DEATH's GT2 Progress [Updated 01-24-13], 6 years/60k? Miles and FCUKING RIDICULOUS!!! Options

[DEATH]

As the topic says my car wants to die on me. Actually before I get to the current problem I'll detail my 4 day weekend/Gremlin attacks:
1. [Thurs - day one of a promising 4 day weekend ] I should mention first that noone ever works on my car but me - but I've had it with opening the engine for at least a few months so: Got the intake cam set properly finally by a Toyota dealership for the cheapest price anyone quoted me! I went to Joe Myers Toyota as the last shop I was gonna try just for sh*ts and giggles and through some stroke of fate I got the coolest service manager ever. My budget was to be $200 tops with the work done in one day. First shop tells me all kinds of BS that I know isn't true about the 3S and he quoted 4 hours labor [$400] and 3day wait. I laughed and left there . After shopping around 4 different other shops the best price was $210 with same day service. As I already said I went to Toyota for the hell of it [and to pick up some oil filters for the oil change I was planning for Fri morning] and they looked it up and said it's 2.5hrs labor at $100 each so $250 - over budget so I was gonna try to talk the $210 guy down to $200 tax included. Then the service guy said "well if I charge you for a timing belt job it'll still be $250 but I can take the cost of the belt off since your belt is only 2mos old. So that took the price down to $180+tax - perfect. To make things even sweeter I got to request my old friend NachoNismo [Toyota Tech at JMT] and he and his team did a beautiful job on it and even gave me free diagnostics, trouble code print out and several other freebies [BTW only code showing was 42 - Speedsensor not giving the ECM a signal within 8sec after hard driving? Could this be the same problem that won't allow my speedo to work? GT Tranny BTW]. When I went to pay my bill I got another pleasant surpise - $150 including tax!
So I got invited to the TX2K8 [Annual North American Supra Meet] dinner and meet at Frank-N-Steins and went there:
2. [Friday night] Blew my turbo coupling [the first one attached to the compressor outlet] into tiny little shreds so had to limp home with no boost [not a fun way to spend a 45min drive with a grouchy GF, two sleeping teens in the back seat and a pissed off Mega Chihuahua on the back hatch cover at 2:30 in the morning]. Got home and fixed that but discovered the coolant return line from the Turbo was spraying coolant [evidenced by the pancakes smell of burning off Toyota For Life Coolant]. Put a clamp on that and refilled the coolant with another $10 worth of coolant. So I need to take my GF to a Fetish Ball [Not like I wanted to go or anything ] clear on the other side of Houston about an hour away:
3. [Sat Night] So I get all the Gremlins slayed and start the car with the hood open, observing all the fixed problems and the gauges until the car warms up. So I back out of the garage and turn the lights on and Bam! - the car trys to die and generally runs like sh*t. Turn off the lights and idle returns to normal. Hit the brakes and the idle again drops and the engine runs like sh*t. And here's the real slap to the face - roll down the window and the car wants to die! So the GF is pissed again cause she's been looking forward to this for 3 months. Luckily for her Havok and his lady are going anyway so they offer to drive us and drop us off later [Thanks again Bro!] and we go to the FB and altho I usually enjoy myself immensly at these things my mind is with the car back in the garage and I ate something bad and felt like puking [almost did several times actually - Dry heaving FTL ]
4. [Sun] Woke up at 5PM with absolutely no energy and no drive to work on the car

So after that long dissertation I'd like to thank this guy for the very interesting weekend:

Fcukin asshats always playing games under my hood

Now to my questions [Alltracman - help me out buddy]:
1. WTF is up with that code 42 and what should I check to get it diagnosed and fixed up and hopefully finally have a working speedo?
2. WTF is up with that electronics gremlin that makes any powered accessory cause the idle to drop and almost die? My first thought is bad ground connections - sound plausible? Ideas, theories or [hopefully] past experience?
3. Why can't I just go a whole week without something fcuking up on this car? Damn I miss my trustworthy, never fails to start and run like God designed it 5S.

Now this my friends and potential swap owners is why you have no business owning a car that you yourself did not swap [or like in my case - have already swapped a Celica in the past and felt like skipping the initial headache portion of the process]. If you don't know the 3S-GTE and all you've ever owned was a 5S or 7A - don't even consider having someone else swap your car - the experience and famliarity with the engine you will gain by swapping it yourself or with some friends is priceless. Seriously.

This post has been edited by DEATH: Jan 31, 2017 - 8:23 PM

[presure2]

i would say the power problem is one of 2 things.
bad grounds, or bad alternator.
for the code, make sure the speed sensor is plugged in, its at the back of the tranny, on top. for me the easiest way to get to it is to get the car nice and high (on jackstands of course!)and reach up from behind the tranny. if its plugged in, its a problem with the wiring (did it ever work?) or the speed sensor is bad.

did ya buy the car already swapped? (thats what it sounds like by your post) if so, i feel ya, supershannon77 is and has been going thru the same types of issues, just on a larger scale..aka tranny locks up dead, ect..lol)
i couldnt agree more with the last 2 sentences of your post.

[DEATH]

Yeah I bought Chanh's old car but as I said I have swapped a 4th gen before so I am pretty familiar with the problems that come with the power. That's why I figured this time I would skip the initial headache phase - bad mistake. I don't believe the speedo ever worked as I have seen threads from both of the previous owners trying to work that out with no success. I already checked and the plug for the speed sensor and it is indeed plugged in. Any thoughts on how to make a jumper harness to take the place of the swap wires or maybe how to check the wiring using a multimeter?
I believe I will run all new grounds to the engine tonight as I already checked and the alt is working great with the lights/etc off [13v at idle to 14v under load]. Anybody can hook me up with a diagram of the location of the stock grounds on an ST-185?

[presure2]

Yeah I bought Chanh's old car but as I said I have swapped a 4th gen before so I am pretty familiar with the problems that come with the power. That's why I figured this time I would skip the initial headache phase - bad mistake. I don't believe the speedo ever worked as I have seen threads from both of the previous owners trying to work that out with no success. I already checked and the plug for the speed sensor and it is indeed plugged in. Any thoughts on how to make a jumper harness to take the place of the swap wires or maybe how to check the wiring using a multimeter?
I believe I will run all new grounds to the engine tonight as I already checked and the alt is working great with the lights/etc off [13v at idle to 14v under load]. Anybody can hook me up with a diagram of the location of the stock grounds on an ST-185?

there should be 3 grounds.
a thick one from the top of the tranny, to a spliced wire that goes to both the negative battery cable, and the drivers side corner of the radiator support.
a thinner one that goes from a bolt that goes thru the tranny into the engine to the drivers side strut tower.
and one that goes from the top of the alternator bracket, to the passanger side strut tower.
celicatech has the BGB, you can prolly use that, print out the pages you need to find the testing procedure for the speedo sensor stuff.

[DEATH]

Thanks so much Pressure. I can't get anything from Celicatech tho cause it asks you like a hundred personal questions just to register over there and I don't feel comfortable giving out that much info online.
Griffgirl - can you e-mail this to me?

[lagos]

Thanks so much Pressure. I can't get anything from Celicatech tho cause it asks you like a hundred personal questions just to register over there and I don't feel comfortable giving out that much info online.
Griffgirl - can you e-mail this to me?

Err... ummm... what personal questions were you asked? all you have to provide is your email address, login name and password that you want.

[lagos]

Now this my friends and potential swap owners is why you have no business owning a car that you yourself did not swap [or like in my case - have already swapped a Celica in the past and felt like skipping the initial headache portion of the process]. If you don't know the 3S-GTE and all you've ever owned was a 5S or 7A - don't even consider having someone else swap your car - the experience and famliarity with the engine you will gain by swapping it yourself or with some friends is priceless. Seriously.

^ truth.

As far as your speedo issue....
You have one of the OLD harness jobs done by qatar11. He didnt wire up the speedo correctly and thats why the ecu is throwing the code and the speedo is not working. Its a simple fix with about 3-4 wires that need to be changed around. Look up the wiring diagrams and compare them with your harness.

As far as your other electrical issues... check your grounds. If those check out, then have your battery and alternator tested.

[politicsareevil]

Matt..... end this all once and for all..... send that harness to tweak. Get in line fool. I've known you for a while and I know you dont like letting other people work on that beast but I would send it to him and finish off ALL electrical problems. Its nice to know that when you get it back from him it will be perfect.


- Matt

[alltracman78]

Speedo first.

Assuming the connection and wiring at the sensor is ok, the problem is most likely at the engine harness to dash harness connectors. There's 2 of them, near the ECU connectors [if you can't find them, follow the harness].
There are 3 wires for the speed sensor [these are what Lagos was referring to].
2 Go through one connector, 1 goes through the other. I don't remember which is which.
Like Lagos also said, there's not much info required to sign up on Celicatech and access the BGBs. This will give you the exact location of the wires in question.

To test the sensor, 12V to one wire [red/blue stripe?], ground to one wire, and your going to check for voltage at the third wire. Put the multimeter ground on the ground wire.
Spin the sensor and see if you have voltage. If so, sensor works.



Power issue.

This started right after the coolant spraying, correct?
Most likely that caused a problem in the alt. Did it get any coolant on it?
The problem could also be in the engine fusebox, or potentially anywhere the coolant got on wiring/sensors.

Easy way to confirm if it's the alt, remove the acc belt, start the car and see if the headlights kill it. To further isolate disconnect both connectors on the alt.
If not, most likely the alt is damaged, though there is a small possibility of something else causing it [welcome to electronics ].
If it still dies, it's not the alt, and it's something else. I would start with the fuse box [only if it got sprayed, if not, head to the most complex thing that did get sprayed].

It is also possible you had an underlying problem that surfaced [or was magnified] by the coolant.
There's nothing wrong with checking and improving your grounds regardless, that is a win/win job.

Manny hit the stock locations perfectly.
They don't have to be in those exact locations though, what you NEED is a ground from the starter to the battery [heavy gauge wire], ground from the battery to the chassis, from the trans to the chassis and from the engine to the chassis, preferably by the alt.
I improved mine years ago, and added one from the head to the trans.
Make sure you check the condition of the connections [corrosion, ect].
I used gold plated ring terminals to slow corrosion and 8 gauge wire.

[Havok1997GT]

Luckily for her Havok and his lady are going anyway so they offer to drive us and drop us off later [Thanks again Bro!]


Anytime dude. Anything i can do to help out let me know

[DEATH]

Thanks Pressure, Lagos and Alltracman.
1. Celicatech's sign up form is two pages and it asks for address, full name, daytime phone number, nighttime [cell] phone number and all kinds of other weird questions that just don't agree with me. IDK. Maybe I'll start one over there anyway. I've never heard of anybody having any problems.
2. As for the old harness from qatar11 - that became abundantly clear as soon as I started ripping into this car. I've already dealt with these harness problems once before when I was helping another member finish his swap back in '04. Thanks for the name - I couldn't remember who it was. I'll search for it here to get a heads up on any other potential swap problems. I remember everybody getting pissed about him back in the day. Weren't they referred to as the infamous "red wires" [as in red loom?]? Thanks to Lagos and Alltracman on this one - I think I can figure out the wiring using the multimeter now that I know that's probably the problem. I'll use that method to check the sensor as well. Anybody got a trick to spinning the sensor or do I just need to hook the multimeter up out the hood and thru the front window on a closed street and look for voltage?
3. I agree with the making extra/good grounds thing. I called around last night to see if anybody had the Apex'I ground kit in stock [I know it's overkill but I figured I might as well do it right the first time]. I'll get some more brass connectors and wire on the way home tonight [will be light out and the car will run fine]. I don't believe it's likely the coolant as it only sprayed near the water neck on the RH side of the motor near the Turbo and wasn't a big wash down by any means - more like the little leaks around your garden hose when you first tighten it on by hand and nowhere near the Alt anyway [I'll still check it tho]. I need to check the stock ground near the alt as it's possible Toyota took it off to do the timing belt and forgot to put it back. So for grounds I need:
-Block to chasis
-Tranny to chasis
-Head [near alt] to chasis
-head/block to tranny
Any other good places to put the last one on the eventual Apex'I setup [just gonna do a homemade job in the meantime]?

[6strngs]

get a multimeter and put the positive end on the negative battery post and the negative end at any of your grounds. you should see less than 0.1V. if you see more, clean the ground up and put it back and try again. That's definately my first thought on it. Especially check where the ECM grounds to and clean that one.

[DEATH]

Will do. Thanks alot.
Anything else guys? I'm gonna start this at 5pm so gathering all the possible info I can before then.
BTW - Any Houston guys got a few hours to kill tonight?

[phattyduck]

The electrical load issue might also be the "ELS" connection to the ECU. It tells the ECU when you are using the headlights, rear defroster, etc... but it shouldn't make a huge difference. Go look for grounds and other wiring problems first.

(on my 3rd gen motor, the ELS connection changes the idle from 700rpm up to 750 to deal with the extra load)

-Charlie

[presure2]

Thanks Pressure, Lagos and Alltracman.
1. Celicatech's sign up form is two pages and it asks for address, full name, daytime phone number, nighttime [cell] phone number and all kinds of other weird questions that just don't agree with me. IDK. Maybe I'll start one over there anyway. I've never heard of anybody having any problems.
2. As for the old harness from qatar11 - that became abundantly clear as soon as I started ripping into this car. I've already dealt with these harness problems once before when I was helping another member finish his swap back in '04. Thanks for the name - I couldn't remember who it was. I'll search for it here to get a heads up on any other potential swap problems. I remember everybody getting pissed about him back in the day. Weren't they referred to as the infamous "red wires" [as in red loom?]? Thanks to Lagos and Alltracman on this one - I think I can figure out the wiring using the multimeter now that I know that's probably the problem. I'll use that method to check the sensor as well. Anybody got a trick to spinning the sensor or do I just need to hook the multimeter up out the hood and thru the front window on a closed street and look for voltage?
3. I agree with the making extra/good grounds thing. I called around last night to see if anybody had the Apex'I ground kit in stock [I know it's overkill but I figured I might as well do it right the first time]. I'll get some more brass connectors and wire on the way home tonight [will be light out and the car will run fine]. I don't believe it's likely the coolant as it only sprayed near the water neck on the RH side of the motor near the Turbo and wasn't a big wash down by any means - more like the little leaks around your garden hose when you first tighten it on by hand and nowhere near the Alt anyway [I'll still check it tho]. I need to check the stock ground near the alt as it's possible Toyota took it off to do the timing belt and forgot to put it back. So for grounds I need:
-Block to chasis
-Tranny to chasis
-Head [near alt] to chasis
-head/block to tranny
Any other good places to put the last one on the eventual Apex'I setup [just gonna do a homemade job in the meantime]?

just hit up your local autozone or whatever, they sell pre made ground wires, just like stock, for 3-4$ ea.

[DEATH]

Yeah - that's what I planned to do [since I can't get the Apex'I setup in time]. I'll buy 3 or so and ground the hell out of it. The places I posted above sound good?
-Block to chasis
-Tranny to chasis
-Head [near alt] to chasis
-head/block to tranny

[GriffGirl]

Check your email, it's on its way.

I'll burn that damn disc for you too and get it out in tomorrow's mail so you can have EVERYTHING at once. Gauge face will have to wait.

This post has been edited by GriffGirl: Mar 25, 2008 - 7:29 PM

[DEATH]

nvm
double post

This post has been edited by DEATH: Mar 25, 2008 - 9:46 PM

[DEATH]

You fcukin rock. I love this site
Got the parts and it's starting to cool off in my garage - I'm gonna eat and then do it in a min [print that stuff too].
I got 3 of them 4ga. I'm gonna run the first one from the alt to the chasis [pass side obviously].

Speedo first.

Assuming the connection and wiring at the sensor is ok, the problem is most likely at the engine harness to dash harness connectors. There's 2 of them, near the ECU connectors [if you can't find them, follow the harness].
There are 3 wires for the speed sensor [these are what Lagos was referring to].
2 Go through one connector, 1 goes through the other. I don't remember which is which.
Like Lagos also said, there's not much info required to sign up on Celicatech and access the BGBs. This will give you the exact location of the wires in question.
To test the sensor, 12V to one wire [red/blue stripe?], ground to one wire, and your going to check for voltage at the third wire. Put the multimeter ground on the ground wire.
Spin the sensor and see if you have voltage. If so, sensor works.

I meant to ask you - did code 42 come up as a speedsensor something or other?

This post has been edited by DEATH: Mar 25, 2008 - 9:46 PM

[Havok1997GT]

good luck man. Hope everything works. (Knock on glass)

[lagos]

Dont bother testing the speed sensor. Im telling you, its a known issue with that harness. You just have to look it up in the wiring diagrams to do it correctly. I had to fix the same problem on my car when I first swapped it.

As for celicatech, all you have to do is fill in your birth date (so we can wish you happy birth day) and just the top portion that includes your name/password, etc..
You should be able to leave the rest of the info blank. Stuff like location, is just meant to be your city/state, not your actual address. Any ... if that info IS required to join, Ill bring up the issue with the owner of the site.

[DEATH]

You have no idea what a difference that damn ground wire made!
The quick fix:


I'll run the wire better later but my god the difference! Even the minor things like the windows roll up faster, the dome is brighter etc.
Anyway the car runs smooth as a 5s but with double the power. The gremlins have been beaten into submission - just a few more tweaks and that damn Speedo and I can start having fun with her. Got her on the freeway - no codes. Drove her around in traffic - drives like a Lexus [except the stupid stiff suspension of course but I wouldn't change a thing!]
My smile is threatening to eat my head

Any thoughts on where to put the other two? This clenches it I'm getting the Apex'I ground kit!

I'd really like to thank Presure2, lagos, Alltracman78, 6strngs, Phattyduck and Griffgirl for your input, responses and help. You guys and 6gc.net are the best.

Lagos - wanna help me through that speedo fix bro? I'd really appreciate any notes, pics or remberances you could share with me on how you fixed that [I know it was years ago].

I don't think I've ever put this many (!)'s in a post before

This post has been edited by DEATH: Mar 26, 2008 - 1:29 PM

[DEATH]

OK Speedo issue now. I got these diagrams [they say they are for 5S]:


I have a full bag of all the electrical goodies [wire, connectors, multimeter etc. etc.]. What else do I need and where do I start my search?

[alltracman78]

See the speedo sensor in the diagram?
3 Wires coming out.
Each goes to a connector [white "rectangles" on either side of the sensor], II1 & II2 IIRC.
Those are your 2 connectors.
You need to match up the wires on the 3S harness [where it plugs into these 2 connectors] to those wires.

You might have to backtrack in the 3S harness, and source pins to connect to the 5S connectors, but

3S - 5S
black/red stripe - red/blue stripe
blue - blue
brown - blue/black stripe

[DEATH]

You're the man - I knew one of you guys could make it dummy proof. So does that mean the 3 wires will all have individual connections on the speed sensor or it's talking about down the harness? Cause when I looked it only had one connector just after the sensor.
Lagos - you have anything to add from experience? Were they just pinned incorrectly at the connector for the sensor or is it something upstream of there?
I'll get started right away

This post has been edited by DEATH: Mar 26, 2008 - 3:17 PM

[alltracman78]

The speed sensor has 1 connector.
I doubt the wires are pinned wrong, there is no need to remove them.

The 3SGTE engine harness has 4 connectors that go inside the passenger compartment [5 if you count the one for the blower motor, but it's small and blue, disregard it].
2 connectors go to the ECU [the ECU has 3 connectors total, but in the stock setup 1 connector is part of the dash harness and not part of the engine harness] and 2 connectors connect to the dash harness for things like fuel pump, cruise control, CEL, ect.

Of the 3 wires for the speed sensor, 1 wire goes to 1 of the engine/dash connectors and 1 go to the other one.
The 2 connectors are called II1 and II2. If you look at the white "rectangles" in the wires coming off the sensor, you will see they are labeled II1 and II2.

I have zero experience with the messed up harnesses Lagos is referring to, but I would guess the problem is either those 3 wires are cut or they aren't in the correct positions.
You get to trace them and find out where they are.

[alltracman78]

If you can't understand what the diagrams mean [not just wire colors, everything], side down and read the first few pages of the wiring manual, it explains EVERYTHING.

[DEATH]

Ah! I think I understand now. That coupled with your other response should get me going on what to check for. I'll report back tomorrow hopefully.
Thanks for your patience - I know helping someone this much can be a PITA.

[DEATH]

If you can't understand what the diagrams mean [not just wire colors, everything], side down and read the first few pages of the wiring manual, it explains EVERYTHING.

Actually I make wiring diagrams at work for a living so it ought to be a piece of cake. It's just trying to visualize the actual parts from a few brief glimpses is what's elluding me right now. When I get home and get in the garage i hope all will become clear. I'm thinking about moving one of my PC's downstairs to the garage but I need both of them right now [Hint hint D-man - maybe you could make us one for the garage? Nothing fancy just something to get on-line with and maybe do some tuning later on when you get your emanage or w/e].

I had a thought: Is there some way to make a new harness [jumper really] that would just handle the speedsensor to ecu and gauge cluster stuff? Rather than mess with the old stuff I mean - I have an extra 5s dash wring harness if that would help.

Also is there anything I could take pics of that would help me help you diagnose the problem? I'll be here till 6:30PM CST with the camera and time to kill so LMK.

This post has been edited by DEATH: Mar 26, 2008 - 4:08 PM

[alltracman78]

The easiest way is to find the wires in the 3S harness and connect them to the 5S dash harness.

You DON'T want to replace the dash harness, you have to remove the entire dash to do it.

Once you're in your car and looking at the harness it should make sense.

[lagos]

Bingo. You actually supposed to have a factory ground wire there. For some reason yours was missing.
This made me realize something... the stock alltrac has a metal torque bar that bolts from the top of the alt bracket to the chassis of the car. This probably doubles as a really thick grounding point for the whole motor! Since we leave those torque bars off when we swap (wont fit) it wouldn't be a bad idea to add an extra ground wire there.

Btw, dont waste your money on a 200$ apexi grounding it. Its a total rippoff. Just buy more battery wire from the car parts store, like you did and add any grounds you might want.

Give me some time to look through my wiring notes and see whats up with the speedo wiring.

[6strngs]

definately zip tie that wire to the AC lines or something so it doesn't fall into the belt. and I'm with Lagos, $200 for a grounding kit is outrageous. you can get a grounding kit on ebay for way cheaper and it'll do the same thing, which won't be much... as long as all your factory grounds are good, you shouldn't need a grounding kit. more grounds won't hurt, but I doubt it would be much better than just having good clean grounds where you are supposed to.

[95celgt]

I had installed a ground wire in the same place but bolted it to the wheel well, did you loose it when u pulled the motor out? it fixed the voltage real nice, gave me like 14.5V on the turbo timer:D...............God I miss that car

When I go up to H-town, I hope u let me see the dam thing again lol

[DEATH]

Watching my A/F this morning I think I need to change my pants. She sat just the slightest bit lean during warmup and idle, ran so tightly in the center of the stoich range off boost and in the rich just a touch under boost. All of it ran so smoothly with little bounce and no large dips or spikes. Yes I'm aware that my Megan narrowband gauge isn't 100% accurate [I've got an AEM Uego on order as we speak] but I actually went through several name brand A/F gauges till I settled on this one cause it actually reads alot more accurate than the standard light show type and this one has an actual needle to read [End "I'm not a dumbass" disclaimer].
I was so impressed with the way she ran this morning I'm finding it hard to make it through the work day without getting "sick"
It's nice to see all my hard work and perserverance [and money ] pay off with such results. This is why I love working on my Celicas so much. They really are like women - they just don't give you any sh*t [J/K - nobody get their pannies in a wad]

This post has been edited by DEATH: Mar 27, 2008 - 8:55 AM

[DEATH]

95celGT - Yeah no problem. I would feel the same way [then again I doubt I'll ever sell her].
as for whatever ground may have been there before - Toyota was just working in that area immediaetly before the problem started. Chances are since it was not stock - they didn't know to put it back. Either that or when I rebuilt the motor cause this seemed to make all the issues go away.
Now I need to double check the timing and a few other things but she feels solid and smooth like a stock vehicle again.
You'd be surprised at the shear amount of upgradeing and little issue fixing I've done to this car since I bought it. I've spent well over $2500 on her in two months and I've got solid plans in the works to spend another $2500 on her over the next few months as well [which is why $200 on the Apex'I kit doesn't sound like a bad idea to me - especially if it will reduce alt whine in the audio/video system I'm designing for her (fully removable of course - can't be weighing her down now can I? it'll be really subtle too - got a plan for the one screen I'm installing that will probably turn a few heads on this site]. The A/C delete and the fabrication of the mounts for the intercooler were free other than bracket material, cleaning up of the wiring in the dash, under the hood. Alot of replacement of interior components and using all stock mounting hardware, seat belts, new horns [3], and installing the fcuking crash bar , new window controls, JDM folding Mirrors [still not wired to fold automatically but it's in the works], monitoring equipment, new silicone hose [About 50% completed], The Turbo will be rebuilt soon, SAFC-II installed and some Dyno Tuning, got to get the Koyo Radiator installed, AEM Wideband UEGO, EGT Gauge, Oil Pressure gauge, Water Temp, Volt meter a second Boost gauge to be installed near the turbo so I can read pressure drop across the IC, New tires [might buy some high dollar 5 Spoke Enkies in a similar style], new suspension bushings, Upgraded sway bars, new struts or adjustable coilovers, new upholstry/headliner, and eventually I'd like to get a front bumper made up like Martin's.

definately zip tie that wire to the AC lines or something so it doesn't fall into the belt.

That pic was just taken to illustrate the placement of the ground wire. I don't leave any work on any of my Celicas in this kind of halfassed way. Immediately afterr I took that pic prior to test driving her I secured it up the right way.

This post has been edited by DEATH: Mar 27, 2008 - 8:54 AM

[D-Man]

Yeah, i can vouch for that. Death dont like doing nothing half-ass. He got personally offended the way my intake system was hooked up and had to pull out random pieces to move it a bit. Now he's on my ass about getting a heat shield

I would put money on the table that that wire is placed correctly; and the photo is during the test start.

[DEATH]

Yeah, i can vouch for that. Death dont like doing nothing half-ass. He got personally offended the way my intake system was hooked up and had to pull out random pieces to move it a bit. Now he's on my ass about getting a heat shield

I would put money on the table that that wire is placed correctly; and the photo is during the test start.

Thanks for vouching on that . Actually the heat shield thing wasn't cause I think you need it [remember I'm on the SRI side of the fence - I think the extra piping of a CAI totally negates any meager gain you would get over an SRI] it's just I know you have a thing for flare and I think a nice chrome heatshield would help dress that bay up some. Totally not about the functioning at all as I think they don't actually do anything unless you have an engine where the intake runs across the top of a header or something.

[DEATH]

Give me some time to look through my wiring notes and see whats up with the speedo wiring.

I really appreciate that Lagos. I recall the old days and the wiring that was available to swappers like yourself - it's a testament to ya'll's abilities that you guys were able to work through all that. I have alot of admiration for some of the original swappers from this site.
I'm sure I could work it out through trial and error and alot of buying unnecessary parts but if you can find what it was you did that would save me alot of headaches and money in the long run. Also, I'm running out of time a bit cause the inspection will be up soon and altho there is no way this car is gonna pass Houston's smog test I'd like to make sure everything else is up to code.
That reminds me - I have to get the stock horn switch working cause the switch I installed temporarily works but it's not where my hand instinctivly goes when I need it [and Houston is one of those places you often need your horn].

[D-Man]

That reminds me - I have to get the stock horn switch working cause the switch I installed temporarily works but it's not where my hand instinctivly goes when I need it [and Houston is one of those places you often need your horn].

TRUE!!

But as long as you have a horn button somewhere in the car, i believe your safe (for inspection). Also, the switch for it is on the other side of the air bag if i remember correctly. i'll try to find the thread and print it for you. There was a big one a few weeks ago...

This post has been edited by D-Man: Mar 27, 2008 - 8:58 AM

[95celgt]

I have a complete steering colum with clock spring and switches i can sell u cheap if you need it for the horn//

[D-Man]

okay, i got your back on the horn. I cant find the post but i refreshed my memory about the damn thing... I'll help you fix it up today.

Also, did you ever hook up your air bag? I believe it was you with the air bag not plugged in right? If so then that makes life easyer (and safer) to accomplish.

[DEATH]

I have a complete steering colum with clock spring and switches i can sell u cheap if you need it for the horn//

You won't hook me up with it after I bought the whole damn car? J/k j/k
Is there something I should know about the horn switch? Why isn't it working in the first place? Also the driver's airbag is hooked up properly right? just no passenger side cause it's a '94 right?

okay, i got your back on the horn. I cant find the post but i refreshed my memory about the damn thing... I'll help you fix it up today.

Also, did you ever hook up your air bag? I believe it was you with the air bag not plugged in right? If so then that makes life easyer (and safer) to accomplish.

that was my thread anyway. The switch gets power and it clicks but just isn't outputting 12v or else I'm checking the wrong wires IDK. I haven't gotten too deep into that stuff as I just now have the luxury of it. I just wired up a simple circuit for in the meantime - now I'm ready to restore that stuff to proper OEM specs.
Nice to know I have the peace of mind and luxury to worry about little sh*t like this finally.

[D-Man]

yeah, when you feel safe enough to DRIVE the car (and at night ); and your biggest problem is that you have to push a button instead of your stearing wheel to honk the horn... lol.

I gave up on my horn long ago... i've got to worry about this idol before i give a damn about my horn. That's what i use my neutral for, i make enough noise to get peoples attention

This post has been edited by D-Man: Mar 27, 2008 - 2:38 PM

[phattyduck]

Bingo. You actually supposed to have a factory ground wire there. For some reason yours was missing.
This made me realize something... the stock alltrac has a metal torque bar that bolts from the top of the alt bracket to the chassis of the car. This probably doubles as a really thick grounding point for the whole motor! Since we leave those torque bars off when we swap (wont fit) it wouldn't be a bad idea to add an extra ground wire there.

Btw, dont waste your money on a 200$ apexi grounding it. Its a total rippoff. Just buy more battery wire from the car parts store, like you did and add any grounds you might want.

Give me some time to look through my wiring notes and see whats up with the speedo wiring.

That's not a torque bar that you see there, it is just a motor mount stiffener. It just goes from the alternator bracket to the top of the engine mount (on the motor side, not the chassis side). It wouldn't aid in grounding...

That said, the ground strap on that side of the motor is really important. I'd connect that point to the chassis (not on the strut tower, use one of the bolts for the power steering reservior). The most important ground is on the back of the intake manifold. An extra ground wire there might also help out.

-Charlie

[DEATH]

Bingo. You actually supposed to have a factory ground wire there. For some reason yours was missing.
This made me realize something... the stock alltrac has a metal torque bar that bolts from the top of the alt bracket to the chassis of the car. This probably doubles as a really thick grounding point for the whole motor! Since we leave those torque bars off when we swap (wont fit) it wouldn't be a bad idea to add an extra ground wire there.

Btw, dont waste your money on a 200$ apexi grounding it. Its a total rippoff. Just buy more battery wire from the car parts store, like you did and add any grounds you might want.

Give me some time to look through my wiring notes and see whats up with the speedo wiring.

That's not a torque bar that you see there, it is just a motor mount stiffener. It just goes from the alternator bracket to the top of the engine mount (on the motor side, not the chassis side). It wouldn't aid in grounding...

That said, the ground strap on that side of the motor is really important. I'd connect that point to the chassis (not on the strut tower, use one of the bolts for the power steering reservior). The most important ground is on the back of the intake manifold. An extra ground wire there might also help out.

-Charlie

Cool thanks. Where at on the Intake Manifold? You got a pic or anything?
I did actually ground it to the bolt holding the powersteering reservoir down - that's where it's supposed to be huh? Good guess I guess. That other pic was just for testing and illustration purposes but It would have worked perfectly if I had left it there. Moving it to the PSR wouldn't change anything about the way it works - just looks better.

[lagos]

I guess your right, I always remembered it bolting to the strut tower, but i guess it goes to part of the motor mount. Either way, its there to help the engine not move around as much in the engine bay and eat up motor mounts (like our 6th gen swaps do).

It still bolts to the motor mount, that in turn, bolts to the chassis providing a ground.

[DEATH]

It still bolts to the motor mount, that in turn, bolts to the chassis providing a ground.

I think he's saying it bolts to the motor side of the mount and since that is basically two peices of metal suspended by rubber it won't provide a ground in addition to stiffening the motor. Why don't or can't we use them? I'd like to not chew through tranny mounts like my last 3s swap did. I have Kirk's mounts tho so maybe it won't be so bad this time. Years ago I had bought the TRD mounts for that old swap - those were a hell of an improvement [that was back when TRD still made parts for us ]
Any luck finding those notes yet? I'm not rushing you or anything - just curious.

[lagos]

That bar is the wrong length/size for our cars, so it cant be used.
I used to have to replace motor mounts about once a year with the oems. Now with kirks mounts, I havent had them fail, but as a downside I do have some annoying vibrations from the cabin plastics that I have to figure something out for.

Ill try to sift through the diagrams sometime today. I havent had much free time the past two days.

This post has been edited by lagos: Mar 27, 2008 - 4:22 PM

[DEATH]

That bar is the wrong length/size for our cars, so it cant be used.
I used to have to replace motor mounts about once a year with the oems. Now with kirks mounts, I havent had them fail, but as a downside I do have some annoying vibrations from the cabin plastics that I have to figure something out for.

Ill try to sift through the diagrams sometime today. I havent had much free time the past two days.

No problem - thanks again man.
the old TRD mounts were a nice halfway point point between the smoothness of stock and Kirk's mounts - but I wouldn't trade the performance for the smoothness anyway. To quiet the rattles I would use that spray foam stuff that comes in an aerosol can with a tube sticking out of it. You spray it in where the rattle is and it expands out and dries. Stuff works great for quieting rattles in trunks from systems. You can get it at any good mobile audio store. I'll see if I still have a can left and take a pic of it for you tonight.

[Chanh55]

Sounds like she's coming along nicely.

[alltracman78]

You sort out the wiring yet?

Bingo. You actually supposed to have a factory ground wire there. For some reason yours was missing.
This made me realize something... the stock alltrac has a metal torque bar that bolts from the top of the alt bracket to the chassis of the car. This probably doubles as a really thick grounding point for the whole motor! Since we leave those torque bars off when we swap (wont fit) it wouldn't be a bad idea to add an extra ground wire there.

Btw, dont waste your money on a 200$ apexi grounding it. Its a total rippoff. Just buy more battery wire from the car parts store, like you did and add any grounds you might want.

Give me some time to look through my wiring notes and see whats up with the speedo wiring.

That's not a torque bar that you see there, it is just a motor mount stiffener. It just goes from the alternator bracket to the top of the engine mount (on the motor side, not the chassis side). It wouldn't aid in grounding...

That said, the ground strap on that side of the motor is really important. I'd connect that point to the chassis (not on the strut tower, use one of the bolts for the power steering reservior). The most important ground is on the back of the intake manifold. An extra ground wire there might also help out.

-Charlie

Cool thanks. Where at on the Intake Manifold? You got a pic or anything?
I did actually ground it to the bolt holding the powersteering reservoir down - that's where it's supposed to be huh? Good guess I guess. That other pic was just for testing and illustration purposes but It would have worked perfectly if I had left it there. Moving it to the PSR wouldn't change anything about the way it works - just looks better.

The ECU grounds [wiring harness] bolt to the underside of the #2 intake runner, as long as the connection is good and the wires aren't damaged [the insulation likes to crack from the angle of the curve of the wire] you can't upgrade it, but you can ground the intake manifold directly to the chassis or to the trans, it won't hurt anything.

That ground strap on the alt bracket is fine bolted to the strut tower. That's the stock location and is part of the chassis. However it normally doesn't bolt to the strut mount stud, it's normally bolted to the side of the strut tower itself.

I guess your right, I always remembered it bolting to the strut tower, but i guess it goes to part of the motor mount. Either way, its there to help the engine not move around as much in the engine bay and eat up motor mounts (like our 6th gen swaps do).

It still bolts to the motor mount, that in turn, bolts to the chassis providing a ground.

It does nothing to stop the engine from moving, it only adds bracing to the engine mount itself. Look at how it's positioned, it CAN'T brace the engine in regards to the engine bay, it would have to bolt to the chassis to do that.

And it also physically cannot provide a ground, the engine mount center is rubber. The brace is bolted to the engine side of the mount.
The chassis side [steel sleeve] is insulated from the engine side by several inches of rubber.

[lagos]

< - 0wned.
All the while I thought it bolted to the strut tower, but its been a while since I had mine on the clip.

[lagos]

The ecu has 3 harness plugs. Remove the 3rd ecu plug and look at it with the female end facing you (look at all the plugs this way, when trying to count the pins). Pin9 should have a blue wire with a white stripe on it.

Then you have 3 interior plugs that come from the engine bay harness and plug in to the top/left of your ecu. Located the plug called II2. It should be a white, female plug with 19pins . Located pin 17, it should be an orange wire.

Now connect pin 17 from II2 to pin 9 from from the 3rd ecu plug. This sends a signal from your gauge clusted (through the II2 plug), back to the ecu.

You should now have 1 wire completed.
=======================================================

Now, locate II2 pin 10. It should be a blue wire.
Now locate plug IG2, pin3, Blue wire with a black stripe and connect it to the II2 pin10, blue wire.

IG2 should be a gray male plug with 20pins. If i remember correctly, this plug is just part of your harness and connects to a female version of itself. Someone correct me if im wrong, I dont have my book in front of me.

you should now have 2 wires completed
=======================================================

Located plug II1. It should be gray female plug with 13 pins, next to your II2 plug.
Find pin 12. It sould be a red wire with a blue stripe.
Connect it to plug IG2, pin 4 AND pin 15. so basically, 2 wires connected to 1, to form a Y.

You should now have 3 wires completed.
=======================================================

Located II1, Pin 13, blue wire with black stripe.
Connect it to IG2, pin 12, blue wire with yellow stripe.

You should now have all 4 wires hooked up, and your speedo should work.
=======================================================

This post has been edited by lagos: Mar 27, 2008 - 11:36 PM

[95celgt]

to be honest i dont know jack about how the horn works or how the airbag system works.

All 3 celicas i had never had a working horn and never cared to fix them, i was just suggesting some parts i have lying around...i have a celica shop in the attic lol

I bought the steering wheel/air bag and dash all new and well i removed the passenger airbag for weight....i dont know if the driverside would funcion or anything.

i included quite a bit of important freebies with the car remember lol, besides, at this point your only half of the way to the amount of money i put into the car:)

[DEATH]

The ecu has 3 harness plugs. Remove the 3rd ecu plug and look at it with the female end facing you (look at all the plugs this way, when trying to count the pins). Pin9 should have a blue wire with a white stripe on it.

Then you have 3 interior plugs that come from the engine bay harness and plug in to the top/left of your ecu. Located the plug called II2. It should be a white, female plug with 19pins . Located pin 17, it should be an orange wire.

Now connect pin 17 from II2 to pin 9 from from the 3rd ecu plug. This sends a signal from your gauge clusted (through the II2 plug), back to the ecu.

You should now have 1 wire completed.
=======================================================

Now, locate II2 pin 10. It should be a blue wire.
Now locate plug IG2, pin3, Blue wire with a black stripe and connect it to the II2 pin10, blue wire.

IG2 should be a gray male plug with 20pins. If i remember correctly, this plug is just part of your harness and connects to a female version of itself. Someone correct me if im wrong, I dont have my book in front of me.

you should now have 2 wires completed
=======================================================

Located plug II1. It should be gray female plug with 13 pins, next to your II2 plug.
Find pin 12. It sould be a red wire with a blue stripe.
Connect it to plug IG2, pin 4 AND pin 15. so basically, 2 wires connected to 1, to form a Y.

You should now have 3 wires completed.
=======================================================

Located II1, Pin 13, blue wire with black stripe.
Connect it to IG2, pin 12, blue wire with yellow stripe.

You should now have all 4 wires hooked up, and your speedo should work.
=======================================================

Dude Lagos you're the man. If you ever need anything from me - just ask.
I'll get started on that as soon as I finish going over the doors to make sure everything is perfect - I already started so may as well finish. When I'm done with this car there won't be a single thing I haven't inspected and put to stock [except under the hood of course]

i included quite a bit of important freebies with the car remember lol, besides, at this point your only half of the way to the amount of money i put into the car:)

I know man I was just playing. I got the rest of the missing parts the other day when Havok took me to that parts car. It would make a good shell if you're still looking but I think the towing would kill that.

[DEATH]

Shes getting her first oil change today: Mobile1 Fully Synthetic with TRD filter [got a deal on 2 for $10 so why not?]. I've spent most of the morning tightening the many loose screws I found underneath.
Question: Since I did the A/C delete is there any reason why I can't remove the heat exchanger between the Radiator and the FMIC [used to cool other sh*t etc]? Reason being I am going to install my Koyo Radiator and it has the big Koyo Logo on the front that you can't see cause of the heat exchanger, plus it's just dead weight if all it does is get rid of a/c heat and I have no a/c. I know it's probably a waste of time to most people but I like to see that kind of stuff - especially on a $350 part
I hope to start the Speedo thing tomorrow morning.

This post has been edited by DEATH: Mar 29, 2008 - 9:33 AM

[presure2]

Shes getting her first oil change today: Mobile1 Fully Synthetic with TRD filter [got a deal on 2 for $10 so why not?]. I've spent most of the morning tightening the many loose screws I found underneath.
Question: Since I did the A/C delete is there any reason why I can't remove the heat exchanger between the Radiator and the FMIC [used to cool other sh*t etc]? Reason being I am going to install my Koyo Radiator and it has the big Koyo Logo on the front that you can't see cause of the heat exchanger, plus it's just dead weight if all it does is get rid of a/c heat and I have no a/c. I know it's probably a waste of time to most people but I like to see that kind of stuff - especially on a $350 part
I hope to start the Speedo thing tomorrow morning.

yup, you can pull out all that stuff if you want to. condenser, lines ect.

[DEATH]

Sweet - thanks. Today I did the oil change and tried to track down a coolant leak [The Overflow container had a hole in it - all that search and it's always simple ]. I finished rebuilding all the door panel back to stock and rattle free. Then I decided to indulge basic creature comfort and installed my new Boston Acoustic SX60 components along with my old components in the rear - sounds so beautiful.
I tightened a ton of loose bolts underneath the car and got the trunk plastics in right and rattle free. The cars nicer to drive without all the rattles.
It's been a good day for the car.
I'll start the speedo thing tomorrow to give me all week to get parts if necessary [doesn't sound like it should be]. Next week I'll pull the front bumper off and install the radiator, crash bar and pull that heat exchanger out.
She's coming along

This post has been edited by DEATH: Mar 29, 2008 - 5:35 PM

[DEATH]

OK - Been a couple of months since I updated this. Here goes:

-Finished removing A/C lines and condensor
-Mounted the FMIC Properly/Straightened the front end
-Fixed all ground related issues
-Found and Fixed numerous wiring issues [Found bare 12v wire dangling above ECU that would short to the ECU case - WTF ]
-Continued replacing all vac lines with quality silicone hosing [still a few more to go]
-Fixed all but one small coolant leak [will be knocking that out next time I'm under the car]
-Replaced all couplings with 4 Layer [9 if you count the silicone inbetween] reinforced type and SS T-Bolt clamps
-Installed AEM UEGO Wideband o2 Sensor/Gauge/Controller
-Installed 2sRus MBC and bumped the boost up to 10PSI [Holy fcukin monkey nuts what a difference from 5PSI]

Still left to do:
-Hook up aftermarket water temp and oil pressure gauges
-Buy and install EGT gauge [Probably GReddy - may be purchasing today]
-Install Koyo Racing Radiator
-Buy/install electric exhaust cutout after downpipe
-Install Magnaflow high flow cat [Bought but not installed yet]
-Install windshield washer reservoir/pump [Bought but not installed yet]
-Fix horn wiring
-Fix speedo wiring [Thanks Lagos - yes I know I'm slacking but I'll do it when I do the next step:
-Install SAFC-II
-Loom up all the new wiring I've installed nicely and semi-permanently
-Dyno tuning

Now I have some questions:
1. The AEM Wideband reads between 14.5 to 15.2 at idle, will drop into the 11.0+ range under hard boost. For the most part I never see the red lights light up except right when I shift and it'll either jump to 16.0+ for just a second or it will show ---. Is this normal or something I should be concerned with?
2.
-will be updating/adding more throughout the day as time allows [I am supposed to be working here]

This post has been edited by DEATH: Jun 18, 2008 - 8:48 AM

[lagos]

1. The AEM Wideband reads between 14.5 to 15.2 at idle, will drop into the 11.0+ range under hard boost. For the most part I never see the red lights light up except right when I shift and it'll either jump to 16.0+ for just a second or it will show ---. Is this normal or something I should be concerned with?

Everything is working normally.
You should see 14-15 at idle or cruise (this tells you your o2 is working correctly)
Under boost, you want to see around 10-12afr. Mid 11s is ideal.
When you let your foot off the gas (like when you shift), the afr should jump all the way lean.

Turn you boost up! At the VERY least, you should be at 13psi with your fuel cut disabled.

[DEATH]

Thanks Lagos - you've been a huge help so far. I'm trying not to get greedy with the boost plus I'm not entirely sure the fuel cut is disabled cause the line running into the bottom of the MAP is not disconnected [I need to find a golf tee ]. Doesn't mean it's not disabled elsewhere tho. Is that the other line coming from the back of the WGA? If not WTF is that one for?

[lagos]

Tvsv (factory boost solenoid)
Your supposed to disconnect and cap that when you install an mbc.

[DEATH]

You mean thats where the other line runs to and then to the MAP from there [or did I read that wrong]?
I know it's supposed to be disabled but I suspect it already is because there has been an MBC installed there before already. I'm just trying to trace the lines so I can see where it might be disabled. On the MR2T's I've worked on before they always capped the line under the MAP with a golf tee - I was gonna do the same if that is OK on our cars.

[lagos]

Your map sensor vac line goes to the intake manifold. Unplug that vac line to eliminate fuel cut.
The tvsv line is the 2nd line from your WG actuator. You cap that at both ends, but leave it plugged in when installing an mbc.

This post has been edited by lagos: Jun 18, 2008 - 11:28 AM

[DEATH]

Gotcha thanks. One question tho - where is the TVSV located so I can cap the other end [And why am I able to boost to 10PSI with none of this done?]?

[95celgt]

TVSV is on the vaccum acessory rail at the bottom of the intake manifold...

This post has been edited by 95celgt: Jun 18, 2008 - 1:29 PM

[DEATH]

nvm

This post has been edited by DEATH: Jun 18, 2008 - 1:20 PM

[95celgt]

yeayea, i meant my FC3S RX7

well atleast i told you where the TVSV is....its the small one BTW, theres 2 things close together on it, the fat blue cylinder isnt it...its the skinny one.

This post has been edited by 95celgt: Jun 18, 2008 - 1:23 PM

[darthripley]

TVSV limits your boost in 1st & 2nd gear to 5psi.
in 3rd - 5th gear you can reach all available boost up to fuel cut unless you have disabled that.

this is why you want to disable TVSV when you install a boost controller so you can have max boost in any gear.

http://alltrac.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=23686

[DEATH]

Wednesday - My computer crashes - Hard. $2000 HP - All of it was due to a storm surge/power outage - so much for a APC 900 XS [Couldn't get online to pay Jazz when I said I would - I hate breaking my word]
Thursday - I got a Friendly Inspection/Emmissions and (2) Perelli Pzero 225-45R17 installed, mounted and balanced for the AMAZING price of $150 total [Tires and Inspection], out the door - Fcuking Sweet Score!!!!]
Friday - I went in to install my Magnaflow high flow cat. To my horror I find the most hideous excuse for a Bpipe/flex pipe I've ever seen. I wouldn't have run it N/A. [Pictures Coming Soon].
So I shelled out the cash and had a Bpipe/FlexPipe/Cat cad made up to take the space - no bends whatsover.
Car Boost so much better and stronger now [This proves I wasn't crazy when I thought running open DP was abnormally stronger - it didn't have to force it's way througth that old mess .
Plus I found a replacement visor for me so I can mount a small screen in mine and a matchin vanity we scored from an Avalon in my girls [who has the SRS DVD SYSTEM for her viewing pleasure for what I'm on about can be found here: http://www.6gc.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=58547&st=0 ]
Friday Night [damn near all night] I completed phase 3 of my audio/video project. I got major deep Bump again to go with my Boost now if I just had A/C...
But a new gremlin has popped up: BRB with that but think on this: EFI relay getting too hot on 100* days?

Edit - Forgot one of the most expensive ones of all.

This post has been edited by DEATH: Jul 5, 2008 - 9:33 AM

[DEATH]

Cont.
The Job:
Replace all heater and coolant hoses on the engine and bay. Stop that nasty leak I can't seem to find.
The Materials:
-(2) Bottles of Genuine Toyota For Life Coolant/Antifreeze [Red]
-2.5' of Goodyear small diameter Heater Hose [forgot the ID now]
-5' of Goodyear 16MM ID Heater Hose
-5' of Goodyear large diameter Heater Hose [forgot that one too - I know I suck]
-(1) Replacement Upper Radiator Hose [The one nearest the engine]
-Hundreds of new hose clamps of various sizes and types including OEM T-Bolt clamps
-(3) Monster Energy Drinks
-1/2 Pack of Marlboro Red 100's smoked in frustration
The Tools:
-Full set of Snap-on mechanics tools
-Full set of craftsman tools
-(1) 4 Car garage with lift, Honda Aircompressor [It was bigger than a b16 and surely puts out more TQ ], welding gear, brake lathe, tire balancer and one big ass fan that kept me "cool" all day.
I believe in being over prepared - especially on Sunday in a small town an hour away from your city.

Sunday - Drove the car to Brenham, Tx to my GFs GPs house to use the lift and make the job of replacing the coolant hoses and heater core feed and return lines. MAN WHAT A CHORE! The 3S-GTE must have 3x the hoses the 5S-FE has and all the little ones grouped around the turbo are a serious PITA. There are also two bolted together on a mounting flange behind the intake manifold that were also a pain to get to - even from underneath. I ended up putting the lift all the way up [I'm 6'3"] getting under the engine and having someone lower it about 6" and then I could reach it pretty easy.
The worst one by far was the large line to the Turbo - it has a 90 from the factory and it's only about 1.5" long on each side and is 3/4 ID [or so - I forget already]. So if you don't buy the OEM part and just get a length of regular heater hose then it will kink and starve the turbo for water. So after messing around with that one for half an hour cutting peices and retrying I asked the GF's grandfather who is a mechanic and hotrod builder from waaaaay back if he thought it would be cool to just make a big loop to avoid kinking or reducing the ID at all. He said sure but he also understands my drive for perfection in this car and the need to have things look good as well. Luckily I ended up finding a long heater hose that already had the necessary bend and just cut it down to fit. Problem solved? Hell no. That damn hose fit so well that it didn't want to push over the beading on the piping at all. So I learned a few things yesterday:
1. Hose Assembly Lube exists and it is a wonderful, wonderful thing! Just a little dab of this stuff on the ID of the new tube and it slides on like - well lets not get into that I just wish "someone" had thought to tell me it existed and was available right in the garage not 3 feet from where I struggled with all the rest of the hoses all day.
2. Hard work is great but there is something to be said for having the right tools for the job. [see below description]
3. OEM Coolant hose clamps suck - badly. They go on fine but getting them off in a tight spot and not destroying or removing your sensors is not fun - at all. Did you know they made plyers and clamps specifically for removing these Hose Clamps of Satan? I didn't. Again, I just wish "someone" had told me they were next to the hose assembly lube.
A lift is now a priority in my life. I will own one before too long.
So where was the leak then? LeakS is more correct. Many of the hoses that were the hardest to reach behind the engine had no hose clamps whatsoever on them and were spraying at high temps leaving a pink residue [Was useful for diagnosing tho]. Now every hose on that car has a regular screw type hose clamp or better yet in some cases an OEM T-Bolt Clamp. No more leaks as of yet - even after an hour long drive last night in the oppressive Texas heat [I watched it all through the turbo timer's 2 mins and checked my shallow pan I left under the car last night after I warmed up the car this morning]. Both the radiator and the overflow have the proper amount of coolant still - even as of lunch time today.
Now all I have to do is fix the overflow spout on my Koyo Racing Radiator, bend the upper radiator support's flange back slightly, install along with the TRD radiator hoses and thermostat I will put on order tomorrow.

This post has been edited by DEATH: Jul 7, 2008 - 6:19 PM

[D-Man]

Did you ever go to the Dyno Event at Turbochargers.com on 290? What did your pull look like?

[DEATH]

Nope - My spot is still on reserve tho. Waiting for the right moment [Like when all the gauges are in and ready to be observed while I make my runs].
Hell yeah - 3 runs for $20. I'd let you have one but they won't do it like that cause logically the hardest part is strapping down the cars.

[D-Man]

oh, you gotta buy that new boost gauge before you run, yeah? is there anything else that you have to get first?

and i'll get a dyno pull when they tune my sh!t after turbo'ing. (after our bs Street tune to drive down there )

This post has been edited by D-Man: Jul 17, 2008 - 10:14 AM

[DEATH]

No - Not a new Boost gauge [That's for you retard] - and EGT gauge.
EGT = Exhaust Gas Temperature Gauge.

[D-Man]

No - Not a new Boost gauge [That's for you retard] - and EGT gauge.
EGT = Exhaust Gas Temperature Gauge.

What? I though i was buying the one out of your car, and you were buying a newer more spiffy (and expensive) one for your improved performance? i'm confused... (as usual )

Speaking of your enhanced performance, (other than owing me another ride ) Will you be needing another dyno tune? Don't you need to do that when you change the max boost that you can push? (other wise your fuel maps would be off, yeah? Or am i WAY off?)

[DEATH]

Not necessarily. The stock ECU knows full well what to do with the extra boost. I could Dyno tune it and pull a few more horses and also just to make sure it doesn't run lean anywhere but from watching my AEM gauge it seems to run on the rich side under boost - so potential for more HP right there just getting it where it should be but I'm not ready to go there yet [I'll be upgrading that Turbo to a CT-27 style one very soon ].

[D-Man]

oh right, I forget the 3s you've got was made for boost.

And after catching a ride this weekend; may i tell everyone

"Wholey Schett"?

[darthripley]

^ that's just at stock boost which is 8psi, unless Death has any boost creep from upgrades which would be like ~10psi i would guess.

it starts feeling even nicer with a CT-27 style @ 14psi w/a few xtras in the cooler weather

[D-Man]

Nope, it was at stock. Just remember i'm running the 5s N/A; so what i previously though to be GREAT for our little tiny celicas; Was blown away now that he's running stock! (it was at like 4psi before i believe) but with the 3s-ge head & turbo, It makes me wanna Ya-ba-Da-ba-Doo down the road a bit harder (pun intended on Wind-Ups )

Matt; I can't wait for that up-grade. What'll i have to buy from you to 'fund' this Ct-27? (What cha' got; rather )

This post has been edited by D-Man: Jul 22, 2008 - 3:01 PM

[DEATH]

You already have a rebuildable turbo so it's just a matter of a $250 rebuild with a couple $100 worth of upgrades and machining.

[D-Man]

No... What do i have to buy FROM you to FUND the ct-27 for YOU?! it was a joke, get it? as if i were your customer and you were a specialty Celica outlet Garage? (witch is generally the basic scenario here )

Tard'

BTW: you sold me a ct-26 not 27

This post has been edited by D-Man: Jul 22, 2008 - 3:55 PM

[DEATH]

Plus I found a replacement visor for me so I can mount a small screen in mine and a matchin vanity we scored from an Avalon in my girls

Thankfully I decided this was an incredibly bad idea [Really just poor taste/Too Ricey for a car this elegant]. The SRS Audio/Video install is all the car needs in the style it deserves [subdued stockish looking setup that can be hidden away to full stock look - perfect]. I may install the other screen where the rear ashtray is - looks alot better there and the kids will appreciate it.

But a new gremlin has popped up: BRB with that but think on this: EFI relay getting too hot on 100* days?
Edit - Forgot one of the most expensive ones of all.

This is really the reason for the post. Turns out this was merely a failing starter issue. Found some ominous dark grey shavings in the starter's gear box [BGB calls it a "Clutch Assy" - but obviously not the clutch - clutch]. I've learned not to count my chickens with this car so not gonna say this fixed the heat related issue but the damn thing sounds like a Lexus Starter and has enough power that I can feel it through the poly motor mounts into the chassis. Watching the volts meter reveals it uses far less power to start the car and it catches immediately every time. Very satisfied and we went ahead and wiped down/cleaned the whole area around the starter, clutch slave cylinder and Turbo - just another area lovingly restored to like brand new - the starter even looks updated from the OEM one.
Keeping my fingers crossed, but I expect on the next hot day she won't give me anymore trouble restarting after long hot run [So next Texas Toyota meet we won't spend half the time in a parking lot waiting for my starter to cool down I don't regret that much - got to actually meet and have real conversations with some very cool Texas Celica owners]
Here's the thread on the starter replacement:
http://www.6gc.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=60553
Will have pics up shortly. Thanks again to the folks who stepped up to help when I needed it - IMO this is what this site is all about.

This post has been edited by DEATH: Jul 24, 2008 - 8:37 AM

[zero07]

And you wanted us to leave you behind..........Death Before Dishonor!

[DEATH]

And you wanted us to leave you behind..........Death Before Dishonor!

Dude - that's so awesome [and awesome of you guys to stick around like that too - I think a few we're heading to their cars tho ]

[darthripley]

hopefully replacing the starter fixed the hot start issue you were having Death - the starter is a common thing to go out on 2nd gen 3sgte motors.

D-Man, i know all about going from a 5sfe to a 3sgte & feeling the powah ... i have a '99 Camry so there's a pretty big difference even at just stock boost levels.
however, it is very easy to get spoiled by power very quickly and want more

[D-Man]

D-Man, i know all about going from a 5sfe to a 3sgte & feeling the powah ... i have a '99 Camry so there's a pretty big difference even at just stock boost levels.
however, it is very easy to get spoiled by power very quickly and want more

yeah, not to mention it was my B-Day the other day, so He took me for a few runs at a nearby strip Really, going from my wrecked special and hopping into the best GT4 Conversion that Texas has to offer That is FTW!!

[DEATH]

GT2 but "Muchos Garcias"
Ripley - It just gets better every week. Last weekend when I took D-Man out the car was running soooo much better than in Austin [I forget what last weeks upgrade was - just some tweaking in the vac lines and such I believe].
I think next time we meet we may have to do so at the track
BTW - Been following LuBu's thread about the ST-205 brake conversion and apparantly we need some spacers in the rear and much machining to the rotors in the front. I'm gonna make him some quality spacers and a drawing for the rear of his car, can you offer some insight into how much you had to machine you're rotors [Not that it would necessarily be the same]?

This post has been edited by DEATH: Jul 24, 2008 - 2:47 PM

[Havok1997GT]

D-man, Im not going to be stock much longer (as suspension is concerned anyways, still waiting for the space to start working on that spare 5s and start the turbo project) me and you need to hit a track up soon to put that 5 speed vs Auto 5s argument to a rest

[darthripley]

GT2 but "Muchos Garcias"
Ripley - It just gets better every week. Last weekend when I took D-Man out the car was running soooo much better than in Austin [I forget what last weeks upgrade was - just some tweaking in the vac lines and such I believe].
I think next time we meet we may have to do so at the track
BTW - Been following LuBu's thread about the ST-205 brake conversion and apparantly we need some spacers in the rear and much machining to the rotors in the front. I'm gonna make him some quality spacers and a drawing for the rear of his car, can you offer some insight into how much you had to machine you're rotors [Not that it would necessarily be the same]?

that's great Death - so glad the car is running better. those vac leaks can really rob you of boost/power. Vadar had one & we were loosing 2 psi of boost but luckily it was an easy fix.

that would be cool to go to a track - neither joe or i have been to a drag strip but would love to go sometime.
next time we'll have a tranny without synchro grinds & a better clutch too -- oh & a carbon fiber driveshaft tee hee!!
you'll get us probably since your car is lighter & doesn't have the 4WD drivetrain loss that we do, but it would still be fun to do

on the ST205 brake conversion:
really interesting that you guys need a spacer in the rear --- the ST205 rears are a straight bolt on for ST185's. no rotor machining needed there, no spacer, no grinding.
all we did was use a BFH to massage the old dust shields to accept the new larger rotors.
it was really easy & took like 2 hours to take all the old stuff off & put the new 205 rears on.

as far as the fronts are concerned:
1. we had 9mm machined off the front rotor
2. added a 5mm spacer to clear the lower ball joint which was machined down 4mm to fit inside the rotor hat. also used extended wheel studs.
3. used a dremel & ground off about 2mm from the back caliper "ears"
4. we also added a small "ring" of metal inside the rotor since the hub center bore on a ST185 is 54.1mm & a ST205 is 55mm. this will keep all the rotors onto the hub with no moving around.

you have to be a registered member on alltrac.net to view, but i did a small writeup with pics in my project thread there:
http://www.alltrac.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.ph...c&start=150

it makes more sense to see all the pics to know what i am talking about on certain things.

[DEATH]

You wanna know how I tracked mine down? I added a boost gauge line to the compressor housing outlet on a T and sent it to my other TRD gauge [Yes I have two cause I'm TRD like that ] and piped the other from the end of the intake manifold. Then I observed the two and noticed I was getting 2psi less on the IM gauge. So I moved the Turbo one up the piping at various spots until the two gauges read true to each other then I knew the leak was between what was left of the piping and the end of the IM. Found it about 5mins after that. Worked like a charm

[darthripley]

that's a great way to find vac leaks. luckily we could hear it hissing near the intake manifold so it wasn't too hard to track down

oh btw on the ST205 brakes for your ST202 in the rear ... Joe & i read lubu's project thread & it looks like depending on the size + offset of your rims you may not need a spacer in the rear.
it's really amazing how much the ST202 suspension/brake setup is almost identical looking to my Camry, after seeing all of lubu's pics.

[lubu]

that's a great way to find vac leaks. luckily we could hear it hissing near the intake manifold so it wasn't too hard to track down

oh btw on the ST205 brakes for your ST202 in the rear ... Joe & i read lubu's project thread & it looks like depending on the size + offset of your rims you may not need a spacer in the rear.
it's really amazing how much the ST202 suspension/brake setup is almost identical looking to my Camry, after seeing all of lubu's pics.

on the ST205 brake conversion:
really interesting that you guys need a spacer in the rear --- the ST205 rears are a straight bolt on for ST185's. no rotor machining needed there, no spacer, no grinding.
all we did was use a BFH to massage the old dust shields to accept the new larger rotors.
it was really easy & took like 2 hours to take all the old stuff off & put the new 205 rears on.

as far as the fronts are concerned:
1. we had 9mm machined off the front rotor
2. added a 5mm spacer to clear the lower ball joint which was machined down 4mm to fit inside the rotor hat. also used extended wheel studs.
3. used a dremel & ground off about 2mm from the back caliper "ears"
4. we also added a small "ring" of metal inside the rotor since the hub center bore on a ST185 is 54.1mm & a ST205 is 55mm. this will keep all the rotors onto the hub with no moving around.

I found two links for the st185 conversion, one here and one here.

But the st185 conversion is not the same as the st204's, the spacers DEATH and I was talking abt is not for the rims but for the caplipers to align themselves to center with the rotors.
For the fronts I have yet to measure the amount needed to trim but the diameter would need to be trimmed down to 300mm, at least.

Before commenncing this mod I heard many stories abt how hard this is gonna be and that its not worth it, but with abit of research I found this conversion very straight forward.
Whats needed in this conversion are accurate measurements, thats it.

[darthripley]

I found two links for the st185 conversion, one here and one here.

But the st185 conversion is not the same as the st204's, the spacers DEATH and I was talking abt is not for the rims but for the caplipers to align themselves to center with the rotors.
For the fronts I have yet to measure the amount needed to trim but the diameter would need to be trimmed down to 300mm, at least.

Before commenncing this mod I heard many stories abt how hard this is gonna be and that its not worth it, but with abit of research I found this conversion very straight forward.
Whats needed in this conversion are accurate measurements, thats it.

i'm well aware the ST185 conversion is completely different than any ST20x ... i find it interesting just how different it is after doing it on our ST185.
i also find it interesting how similar a ST204 is to my Camry, that's all.
i'm only trying to help by giving a guideline of what we personally did on our ST185 since Death asked.

joe & i studied the 2 links you posted before we even got our 205 brakes and while they offer a semi-decent guidline there are many things that we did way differently.

as far as trimming the rotors to less than 300mm, just watch out for the calipers/pads - they may start hanging off the rotor and you won't get the same clamping force.

i heard the same stories regarding ST205 brakes onto a ST185 and that they weighed so much & it wasn't worth the effort etc. etc.
it's been well worth it already and the brakes will be able to handle the amount of hp the car will be putting out.

This post has been edited by darthripley: Jul 26, 2008 - 3:16 AM

[lubu]

i heard the same stories regarding ST205 brakes onto a ST185 and that they weighed so much & it wasn't worth the effort etc. etc.
it's been well worth it already and the brakes will be able to handle the amount of hp the car will be putting out.

Actually the caplipers are much lighter than the stock's, but the rotors are bigger therefore heavier. So in a sense the weights cancel each other out.

as far as trimming the rotors to less than 300mm, just watch out for the calipers/pads - they may start hanging off the rotor and you won't get the same clamping force.

Thats what I was thinking too.

This post has been edited by lubu: Jul 26, 2008 - 4:18 AM

[DEATH]

Blingy chromy type stuff seemed to be the order of the weekend [Which is strange because unlike my racoon-like friends - chrome holds no fascination for me - in fact in most cases I just find it to be a heavy metal coating better suited to show cars then race cars. Be that as it may...]

I have, for the last week been spending every spare moment [about 12hrs total] polishing my spare Turbo Heatshield. Let me tell you, this was an enormous task that ate up a tn of time, elbow grease and about $30 in dremil bits/supplies etc. Also I got a wild hair up you know where and decided to install the heatshield that came with my Apex'I intake filter/adapter and it too was chrome [Quite the worthless device I'm sure but I guess it helps balance out the look of the engine bay a bit]:

Checking fitment on STB and accessability of fluid level reservoirs, TB clearance, etc. [Also here you can see where I was fitting up extra bracing for the STB mounting points - I need to take a current pic so you guys can see how that wored out - very nicely BTW]

Made a killer difference [I need to get pics with that thing finished, ground smooth and painted right]. BTW - It looks crooked in the top two pics cause it wasn't attached on the DS side correctly yet - it does not look crooked anymore [Anybody else notice the stock 3 point is not symetrical?]

This post has been edited by DEATH: Aug 11, 2008 - 3:37 PM

[darthripley]

STB looks good!
the heat shield will turn gold like ours, it was chromey at one time - all the heat from the exhaust manifold turns the polished chrome to gold.

are you gonna get a ST205 front bumper someday? that would look SO nice!

This post has been edited by darthripley: Aug 11, 2008 - 4:27 PM

[DEATH]

STB looks good!
the heat shield will turn gold like ours, it was chromey at one time - all the heat from the exhaust manifold turns the polished chrome to gold.

I thought about that but I just used various grades of sandpaper to remove the factory coating [Whatever that stuff is it's tough!] and then slowly worked my way throught the dremil sanding, to polishing and finally a little wet sanding with 1200grit wet/dry paper - those pictures do it no justice whatsoever - it looks mirror polished in person.
You still think it's gonna turn yellow? Damnit I hope not - I'll keep taking it off and sanding it down then

This post has been edited by DEATH: Aug 11, 2008 - 4:29 PM

[CelicaST_CALI]

can someone sum up this thread in a single post plz

[95celgt]

are those splitters i see??!?

i just fixed me a pair of the TRD splitters for my vert:D