6G Celicas Forums

are you having any issues with a cold start? You can check if the IAC is working by jumping two pins in the diag box. I think it was pin E1 and TE1 but don't remember. Jumping these pins takes the idle up to about 1500 then back down. If this works, the IAC is ok. I removed my IAC and cleaned it with intake/carb cleaner. there was a lot of crap on it and the valve was stuck closed. after cleaning it, I connected the electrical leads to the battery to check that the valve was functioning correctly. There are three pins, + in the middle and two - on the sides. one - is to open the valve and the other to close it completely. When taking the IAC off the throttle body, be careful with the 4 screws..they are soft and tend to get ruined.

-zo

which one was it in your case, the one on the exhaust mani or the one further down?

thanks,
zo

haha. well for us, my wife originally wanted an eclipse but I said no way since they have such a horrible track record in terms of reliability. I was thinking of the newer celica but my wife said they look too boxy and guy-ish...on the other hand she said the older celicas are curvy and (you guys are going to hate this) feminine. So I got her the last year of that generation.

we really like this car and would love it if it wasn't for this damn idle problem.

-Zo

That's cool, as long as the aftermarket clutch doesn't have a very stiff feel to it. More clamp force though usually translates to a stronger pressure plate which should cause a stiffer pedal. My brother just got a MR2 Turbo that had a ACT stage 3 clutch. stiff as hell. the car is pretty much stock but for whatever reason, the previous owner put this clutch on it...way overkill. anyway, he's having to change it out with a stock one. the ACT would suck in everyday traffic. as far as the release/grab point, that could be adjusted via the adjustment screws.

Clutch replacement should be around 500-600 with OE parts. the dealer charges 1k+. whining noises while putting pressure on the pedal usually does mean a TO bearing. If you will be dropping your tranny, its worth to change out the clutch plate, pressure plate and bearing. As an alternative to Toyota parts, I've heard good things about the Exedy OE replacement kits, and they only run about $115 for the whole kit. You may also want to consider the rear main seal.

Take it to another shop and get a second opinion.

Good luck,
Zo

Thanks for the suggestions. Is there any additional info on the IAC Motor? Does this forum have a link to an online Repair Manual. I've been using the MR2 one (mr2-tech.com)

Thanks,
Zo

Hi,

Just thought I'd add my 2 cents...as far as clutches, if this is your daily driver consider the comfort/performance tradeoff. Unless your car is heavily modded, you don't really need more than the stock clutch. I've had a bad experience driving a 300zx with a very stiff clutch...after 4 years I developed a problem with my knee...and now have to resort to an atuo. I hope no one has this happen to them. What happened to me may be a bit extreme but anyway, just consider what a pain in the knee a stiff clutch can be.

-Zo

Hi, glad to find an active forum for the 6 gen celica...

I've had our (my wife's car) 99 GT for 3 years now. Since I've had it, I've been struggling with the low idle problem. On start up, the engine often stalls since the RPMs aren't high enough. At first I used to slightly hold the pedal until it warmed up. After taking the throttle body off, cleaning it, cleaning the ISC, testing it, the cold start worked for a while then started having the problem again. Currently, when starting up, it idles around 450 and feels like it will cut out. Once in a while the idle seems correct though soon it goes back down. with the AC on, at a standstill in D (auto), it starts to chug a bit since the idle is so low. Recently, I gave up and took it to a trustworthy mehcanic...he did a fuel system cleaning along with the intake cleaning. afterwards, the idle worked great...at cold start, the idle went right above 1k then eventually came down to 750...that lasted a whole 3 days...and now it is back to as I mentioned before. This issue has been driving me nuts for 3 years. I'm considering doing the seafoam manuver today.

Other things that may be related:
-some smoke at startup (perhaps aging seals, or pcv valve, or something else?)
-the engine temp stays low for quite a while, not staying at the midway mark like it did before)

Any input would be much appreciated.
Thanks,
Zo
99 GT
145k
auto