Project: I dunno yet ('99 GT), NOW with pictures & video [IN COLOR]! (Update BOTTOM of pg.5) Options

[navseal345]

I'm back B%$#@s!

I just couldn't help myself, I needed to be able row through gears again; needed a project, something to do, something to cruise with w/ friends in the summer.

Somebody had posted a car on here it was a clean southern car that sale didn't happen & it just got me hooked, I needed to get back in another Celica.

I had been searching the car sales sites & found this on Jan. 18 on Craigslist in Denver, CO (had only been on there for a few days). Contacted the seller, blah, blah, blah. Flew out Feb. 3rd to pick it up. It's mine. BIG thanks to richee3 (a.k.a. Daniel) otherwise I would still be without a 6th gen.

Had an absolute blast. Beat the crap out of the car the first few hours of ownership, drove to Colorado Springs, up Pikes Peak (it's a must for any automotive enthusiast). Car rides well, even a 100mph (Denver area Colorado drivers are the worst).

So the cooling issue... Bought the car on Saturday no problems at all, really nice outside about 57degrees. Drove down to Colorado Springs then up & down Pikes Peak no issues. You can hear the fans come on when the car is at operating temp. I mean NO issues at all, we beat the piss out of the car (is smooth at 100mph). I leave Sunday morning, about 30min outside of Denver the car overheats! WTF! I pull over & check, see that the only place coolant is coming out of is the overflow tank, but the fans aren't running, weird. Check fuses, good, swap some relays, nothing. Eventually Daniel tells me unplug the radiator temp sensor, all is good, fans work, so relays are ok. Put some coolant in (not very much was lost) & on my way. I notice that the car is running a little warm but I keep going. Fill up w/ gas at Julesburg, CO get back on the road & the car seems to run a little warmer even than before, WTF. So I'm messing w/ the heater trying different things to get the temp down, I notice that when heat is turned to full cold that the temp gauge spikes, it didn't do that before. I suspect the thermostat. I get to North Platte, NE. Pull into an O'Reillys, pop over the hood and look, no leaks, but the lower radiator hose is cold! Put a new thermostat in bleed the system. Plug the fans back in & they turn on correctly, lower radiator hose gets hot. Ok cool, I get on my way temp gauge is good going down there the road. A while down the road I pull into a rest stop to check... no leaks, temp is good, but the lower radiator hose is still cold! WTF! I'm like well car hasn't blow up yet, I continue with my journey. I get home park in the garage, pop the hood lower hose still cold. I let the car run for a few minutes & the hose gets warm & the fans kick on. [Copied from our PM cheela, lol]

The car hasn't overheated yet so I'm believing the thermostat was the fix but...

Now the clutch is toasted, go figure. I've been baby-ing it when driving cause especially after 3k rpms you could feel it. But I was driving it to work 2 weeks ago on a Wednesday morning in lovely traffic, go to give it some throttle (maybe a 1/2, I dunno) in 5th & she shoots to 5k rpms & really goes no where, lol, sorry traffic. That smell is really nasty, haha.

Here is the Flickr album ... I'll try and embed photos w/ captions and/ or details later.

This post has been edited by navseal345: May 24, 2020 - 10:54 AM

[TimeslideZ]

Nice!!! But damn those photos are huge, had to reduce my screen size to like 33% to get a good view haha.

[navseal345]

Knew someone would say that, lol.
I did that so that all could get the full experience, lol.

[Box]

It auto adjusts size for me, so meh.

[navseal345]

Did some work on Sunday. Started taking the interior apart. Had ordered new speakers & when taking the speaker panels out on the right side found some previous damage. Looks like it was repaired well?



Started putting the speakers in at work because that's where all my tools are. I was really hoping that it would be easier, like bolt in easy but stuff like that never happens.



Tried to take the least amount of material off, speakers don't seem to be to much heavier than the stockers. Still need to finish them up.



This is the progress...

[bloodMoney]

Woot! Progress!

[cheela]

should put your black interior in while you're at it.

[navseal345]

That's the plan. Just got to clean/ scrub stuff down before I put it all back together.

[navseal345]

So I finally got the factory alarm key fob programmed. Thanks to cheela / richee3.

The little "piezo chirper" sounds like a dying rabbit but the alarm/ keyless entry works now. And now I can put the horn fuse back in & I can have a horn & not worry about that going off w/ the alarm.

Clutch is going in this weekend, hell or high water, it'll happen.

[richee3]

So the alarm works perfectly fine now?

[navseal345]

Yep! Turned off the "Passive" mode or whatever it is called. I can leave the door open & it doesn't go bat **** crazy.

[richee3]

Awesome, glad it was something easy!

[cheela]

glad it worked out for at least one of us. lol

[navseal345]

Put the car on the 2 post this weekend...

I'm liking that it's fairly rust free underneath.






Found some previous accident damage, oh well...


Got the clutch done (replaced the flywheel also). I really don't want to EVER do that again. Took way longer than what I thought it was going to (basically a 2 day project). Tried to clean stuff up, years of engine oil & clutch dust. Ended up putting in 2 new axles seals & a starter (someone had over tightened the nut that holds the power wire to the starter & when I went to go take it off the stud that goes into the starter broke inside the starter case, it was a reman unit) & of course the reman unit sounds like **** & seems like it grinds. Got to find a higher quality one or used OE from the junkyard.
I'm believing that the clutch might have been the OG w/ ~ 169,320miles because it had AISIN stamped on it, but whatevs.

[Box]

Those hotspots on the flywheel though. FWIW Aisin makes o.e. replacement clutches for certain applications, but that one definitely looks all of 169,000 miles.

[navseal345]

Yeah, I put an Aisin one back in. Super happy I didn't have to adjust the clutch pedal at all.

[Box]

Now you get to break the clutch in, exciting.

[richee3]

Update time!

[navseal345]

Update time!

Lol. You're a funny man.

[bloodMoney]

Oh come on... You have all that interior to put in it!

[navseal345]

Ok, ok.

Chris, that starter works wonderfully. Cleaned it up a little w/ a wire wheel & installed that last Friday during lunch. Much better than that loud piece of chit I got from Hoe'Riellys.

Got some vids of both I'll upload sometime.

And yesterday I went to the car wash & power washed the carpet & other floor mats.
I want to get the carpet in this weekend since it will be "somewhat" cooler.

Not sure the best way to clean those black leather seats. Some parts of the seats are pretty dry & hard. Just might spray them off & rub them down w/ something.

We'll see what happens.