What To Do?, More Car Troubles! Options

[Coomer]

Right now I'm so depressed about my car.

A couple weeks ago I found out that in addition to problems with my clutch's hydraulic system and my tranny, I also have some sort of a problem with the valves on the head of my 4A-GE. I hope it's valve lash and can be fixed fairly easily, but I talked to a couple people and they told me that I may need new valves, which would cost more than another head from a AE101 4A-GE. So I dunno what to do about this yet. It can be done after the tranny and hydraulic system is fixed though(once I pay off the additional $600 of debt that I'm in), as it's just a loud clicking noise when the engine is at idle.

So things weren't too bad until yesterday. Yesterday I decided to install a VVT light in one of my vents so that it could act as a shift light sort of thing. I installed it, only to find out that my car isn't hitting VVT, and never has been, as it's always felt the same as it does now! I confirmed that I wasn't hitting VVT by unplugging the VVT sensor from the solenoid...the car felt exactly the same.

So I figured maybe it was the speed sensor, since I've been hitting fuel cut at 7,600 RPM or so lately, so I pulled out the ECU to test the pin for the speed sensor. Upon pulling out the ECU, I found that NONE of the wires going into the ECU connectors match what they should be from the pinouts, so testing wires and stuff is going to be a nightmare.


So I just don't know what to do. My options are:

1. Fix the car's tranny and hydraulic system and sell it to someone locally. Sell all the parts that I've got sitting around(TRD Curren wing, 5 subs, 1 amp, Lotek pillar pod, oil temp/pressure gauges, piping/connectors for a CAI, front '94-'95 extensions, DG side tower bars, fiberglass 10" sub enclosure, window roll-up module, etc.) Then buy an Infiniti G20.

2. Fix the car's four major engine/drivetrain problems, repaint it, and keep it. This route involves spending thousands of dollars, and most likely taking the car up to a shop in Seattle where they'll charge me lots of money to completely re-do the wiring harness, buying tons of parts, etc.

I just don't know...I need something to drive though, and every day it's another problem with the Celica.

[dstrbcelica]

as much as i hate to say it coomer, with all your recent car troubles, i think it might be time to give it up and move on.

[spunky393]

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm................................ G20.......that made it hard (not saracastic)

[Supersprynt]

Depends on how much you want this car to work out. If u've fallen out of love with it, yeah maybe its time to move on, but if you still want it and still want it to be everything u've dreamt it could be, i'd would say get a good daily driver, something reliable; and slowly work on the celi, or wait a while, save and then fix it.

[LatinKraze]

Sounds like a lot of work. Go for the G20 Bro.

[shid]

So who wired up your ECU?

[jgreening]

I agree with Super. Its a matter of how much crap you can take due to your love or lack of love for the car. The question is: what's more difficult? (1) Giving it up? (2) Spending more time, money and frustration dealing with it? From the tone of your last several threads on this, I really get the impression that number 2 is more difficult now but that has to be a personal decision.

How about option 3: buying a high milage GT hatch and fixing it up as a reasonably modded GT4 look-a-like with 3s swap? You could do the whole thing for much less than the cost of the G20.

[ghostdog]

[urbandork]

i agree if ur heart is losing faith in the car then perhaps its time to move on.

man this is like relationship therapy or something.

Well good look whatever you do and may the force be with you.

Hope you stay regradless ur info has always helped me out.

This post has been edited by urbandork: Aug 16, 2004 - 1:35 PM

[Coomer]

[Jdog1385]

its tough. i have the same problem. I want to do a lot of work on my car but i need a daily driver. cant aford to buy another car, let alone pay insurance on it.

[Coomer]

[boosted_K2]

keep the celi, take it to a reliable shop, get the **** fixed, common man, we can work eachother through these damn toyotas! dont give up on me man! *under breath*i shoulda bought a honda....*/under breath*

[shid]

Drive it down to LA for a months vacation; everyone here (Sphinx, ToyCeli, Ryu, me, Scooby, etc etc) will work on different parts of the car a the same time

[Coomer]

There may be hope...I took it to my mechanic on my lunch break, and we realized that my EFI fuse was fried. My mechanic wouldn't listen to me and insisted that the black/red wire on the VVT solenoid was the one that gets grounded by the ECU upon activation, when in fact it's supposed to get +12 volts when the ignition is on, so he kept blowing fuses by giving that wire ground. I can only imagine how bad he'd torch a car if a fuse happened to be bypassed or something.

At one point we got the solenoid to click though. So maybe if I put in a new fuse the VVT will work...I'll have to try this after work to see if it works.

[sphinx]

[o8poa8o]

you could just spend the money to get it fixed then trade it (to someone on this site) or sell it for a gt (and have cash left over). Then you could start over w/ the gt and have money towards a gt4 clip w/ the hood bumper, engine and everything... (or use that money from the trade/saved from sellin your car and buyin a gt to pay back people or debt from getting the st all fixed up)

[Coomer]

[o8poa8o]

i read over my post after i posted it and thought about that, lol.


This post has been edited by o8poa8o: Aug 16, 2004 - 4:17 PM

[Supersprynt]

Option 3 isnt an option since it has the word HATCHBACK!

Like you realized, sometimes big effects come from small things.

And Honestly, the G20 is a nicer Sentra, bleh.

[shid]

[o8poa8o]

when did anyone say anything about a sentra? but since you said something i'd rather have a newer Sentra SE-R then a G20

[Coomer]

[o8poa8o]

just ingore my post im goin to far off topic

This post has been edited by o8poa8o: Aug 16, 2004 - 4:59 PM

[Supersprynt]

[sphinx]

[sphinx]

[Coomer]

[Supersprynt]

[Fingaz]

^^^^likes a lot

[o8poa8o]

so you've never used or hit VVTI? whoa then you should feel a good little bit of power on your drive home from the shop today

[Pali_playa]

yea, ur gonna love ur car alot more when u hit VVT, its gonna be so much faster

[lagos]

coomer...its time to become a mechanic like the rest of us with swaps.

whats wrong with the clutch hydraulic system? you probably just need a new master cylinder, right? thats an easy fix.

what exactly is worng with your motor? is the motor making any knocking noises,etc... buy some tools, BGB, and get into it.

[saleeka]

[97sccelica]

[Magic]

You should try to find a reliable engineer for the car Coomer.Why it looks so hard for engineers to make a CELICA work??
I`m also having some problems with my GT4,but i`m very positive that in few days i will fix them,never had this thought of selling it.

[bufferdan]

You probably just need a new master or slave cylinder and valve adjustments. SOunds like you have some lifters acting up. Get them valves adjusted and it should be quiet.

[DamDirtyApes]

sell it to someone who appreciates what uv done to it so ucan get some of the money back, and buy a all-trac... celly with a 3sgte may be amazing.... but one with 4 wheel drive...... no comparasion. whatever u do, stick wih celicas.... if u cant find a all-trac, just buy somethign new for ur car and get it fixed.. whenever i buy someohing for my car i l ike it like i tjust boutght it all ove ragain

[Coomer]

So the new fuse didn't help...I still can't hit VVT.

So I went back to my mechanic today...he insists that his wiring is completely 100% perfect and there's no way it can be wrong, and says that I must have a defective ECU.

[macavely]

go with number one.. save up and get a second car... and later on... fix up the celi.... be like those guys... that have those 68 corollas all hooked up... just keep the celli as a weekend throw back..

[Kwanza26]

I too will offer the services of our shop (actual buisness oriented shop). If you ever come down here Coomer... I'll hook you up... ;]

Anyways... if the car drives, then most of the wires (to the ECU) should be correct... or at least the important stuff. The tapping in the head is pretty typical for 4AGs and a simple valve adjustment may be able to cure it. At least 2 of my various 4AGs I've worked on tapped at idle... and were cured with valve adjustments... I'll guess it's all in all the same with the Silvertop. As for the VVT solenoids... I'll look around for my old diagrams and see if I can dig something up. Honestly Coomer... not just so you'd keep the Celica... but if I were you, and have put up that much time, commitment and money into a project... I'd be far too stubborn to give up. I went through 2 13B rotaries and an entire Celica before getting rid of my old RX7... and finally settling down for a bit with my current Celica... and now, I've already gone through 2 4AGEs and 2 Corolla GT-S... still not satisfied... ;] keep at it.

This post has been edited by Kwanza26: Aug 18, 2004 - 1:39 AM

[hioctane]

time for an mr2 turbo
Come to the dark side!!

[97sccelica]

[95STHATCH]

Defective mechanic is more like it.

[Coomer]

[Coomer]

Augh! More problems!

A couple days ago I turned on my high-beams and the indicator light in the cluster slowly lit up to maybe 30% of its normal brightness, and I noticed that my brights weren't as bright. Once I stopped, my passenger side high-beam looked like it was on at maybe 20% power, so I figured I had a burnt out bulb causing some sort of a short.

Well tonight I replaced the bulb with a brand new one, and it lights up exactly the same.

It's just problem after problem after problem with this car.

I was thinking of selling it and buying a GT and doing a swap, but I'm not so sure that I want to go back to a Toyota again...my 7A-FE and C-52 both died around 100,000 miles, my stock hydraulic system is failing, my car has had(and still does have) weird electrical problems, etc.

[tufy]

buy it and get a better 6 gen. celica. swap an gt four angine and enjoy it
thats what i did when i started to have proplem with my old 5 th gen celica again and again. i sold it and buyed a better celica.

[fastgt]

coom id say to just just get the wiring re-done , maybe thats easier said than done but im sure its possible

[Digndoug]

Get a bimmer .. hehehehehe...

[Anub1s]

Man coom I really do sympathize here. My old S10 truck had so many problems, electircal was a mess, the engine was leaking oil from too many places to even begin to list, the suspension was a big mess, it got broken into one night and someone stoll my stereo and also ripped the entire dash apart (there was no way of fixing it unless I built an entire one from scratch.....) I finally gave up on it and donated it to the kidney foundation lol. If I were you I would keep on truckin with it as funny as that might sound, with all of that time and money that you put into it....man. You might want to take the car to a professional who can diagnose electrical problems, if they find out that it is wrong take it to your mechanic and threaten to sue if it is not fixed. That guy just screwed you from the get go with that car. It sounds like you have an alternator problem since your lights are not working correctly, check to see if it is working properly, you might have fried it with all of your stereo equipment. Hope that everything works out for you.

[Jeremy1210]

[Coomer]

OMG!

My mechanic is straight-up retarded! I decided to pull off my fuse box cover last night and see if I'd blown any fuses. What I found in place of a fuse for the right-hand headlight was a melted wire connecting the two metal connectors together! Apparently when my mechanic was burning up fuses trying to get my VVT working, he took a fuse from that place just so that the car would run again, because we were out of fuses.

I just can't even believe that he used a thin wire to replace a fifteen amp fuse. I'm lucky that it only melted, and didn't light my car on fire.

On the positive side, replacing the melted wire with a fuse fixed my problem.

Jeremy1210, my Toyota dealer isn't very helpful when it comes to asking the techs questions...they know though so they let me borrow shop manuals and stuff.

Digndoug, it sure is tempting. I was at the Toyota dealer today and they got a silver E36 M3 on 18s from a trade-in, and they let me test drive it. Man, that thing was fun...lots of power, an awesome interior, and pretty nice looks...too bad I couldn't afford it.

[shid]

Coom, so you're hitting VVT now?

[YellowTwo]

[macavely]

Coomer have you checked the harness clips.. .. the one of the connectors might be pushed back.. so the ecu or the engine might not be getting the signal ..

[Coomer]

[macavely]

then you shoold take a weekend with some friends pull out the engine and check all the wires...

[Coomer]

[97Celica]

You should get it off of the CRX that Itchy and I kicked the crap out of on 195..ehe..

[Coomer]

Woo Hoo! I just found out that the clicking I'm getting at idle is normal, and non-detrimental to the engine. Thanks Sphinx!

Apparently it's the loss of damping oil inside the VVT mechanism that's causing the noise, and it happens to a lot of people...maybe I'll put the other VVT mechanism from the dead engine on and see if it quiets it down, but at least now I know it's not doing any harm to the engine.

And unfortunately, I found out that I'm hitting WOT, so that's not my problem with VVT not coming on. However, Exile pointed out a shop in Seattle called Intec Racing...they've done quite the silvertop 4A-GE swap on an AE86, and I'm going to ask them about my VVT to see if they've got any good ideas.

[sphinx]

I helped.

WOOT

[funnyboy117]

GO COOMER!!