6G Celicas Forums

My '97 convertible had Bridgestone Potenzas on when I bought the car, and I changed them to Kumho Ecsta tires on tirerack.com. They handled better than the Bridgestones, and I was finally able to drive in snow(!!!). The first set of Kuhmos had about 12,000 miles on them when I bought a set of rims and another set of Kuhmos from Tirerack this past winter. The original set looked as good as new, and I sold the factory rims and Kuhmos in about 30 minutes on Craigslist. My wife and I drive some really winding roads on the weekend, and push the car around tight bends with zero problems.

My fans were running all of the time between 2013-2014. I replaced the switch located on the bottom of the radiator, and all three fan relays. They still ran all the time. I kept on unplugged through the winter, but it was still tough to get the engine temp up. They suddenly starting working properly around August 2014. I didn't do anything, but they work fine now. Gremlins I guess......

Cool! I was wondering if a coupe carpet could be made to fit well enough. My seats are fully back, and I don't think anyone would want to ride in that tiny back seat.

My carpet is still tip top, but my wife likes to eat in the car.......

It's March, and I need seat covers. Any word???

Edit: 1997 convertible, any color stitching as long as it's red.

I've never seen the show, but stumbled onto some pics from "Operation Good Guys": http://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_652347-Toyota...ST204-1997.html

Busty Babes and Dusty Drifting.

I used to do that all the time when I had my own driveway. I guess I'll have to borrow one, once the temps go up. The good news is my car's temp gauge is still pegged at 9 o'clock, and I'm too warm in the car.

It looked like the dealer at least put new coolant in the car back in the Fall of 2012. It's an amber color, and they're a GM dealer, so I'm guessing Dexcool. I put a gallon of Prestone 50/50 in yesterday, so that should keep me going until March.

It might be worse than that. I called the Valvoline oil change place right down the street, and they said a coolant "flush" only takes 10 minutes. I googled flushing machines, and I guess they're using one of these: http://youtu.be/LBYJ_9Q0m0w

That thing sucks out the old, and pumps in the new coolant. No flushing that I can see, and I imagine the Toyota dealer uses the same thing. I had a blocked heater core on a '96 Caprice, and the dealer did flush that, but I had just bought the car a few days before (used).

Okay.... I'm lazy sometimes. I bought a Toyota thermostat at least a year ago, since my engine was running cold during cold weather. I live in a townhouse community, and didn't feel like bothering. On days when the temps were below 55 degrees Fahrenheit, the needle would go up around 1/4" at 35 mph, and on colder days, it would barely move. My wife and I cruise the road that runs along the frosty Delaware River, and it was just plain cold inside the car this winter. Soooooo.......

I called the local Toyota dealer, and asked how much for a flush and to install the thermostat. $90 for the flush, and two hours labor to install the thermostat @$105/hour!!!! I told the guy he was a joke, and hung up. A pan under the engine, a 10mm socket for the top nut, and a stubby 10mm wrench for the bottom nut, and I was done in 15 minutes. I didn't flush the system, but the temperature gauge is pegged right in the center now, it heats up very fast, and there's loads of cabin heat. I drove it for an hour just to make sure everything was good, and that needle never moved.

The weird thing was this. The top and bottom hoses used to get hard as a rock after the engine had been running for a while. Not a hot engine, just once it had run for 20 minutes. Now the hoses can be compressed without using a Kung Fu grip. The old thermostat's plunger was in about 1/4" further than the new one, so I'll assume it was stuck open. I wish I had done this back in 2013......

I should probably have the system flushed, but who knows what the dealer will come up with. $210 to replace a thermostat?!? I bet they do them all day long.

I had TireRack install the tires before they shipped, so these might be mine now. I'm getting used to it, but maybe that's because the sun is fading.... 16" rims would have left plenty of room for enough rubber, and that's a ton of rubber showing now. Oh well, it only cost $900.



This is the look I was hoping for:

OMG!!! These wheels are so ghetto when the sun shines on them! They're just too shiney. I went through a parking lot, and couldn't find a single car with glistening silver wheels. Maybe I need to try another part of town.

Seriously .... I need to paint these things, or knock the shine off with some steel wool. That would look really nice then. lesson to be learned.

Maybe I should've bought the 16" rims.......



Somewhat better than the old rims, I guess.....



EDIT: The blue film on the center cap has to be removed, and it wasn't cooperating.

Celica


Miata


Just Plain Crazy... 5" thick ice....

Hey Box Stock, the Miata has way too much body roll. My Celica GT is the flattest car I've ever driven, and my wife and I look for twisting roads on our weekend trips. I turned into a Taco Bell at 40 mph once...LOL! Having said that, I take pictures of every parked Miata I find, and we're still looking for the One.

I'm 6'1" tall, and have tons of room in my '97 convertible. I almost bought a 2015 Miata last week, but my Celica handles better, and has more room.....and is paid for.

I wonder if the convertibles have more headroom. They certainly don't have a thick top.

I got impatient, and bought the Andros. They're supposed to be here tomorrow....
http://www.tirerack.com/upgrade_garage/Big...d+w%2FClearcoat

Speaking of weight, I like these wheels: http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/WheelCloseU...p;association=1
There's a 5lb difference between the 15" and 16"!!!

*** The problem with 15" wheels, is there aren't many choices for tires. I've been using Kumho Ecsta, and they work better than the Bridgestone Potenzas that were on the car when I bought it.

I'm looking for an appearance bump that won't require any other mods, or effect my car's handling (great with 15" rims).
I was looking at something like this: http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/WheelCloseU...&sort=Brand

I just had a new top installed, and all it needs now are some rims that don't look so 90's.

Well.... That's my next project, at least once 5sfe shows a single sign of being tired. Thanks for the info!

I saw a guy power wash a carpet on YouTube, and it worked. Just be careful you don't blast the fibers to shreds. A power washer can remove paint, depending on the model.

My '97 vert GT has 133,000 miles on its 5SFE engine, and it runs perfect. The car handles like it's on rails, and I sometimes wonder if the V6 would make life a little more exciting. Does the V6 weigh much more than the 5SFE? I don't want to mess with the car's already great handling by adding a heavy motor.

I had my top replaced two weeks ago, and the shop told me they could make a new carpet if I ever needed one. They do cars, boats, RVs, tops, upholstery and....carpets. I don't know what it would look like, or how much it would cost, however.

My carpet is in nearly 100% condition, so I'd have to have something spilled to need a new one. There's very little carpet showing in our convertibles, or at least mine. The front seats are all the way back, so that's covered, and the front mats cover most of that area.

You have to pull the console section surrounding the shifter off. No tools required, but the switches on the cover have to be disconnected.



Once that's off, there are two screws on the shifter indicator assembly. They're brass colored, and one in the front, and one in the back. The rear screw is a tight squeeze, and I dropped mine a few times while removing and installing. A pair of hemostats is a big help here.


Front screw is the screw on the right of your screen. I forgot to point at it:


Once you unscrew and lift off that assembly, simply slide the new shift cover in place. I hope this helps.

Oh Man.... Let me try to remember what I did a year ago, and if I forget something, another member can fill in the blanks. I believe it was as simple as pulling up the plastic cover surrounding the shifter, and then sliding the the cover in place should do it. I'll run out to my car at noon EST, and make sure that's all there is to it.

Ouch... MSN had a "10 Cars We Wouldn't Be Caught Dead In" fluff article, and the Solara made the list. My new top install was completed yesterday, but only looks like a new top when the top is up. The installer buys tops from this guy, and he said it would have cost him $70 more than what I paid on ebay. The seller is about 100 miles from me, and I had the top 2 days after ordering it. Hindsightseeing is his ebay name, and I paid $380 for a really nice Haartz Stayfast top with glass window. His auction says more than 10 available, and I'll vouch for the quality. The glass is sandwiched between two pieces of material. The old top's glass was glued to a single layer of material, but it was either original, or old.

Edit: I didn't see the Solara in the post above. Getting old....lol!

Looks great, Terry. I just ordered a new top for my '97. I'm getting tired of glueing the rear window seams.....