6G Celicas Forums

Hey guys,

Well it's been a while since I've been active, reason being I sold my old 1995 GT hatch in 2010. I changed locations to a more urban environment and the wife and I decided to get rid of the Celica and the 1999 Civic. We opted to get a 2010 Ford Escape V6 4WD so we can transport friends in comfort, and haul more junk in the trunk. Last year (after racking up 67k miles on the Escape), we traded that in for a 2012 Hyundai Santa Fe. As with the Escape, it is a V6, but the 4WD option again killed off that third pedal that we both enjoy using. As our financial situation improved through some inheritance, I got the itch for a 3rd pedal daily driver that I could eventually transform into a track car.

After looking around at primarily late 90's BMW's and a few other options, I happened to look back to this forum for nostalgic reasons. Although I wasn't specifically looking for another Celica, sometimes some things are just meant to be.
So as some of you already know, I synced up with Supershannon77, and ended up purchasing her baby.

Over the course of the next few weeks or couple months I will be fixing the car so it is 100% road worthy again. It runs and drives just fine.. it's just a bunch of little things it needs. It would be best characterized as the car needs "adjusting and polishing" more than "fixing". A new sensor here, a bad hose there, tightening up brakes and replacing brake lines, and so on...


The car will be my DD to and from work once all that is complete, and then as time goes on the plan by around next summer is to start tracking it. Start taking out interior pieces as they're no longer needed, adding coilovers and strut supports, getting it fully caged... etc.



Most of these things I can figure out myself or have an uncle who can pretty much work on anything mechanical blindfolded help me. However there were 2 pressing concerns that I couldn't come up with a simple explanation for when I was test driving the car so I would like the guru's here to bounce ideas...

1- We were running very low boost (5-6 PSI) on the test drive. After a little bit of driving around and getting a feel for the car, I needed to see how it would spool up and react to boost at higher RPM's. We were going about 15MPH, had the car in 2nd, and punched it. As soon as we hit 4000 RPM, we hit a brick wall. It felt like hitting redline, no other way to describe it. As soon as I felt it I immediately came off the gas. After that the car still ran just fine, still boosted (but I didn't run it past about 3000 RPM), no difference in engine character or funky noises... nothing.

Anybody have an idea as to what the issue there could be?
The cars knock sensor isn't plugged in, and the check engine light was on (code 54), however after bouncing some ideas off others last night they said it might be a problem in the ECU wiring?

2- Since the knock sensor wasn't hooked up I was closely watching the air/fuel gauge. As we hit boost (even at 5 PSI and I'm not sure that should matter), the car maintained a 14.5-14.7 ratio, as opposed to..... anything below 12. Even as I hit that wall at 4000 RPM it was still 14.5.

Any guesses as to the problem there? I'm guessing its again an electrical issue however I can't diagnose anything right now because the car is in NJ and I'm in Pa and it will remain like that for another two weeks.

I'm trying to get some ideas ahead of time so that when I do go there for the weekend I'll be able to dedicate my time to the car itself, and not necessarily seeking out answers to questions here and waiting for reply's.



Thank you all, I'm happy to be a part of this great group once again, and I will have pictures and updates on this as they come.



I figured I'd link to Shannon's original threads to keep the cars history intact both for myself and others if needed: http://www.6gc.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=69018

This post has been edited by cardshark525: Nov 6, 2013 - 7:51 AM

With that low boost sounds like its in limp mode

I'm glad Shannon's car is in the hands of a celi lover. Good luck with the build.

That was my thought as well however wouldn't the a/f ratio change regardless of that?

I dont know but my car was stuck on low boost, washing out the catchcan and i.c. with carb cleaner dixed it for a while but my turbo was spewing oil into the ic tb and all sensors within

My recommendation is to install an EMS if this is going to be a track car. For the daily, you'll have a lot of adjustability for fuel economy purposes, too.

The ECU wouldn't change the AFR's because it's in limp mode. It's doing its best to run well without doing damage to the engine. If anything, the AFR's would be spot on because the ECU is running a base map, unaffected by any sensor input. I say take care of that code 54 and see if that fixes anything.

Shannon replaced the intercooler pump and flushed/refilled the coolant so I'm not sure why its still showing up. Maybe the battery needs to just be unhooked to reset the ECU?

Well after my father in law unhooked and reconnected the battery over the weekend to see if that would clear the code 54 but no luck. After looking at some pictures I took of the engine compartment it looks like the IC level is unhooked and was never bridged.

Added that to the list of things to do when I get to the car in 2 weeks.

This Friday can't come fast enough... It's been killing me to just buy a car and then have to deal with not seeing it for 3 weeks.

Over the past 2 and a half weeks I've just been getting all the information I need for the various things that need to be done with the car, printing them out and printing out various other diagrams that don't have their own thread.

Here's the to-do list so far:

-Change engine oil (check for irregularities)
-Change transmission fluid (check for irregularities)
-Check spark plugs and wires (gap or change as needed)
-Check radiator/intercooler fluid
-Check all hoses from radiator and intercooler (there was a leak before, think this is the culprit)
-Check engine block for any possible oil leaks
-Check brakes (change as needed)
-Check and repair emergency brake issue (barely catches with handle all the way up)
-Flush and change brake fluid
-Check out code 54 cause and fix (most likely level sensor not being bridged)
-Find and connect oil pressure sensor (currently disconnected)
-Find and connect knock sensor (currently disconnected)
-Remove stock ECU from bracket and replace with current (or find alternate bracket point)
-Test drive to confirm repairs/diagnose further issues

Finally going to the DMV today to get the car title transferred, get tags, etc. My wifes friend from Tokyo was here visiting for the last week and a half so we haven't had time to do that, and the house just got back to normal today after 3 days of cleaning from parties while the two of them were together.

Will update with pictures next, HOPEFULLY on Sunday when everything is done and she's running properly. If not the pictures will be up Saturday with questions attached.

This post has been edited by cardshark525: Nov 6, 2013 - 8:13 AM

So I just finished changing out the oil (yes the drain plug fell into the bucket I was draining the oil into )
Thought I had an oil leak earlier because there was a small stain on the driveway but it looks like it was all coming from the oil drain plug. Didn't notice any other leaks so far and have cleaned up around the suspect area to verify the leak origin.

While I have the front of the car raised up on jack stands I crawled around a bit and found a couple loose connections in the back of the engine.
If you guys can throw me an assist with identifying them that'd be great.

Two loose connections:


Possible hookup on the block?:


This wire is just hanging down with the other two connectors. Sorry about the crap picture my phone couldn't decide what to focus on.


Thank guys. I'm off to bridge the IC and then take off the wheels and inspect the brakes and the noise coming from the rear.

the plugs go to the EGR VSV and EVAP VSV mounted on the back of the block. I sent pics of these to Shannon a while back.

That round sensor is the knock sensor. Its a single wire plug.

Awesome man thank you for the info. I must have gone through Shannon's thread a dozen times before I purchased the car but only looked back on it once or twice since so I probably overlooked the pictures.


No leaks after the oil change from either the filter or drain plug so I'm guessing it just wasn't properly tightened before. Took a look at the rear and the noise is definitely coming from the brakes as they rotate, however I was running out of daylight so I didn't dive into that today. Had to spend some time with the in-laws after all while the wife and I are visiting and I had to prep my father-in-laws generator for the winter. He wasn't happy about having to shell out $14 for the oil filter, but considering it's a car filter and he'll probably never need another one for the generator he didn't mind lol.

Only other thing I did today was remove the one side skirt. Had to remove it to jack up the drivers side of the car and I think I'm going to keep it off. It's cracked and it seems silly to me to have 1 side skirt on a car, rather go with 0.

Tomorrows agenda includes fixing the noise coming from the rotor, tightening the handbrake (or fixing it, not sure if it'll be a simple fix or a rebuild), hooking up the loose sensors and figuring out whats going on with the IC sensor. It looks like it was bridged but still getting a code 54 so I'm not sure if the connection is just dirty or corroded or what's going on there.

This post has been edited by cardshark525: Nov 9, 2013 - 8:16 PM

Well I looked at the level sensor and it wasn't bridged. I went ahead with a simple bridge on the plug itself however this didn't work and I still got a code 54. I don't know if it makes a difference but the code pops up when I get to 2,000 rpm. Just trying to be as specific here as possible.

I know the first suggestion will probably be to simply cut the plug off and solder the wires together directly however I'm a little reluctant since I read about this:

http://www.6gc.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=83369

I'm going to do a little more snooping and check that the pump itself is correctly hooked up, however I have a feeling that if it was an issue with the pump the code would pop up almost immediately and not giving me nothing until I tap the gas a little.


In the meantime I'm going to go work on the brake issue in the rear. Thanks again for the feedback guys.


ADD:
So I went ahead and clipped the sensor plug in a manner in which it can be reattached if needed. Exposed both wires and bridged them connecting them with electrical tape and making sure they're fully connected (didn't want to solder them in case this wasn't a fix). Sure enough... get over 2,000 rpm and then CEL comes on.

I checked all the wiring for the pump itself and everything is properly connected in the engine bay and into the wiring harness, and then into the ECU. I will post a few pictures of the wiring for the pump and the sensor so you guys can tell me if there's anything odd or out of place.

This post has been edited by cardshark525: Nov 10, 2013 - 12:09 PM

Like I said the code 54 still pops up, here's the current status... and let the frustration begin....


Level Sensor (I connected the two with wire tape, ensured they were secure and making full contact but code still came up)


Intercooler pump wiring:

Top side:



Bottom side:


Pump itself:



Don't mind the small amount of fluid down there. It's not a hose leak as I didn't notice it ever in the past, however I probably overfilled the engine coolant.



Oh and as for the rear brakes/handbrake situation:

Yeah the wheel key decided to get twisted. 80psi people.....

That's pretty much it for now since I have to order parts from here for the mechanical fixes that are needed.

If it helps I didn't get code 54 until I changed the pump. Maybe it's the relay? Idk. The wheel locks I got from pep boys years ago I'll see if I can look up which they were.

Thank you for the feedback Shannon. My weekend is pretty much shot but I got a few things done nonetheless. It looks like it's a 7 spline key but it's probably a combination of being over torqued and rusted so they were locked on there pretty good. A wheel nut key shouldn't look like that after use lol.

Thank you also for letting me know that it's most likely the pump itself. It looked like everything was wired correctly however it's a little concerning that you didn't get a code 54 when your pump was faulty but now that it's new there's a code 54 so I'll see what's up with that. The level sensor wasn't even hooked up, but if you remember was the clip actually working or was it still hanging loose? It doesn't seem like it was bridged that's why I'm asking. It'll be another few weeks till I can get back to the car again. The plan is to purchase all my brake parts (I'm replacing the rotors and pads which are very rusted) and I'll be buying the parts on black Friday/ cyber Monday so I get a good deal. If you figure out what key you purchased that'd be great if not I'm sure I'll be able to find it on my own. That's the least of my concerns right now, the code 54 is the priority.

Thanks again.

This post has been edited by cardshark525: Nov 10, 2013 - 7:12 PM

lots a PB blaster on them lug nuts.

or torch, or 3/4 inch titatnium drill bit.

Yeah I know. I'll probably end up replacing the lug nuts as well as the lugs since they're really rusted. I probably should have used some liquid wrench or pb blaster on them and then given them a tap with a hammer before I tried to take them off but I didn't realize how tight they were.