two square inlets, and it appears they may have held, or are supposed to hold, perhaps a piece of foam or rubber that would soften the bounce. Have to fabricate something methinks, as googles of this item have failed to produce a part.
It's just a small motor with cable links to pull on the levers to open and lock doors. Toyota probably buys the little motor for $0.25 with about $0.50 worth of cable and plastic parts. But they charge $185 for that assembly plus 2 hours labor ($200), total $385 to change the assembly.
For $80 your mechanic does a very cheap job. He most likely replaces the little motor as described in my previous posts, not the whole assembly.
If you wanna do the job with the $6 Mabuchi motor plus about 1 hour per door, just follow my procedure above. You cannot break anything unless your only tool is a sledge hammer...hehe.
I had too many weak or faulty actuator assemblies that I swapped out, so I researched the car forums and rebuilt all of them for spares. Good thing I did not throw them out.
It feels good not getting screwed by big car companies...
This sensor, if dirty or faulty, can cause a lot of performance problems, not to mention failing SMOG checks.
Make sure the intake air filter is properly seated and sealed off from dust. Spray clean the Platinum sensor wire with non-residue BRAKE CLEANERS or CONTACT CLEANER, NOT CARBURETOR/ FUEL INJECTOR CLEANERS WHICH has LUBRICANTS.
The back side of the oil pan is all wet. So took the oil pan off and resealed with TOYOTA's FORM in PLACE GASKET which is a tube of black RTV.
Engine looked dry in the garage but after driving , still leaked same place. So suspected the RTV was not dispensed and sealed properly. Removed the oil pan and redid the gasket.
Oil pan's seal looked good and dry. But still leaked in same place. Damn. Washed the engine with degreaser and hosed down with high pressure hose. Found the leak on the back side of engine, passenger side, under the valve cover, right next to the belt tensioner strut. Damn.
The leak is at the Timing chain tensioner which is bolted onto the engine block with an oval plate and 2x 10 mm bolts. Took it out, clean mating surfaces of all oil with Acetone and regasket with Toy's black RTV. Leak is dead.
Underneath are two square inlets, one on the left and one on the right. The inlets have metal clips and it looks like there was something secured in there at some point. I wish I knew where my shop manual is, it probably shows a part right there in black and white! In any case, I am guessing that there should be a piece of rubber or such that should be in those inlets to help cushion the shelf.
To solve this, I used pipe insulation. This is a black, semi-stiff foam used to insulate pipes around the house. Its shape is a cylinder. I cut off a piece the width of the inlets. Cut the circular piece open and straightened it out. I then cut two pieces, one for each inlet and stuffed it in there. Given the foam still has a curve from its memory, I had to force it straight and rest the shelf on it, after disconnecting the two ties to the hatch. If the foam maintains its shape I will reconnect the ties to the hatch. If it does not maintain its shape and keeps curling over, then perhaps I will spec a stiffer foam that is shaped perfectly. In any case, this cost nothing and took five minutes.
Peterpan is there any real risk that my mechanic may not have replaced the entire lock mechanism? The new one works great, and that is my main concern. You say I would not break anything, well, I break everything, so I leave this stuff to the experts.
The rear side of the cover rests on 2 pieces of foam on the side wall.
If not inserted and secured properly, the cover can make annoying banging noise every time you run over a bump. I hate all those bumping noise.
For $80 its 1 hour labor with the motor. It's a fair deal.
For the $250 high price of the assembly, if you ordered it, he's supposed to show you the broken unit and how it failed, for you to keep, also the packaging of the new unit.
It's embarrassing every time I carry female passengers. They would feel like their boobs were swinging uncontrollably and ready to fall off ...hehe.
So ordered both rear and front mounts in Amazon for $45. They claim to be made of high quality chinese rubber. Dealers' would cost about $180 for both.
I put the car on stands, took the driver-side tire off for access to the rear mount.
The rear side of the engine rides on a 17 mm cross bolt which goes through the rear mounts rubber core. It was very hard to turn. I used a half-inch ratchet wrench with a 30 inch long half in extension, cheap tool from China, to reach the bolt. I turned very hard, broke the rachet and extensions without being able to turn the bolt at all. repeat the same failure for the whole week. The bros had warned me that the bolt is hard to turn, but I did not expect it to be this hard.
The cheap steel extension tubes 30-inch long twisted so much under load that the torque was not delivered to the bolt.
I was desperate. I was gonna bring it into the shop, which quoted $300 labor plus parts. Dealer wanted $675 to replace both mounts.
Finally borrowed some professional Crafstman's tools, inserted the long extension tube on the bolt, rest the tube level on a hard pivot point like a car jack to keep it straight with the bolt's centerline, use a half-inch Craftsman wrench with a long extension, applied about 100 ft-lbs of torque on the extension. This time the bolt opened smoothly. Damn. This torque is about the same as opening the wheel lug.
The shops use compressed-air impact wrenches with up to 500- 600 ft-lb torque. So they can open this bolt quickly. With limited hand tools, the home mechanics just have to be more creative.
The bros can do this kind of job at home. I broke all those cheap steel tools from China without breaking anything in the car. So the car is safe.
If you have to get under the car, just make sure you raise the car and put the chassis frame on solid and level supports. Put concrete blocks, wood blocks or wheels under the chassis to make sure the car does not move or collapse.
By the way, I am a software engineer. But I usually come up with solutions for critical problems for the muscle-head mechanics in my neighborhood. So you can do it.
Good luck.
It's right behind the pulleys and main serpentine belt, held onto the block with 14 bolts and 2 nuts.
Toyota recommends tightening all fasteners on the engine every 100K mile. This timing chain cover can leak oil, especially when the timing chain in cranking at high engine speed. Oil would be slung through the seal and spray out.
It's difficult to have access to these bolts. You have to remove the serpentine belt. Also need a long and straight box wrench to access the 2 bolts at the top.
When your engine leaks oil, it's prudent to check for the exact locations of the leaks carefully before fixing, or you may waste a lot of time with the wrong leaks.
1. Remove all engine plastic covers for access to the engine.
2. First tighten all bolts on engine: valve cover, timing chain tensioner plate, timing chain cover plate, oil sump, tighten oil filter...
3. Wipe clean all potential oil leaking joints and surfaces with engine cleaner or solvent.
4. Blow flour or baby powder on all potential leaking joints.
5. Run the car for a few days then check all joints to find the exact leaking spots and repair accordingly.
Chances are after tightening all bolts the leaks would have been fixed, you would find no more leaks and saved yourself a lot of unnecessary repairs.
Good luck.
Isn't the timing gasket at risk of being burned or mishapen, and requiring replacement? I take it they are very hearty items?
Thanks for your kind word. You are definitely kindred spirit.
I guess I do like this little Celica GTS. It's reliable, high-performance, fun and cheap to drive, and it fits my wants and needs perfectly. I guess I like to drive as fast as I can.
Via friends, I have access to Corvettes, Benzes, Porches, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Ashton Martin Vanquish etc... But I still think the Toyota GTS is a wonderful car, mostly because it's quick and precise to control in speeding, braking, turning ... more so than other high-performance cars.
Regarding the timing chain cover plate, it has a rubber gasket. The bros in NEWCELICA.ORG had tried to replace that gasket but they had to remove the engine block to do it properly. Otherwise that gasket will leak again. That would be way too much work. My guess was that the leak could be fixed by tightening the 14 bolts and 2 nuts. It turned out to be correct.
By 100K miles, I found lots of loose bolts on the engine and transmission. It's worth tightening them all while checking for leaks and worn oil, fluid and coolant hoses etc...
For a guy with bad back you do a lot with oil change and tire rotation. I do the oil change because I can do it quicker at home that driving the car to the shop and sit around and wait. I also use Toyota filter and synthetic oil so I only have to change oil every 15K or when it looks black and smelled burned.
But I made a deal with a local tire shop nearby to do tire rotation, balancing and flat repairs for the same price as Costco. They can order and install any new tires I chose and do all services very quickly while I wait. They take good care of my tires for very low cost. Recommended.
The car now has more vibration at idle than before with OEM mounts. Apparently the rubber material may be stiffer than factory's.
Therefore aftermarket engine mounts are not recommended. For $50 more, buy Toyota's engine mount for smooth idling.
Replacing the rear engine mount involves serious work and risks of damages or injuries. You need to raise the car about 6 inches for access to the fasters from underneath. There are risks of being pinned under the car if it's not supported properly.
Local shops here only want $90-100 plus part to replace the rear engine mount. I suggest the bros to leave it to the shops with proper equipments and tools to do with minimum risks.
The aftermarket seems to work fine after braking in for a few weeks. Only $45 for the set front and rear mounts, a good deal.
The OEM rear mount has a 2 in rod with a small cylindrical rubber counterweight on top. The new after market has a bump n top. It works fine. The engine idles smoothly. Severe vibration with the worn rear mount was gone. I just dont know how long it last . The OEM set lasted 220K. The front mount is like new. The rear mount was completely torn of rubber damping due to my harshing downshifting.
if engine temperature does not go up to 180 deg F, mid range on the gauge, within 10 minutes of driving, then pretty sure the thermostat is stuck open.
Cold engines dont run smoothly or efficiently with high-performance. Thermo should be replaced. TOYOTA thermos is like $18, highly recommended. Both 1ZZ and 2ZZ are the same with lay out of the Thermo.
The thermostat is inside a L-shape aluminum hose, hooked up to the black coolant hose about 3-inch DIA, at the front, bottom of the engine block, passenger side, right underneath and behind the alternator. It's held onto the engine block by a trapperzhoidal bracket onto 2 small studs with 2 x 10 mm nuts.
Contrary to popular belief, you dont have to do the big job removing the alternator and the main serpentine belt to access the thermostat. There is a much quicker and easier way to do it.
Take a trash bag under the thermostat to collect coolant under the engine. When you pull the thermostat out, about half gallon of coolant will spill from engine block.
Use a universal joint adapter with 10 mm socket and ratchet wrench to clear the alternator and remove the 2 x 10 mm nuts.
Grab the black rubber hose with your right hand and the aluminum head with your left hand, squeeze and pull the rubber hose while wiggling the head clear of the alternator and pull it out.
Believe me it will come out. I have done it many times Sure beats the long hard work of removing the alternator and redoing the serpentine belt. [non-permissible content removed].
Check around the thermo hole for debris, NICK, CRACKS or damages. Clean it up. Dont let coolant leak through cracks.
Put the new thermo and its gasket into the aluminum head with the spring going forward, into the engine block, and the notch and hole on the edge of the thermo near the top position of to recirculate coolant.
Again squeeze and wiggle the thermostat pass the alternator to sit flush on the hole. Check and make sure everything sits flat and fits well before using the universal joint adapter to tighten the 2 x 10 mm nuts. Torque should be around 30 in-lbs. Dont overtorque and strip the threaded studs.
This procedure is so easy I will use it in the future to drain coolant from the block. Sure beats going under the car. That and opening up the clamp at the bottom of the radiator hose below the cooling fan, will drain may be 90% coolant from the car.
QUCIK and EASY WAY to REPLACE 1ZZ and 2ZZ thermostats
Thanks for detailing this. Very helpful!
Kumho Ecsta PA31 all-season high performance tire, rated V 500 AAA
I bought a set of 1 SUMITOMO HTR-Z Ultra High Performance Summer. $360 with life-time balance, rotate, repairs etc..
Had about 10K miles with about 2/3 tread left. The front tires had some uneven wear. The tire is fun to drive, but is known for poor wet traction.
I just got in a spin on a rainy freeway off ramp, driving carefully at about 30 MPH. Everything was riding fine, then suddenly the tires lost all traction. The car spinned out, jumped a high curb, dragging the engine bottom on the edge of the curb, hit a wooden post (12 Inch DIA), broke it clear off the concrete base, continue riding on the curb until I was able to steer it off the curb.
Elec Stability Control would probably prevented that spin.
The bumper had a long but shallow vertical dent. The hood was bent just a little. If the car did not hit the wooden post, it may have gone over into a 20-feet ravine, which most likely total the car and cause some injuries.
During the spin, I was trying valiantly to steer the car this way then that way trying to recover the traction with no luck. My quick glances saw no other cars coming from behind so there was no secondary collision. Very lucky I did not get hit from behind.
It scared me now that I used to drive these tires at 80-90 MPH on freeway even during rain. Lucky they were all straight and wide freeways. Any sharp turns or quick lane changes would likely spin the car.
I have seen quite a few sports coups spin out even on straight road in light rain. I used to drive fast passed these shaken people in their expensive sports coups and laugh at them...
So no more Ultra-High Performance Summer tires for me. I was looking into Tirerack and found Kumho Ecsta PA31 rated top over other similar tires. The speed rating is V with tread wear rated 500, which is like 50K miles. I had before Kumho ECSTA with good dry and wet traction, wear long and evenly, but the sidewall is weaker so the turns are mushy. Also the tires were noisy after about 20K miles. But I have to make sure my [non-permissible content removed]$ wont get spinned down into a ditch in the rain. So safety first.
$272 per set plus shipping and mounting, probably about $450 total, not a bad deal.
Celica 2000-2006 Coolant replacement procedure
This is a very critical procedure. If you bungle it, the engine may overheat and crack. Toyota recommends this procedure every 50K miles and performed by authorized dealer only. Unlike older cars, Aluminum block engines must have coolant to fill engine block first, then run engine hot to open thermostat to fill radiator later.
If you have to do it yourself, there is a label under the hood, with instructions and a sketch of the coolant reservoir and hoses to help you do it. Follow it to the T of you may overheat the engine:
Replace coolant when engine is cold or you may get burns. Need about 1 and a half gallon of coolant. Use Toyota red LLC diluted in half only with distilled water. Hard water will deposit calcium in coolant lines and eventually block them.
Turn cabin heater lever ON. Put transmission in PARK, set BRAKE, chock the rear wheels carefully.
Remove the plastic engine bay baffle on passenger side to expose the white grapefruit-sized coolant reservoir on top of the radiator.
Open the 2 clamps and remove the 2 half-inch rubber hoses on the right of reservoir.
Remove the reservoir by removing the 10 mm bolt on top of it. Raise it about 6 inches and insert it on top of the lower hood hook using a small slot built into the reservoir's bottom . The bottom of the reservoir should now be a level with the top of the head and a few inches higher than the engine block. Remove the reservoir cap and the white plastic butterfly air bleed valve.
Get under the car and remove the right most large, black plastic engine cover at the bottom on driver side. Position a pan to collect coolant.
Open the 2 x 10 mm nuts holding the thermostat in place behind the alternator. Use an universal joint to get behind the alternator. Pull out the 2-inch black rubber hose with the dome holding the thermostat. Lower the dome down to the bottom of the engine bay to drain coolant from the radiator. Remove and inspect the thermostat with it's gasket for any leaks or damages. Coolant should be draining out of the engine block. Over 90% of the coolant in the car would be drained through this thermostat cavity. No need to open the drain at the bottom of engine block, near the exhaust manifold.
I would skip the flushing with chemicals since it's too complicated, time consuming and can leave residue in the cooling system. If needed, flushing should be left to a dealer.
When coolant stops draining, close the white butterfly drain plug at the radiator bottom.
Start adding about 3.7 liters or 3.5 quarts of coolant into the reservoir up to the FULL line, keep adding as coolant flows into engine block and the reservoir level goes down. Coolant should flow through the bottom hose into the engine block. Inspect the floor, the bottom of radiator and all coolant hoses for leaks. If there are leaks, stop, check for causes carefully and replace any faulty parts before continue.
Reinsert the half-inch hoses (2 hoses) on the right of reservoir and secure their clamps.
A/C OFF. Start and IDLE engine until COOLING FAN BLOWS FIRST then FAN STOPS. This is when the thermostat was open to let about half liter coolant into into the radiator for cooling. Coolant level in the engine block shuold go down by about half liter or half quart. Watch the ENGINE TEMPERATURE indicator at all time. If OVERHEAT shut down engine immediately and troubleshoot.
Add about half liter or half quart coolant to reservoir. The cooling system is supposed to be full with about 1 gallon of coolant, including what's the reservoir. If not then there is a leak or overfilling. Tighten CAP and BLEED VALVE on top of reservoir. DO NOT RUN ENGINE WITH CAP and BLEED VALVE OPEN as the engine will suck air in through the reservoir if it's empty.
For about 15 minutes or more, rev the engine INTERMITTENTLY to 3000 RPM FOR 5 sec then IDLE for 5 sec to bleed air bubble out of radiator into the reservoir. Ocasionally open the air bleed valve partially to let the air out (caution: may spray hot coolant). When there is no air bubbles blowing through the reservoir out of the air bleed valve, air is all bled out of cooling system. The air bleeding part is complete.
Wait for engine to cool down, check coolant level. Check ONLY WHEN ENGINE IS COOL. Coolant level should be between LOW and FULL or something may be leaking, or there is still AIR BUBBLES in cooling system. Check leaks under engine and on coolant hoses. Add coolant to FULL level if low.
Monitor coolant level in the reservoir and add if necessary in the next few trips. You may want to repeat item 13 to 16 to bleed air, or make sure ENGINE TEMPERATURE indicator never goes into HIGH LEVEL and drive the car in the next few days while monitoring and ADDING COOLANT if LOW. Replace the top and bottom engine baffles.
Depending on severity of engine temperature and cooling problems, you can drive the car without stressing the engine and watch engine temp, coolant levels and check for leaks on the floor, radiator and coolant hoses. If severe, call a tow truck and head for the dealer.
Took $2,000 in work this year, including drive shafts (corroded), I think every last parking brake part these last two years, including 2 cables this month that cost $340, new brake calipers all around, resonator pipe, and rear sway bars. Never the less, many prior years had little maintenance and this was the highest bill I can recall.
I have driven mostly gently for the life of this car, and as a result, it is still perfectly tight, no noises, no smells, everything works.
One thing I neglected is the exterior. I never wash nor wax it and now my sins are coming to roost. The rear fenders are beginning to rust. The clear coat is coming off in patches all over, the moon roof has rusted and its seal is bulging a bit as a result. The tabs holding the front spoiler, some have broken over the years from hitting curbs (all of you probably have that). I got hit from behind this year and received money from the perpetrator's insurance, but kept the cash. They said it needs a new bumper cover (no external sign of damage, but perhaps inside shows damage.)
I hope and pray for a 2015 with few repairs, and that is just up in the air. I did think if that could happen then it would be reasonable to budget for a repaint. Perhaps a Chinese body kit along with it. (The OEM parts are just so expensive.) My car is red, and I thought, maybe go to a pearlescent white, and coat the spoilers and lower sides in black. I am inspired by the treatment of a 1985 De Tomaso Pantera GT5-S in a large picture I have had since high school. Here I found it:
I should probably searched backwards in this forum. I am interested in general opinions on a repaint. I have a guy (check out his extreme work here:)
http://www.cherrybodiescustom.com/
I have not asked him, so I am making general guesses - $2,000 for fix & touch-up, $5,000 for a repaint including the color change.
I think something should be done. If the rust is repaired, do I just have it painted red and continue on? Or make it look like new again?
The first important question is what will I do with the car? Still do not know. I can see getting a used Luxury SUV like a Lexus RX 350. This would be superior for music gigs (the liftover on the Celica is DANGEROUS to the back.) Also I would like a better seating position as my back is killing me, and the Celica is probably the worst thing I can continue driving. So, I could offer up a re-painted Celica for trade, could sell it outright. I think praying for a good price for a perfect mechanical vehicle that is looking bad will not happen. People buy by how it looks usually.
I have been in "monk mode" as a friend calls it, where one carefully budgets only needs and socks the rest away. The 2008 depression is ingrained in my soul, and also, (for you long term residents here, you may recall) I got downsized a week after buying this car, downsized for the second time in two years. If I recall the lessons of yesteryear, then I merely do the minimum patch up, and drive the Celica forever. My comfort and lack of extra cargo space notwithstanding.
So have fun with it. Thoughts on touchup vs. repaint vs. keep the mechanicals perfect and do no body work?
No it is not my baby. I have gone from "cars are cool" extremist to thinking more of the car as a utility. I can guess that age does this to people as well as familiarity breeding apathy in me.
Age does change our perspectives! Not that I think of a car as a toaster, but for the most part, my vehicle is worth "one vehicle" to me
At some point this forum changed and updates to threads are not notifying me. Is there a "follow thread" feature today?
First, the cargo cover bounces and makes noise as a result. The dealer gave me some instructions on fixing this. On the top of the cargo cover are two rubber pieces. These press against the hatch when closed. If they do not press tightly then there is room for the cover to move. The fix is to apply some felt underneath these rubber pieces. I have some gray felt that looks exactly like the interior of the car. The problem is that I cannot figure out how to remove the rubber pieces to sandwich some of the felt. I am guessing that the rubber stops are simply forced through the cargo cover, then they expand on the other side. I thought that squeezing the bottom end would allow them to be forced back up and out of the hole. Using channel locks I am unable to do this thought. Any hints?
The second noise is another that I have had from day one but which shows up only in the winter. It is a high pitched noise coming from under the right side of the dash. I finally found a forum online which described a similar sound, metal clanking against glass, and someone stated that it is the heat sink of the audio amplifier. Presumably it is pressing against some surface. I will have to unscrew the glove box to get to it which hopefully is not difficult. Then I will move it with my hand and see if I can verify that this is the sound. If so, I think I have to apply some foam or tape in between the surfaces. Ironically while cold this is the best time to test it, but I have little patience anymore for working on the car, in the garage, during freezing weather. So we will see when I decide to get off my duff and just do this. After 14 years I do not want to hear this sound anymore.
Except for these two noises the interior of this car has served me well and has been relatively noise free. That's good because the engine and tires provide enough noise.
http://spaldam.com/cars/rita/ServiceManules/TSB_rattle_noise_repair.pdf
The shifter is stiff. It does get worse when the outside temperature drops. However this seems to be a perpetual issue with this car. I will have the mechanic address it, and it only moves freely for one season or one year, some relatively short period of time. Can anyone advise on the maintenance routines and the types of materials (lubricant?) that should be used? Is this relatively frequent maintenance normal for this vehicles?
This car also has difficulty shifting into second and third gears when cold or strangely when the outside temperature is particularly hot. My understanding is that the synchronizers for this first iteration of the seventh generation Celica were poor performers, and they were upgraded a few years later. I can confirm that when new, I had to rev match or double clutch when leaving the dealership in the winter, and that shifting works better after driving a couple of miles.
I understand that a few owners destroyed their synchronizers or transmission and were provided replacements by Honda. I suspect that these people were speed shifting or forcing the gear switch when it did not want to go.
Also, I feel that the clutch has an effect on shifting all the way to the last millimeter of movement, when mashed to the floor. I am 6' with long legs. Perhaps I am a wimp, but it seems that all effects from the clutch should apply without having to mash it down. I have heard that there are no adjustments for hydraulic clutches. Are there any adjustments available? Or maybe my perception is just off?