Kaiser's 1996 Survivor Celica Options

[Kaiser]

This is Lucy. She is a 1996 Celica ST Hatchback, cutest one in town.
Bought February 2nd, 2013 for $2800 with 103,XXX miles. My first car.

As of 01/01/15:






When I bought her:










Modifications:

Underhood:
-Cone filter
-NGK plugs

Wheels/Suspension:
-Stock suspension
-Stock wheels powder coated Alert Red

Interior:
-Painted interior trim
-Removed rear seats

Electronics:
-Pioneer HU
-BOSS amp + 13" Subwoofer

Exhaust:
-Stock exhaust piping
-Muffler deleted, welded a straight Impala SS Flowmaster tail pipe on the back




***I haven't been around for a year, a lot has happened. The Celica was wrecked and fixed and now I'll probably be losing it anyway after I graduate. But I miss the forum and I'll get another Celica someday, so I came back to finish Lucy's little story.***

This post has been edited by Kaiser: Jan 3, 2015 - 2:27 PM

[Kaiser]

Well, it's been a while and the car has left the shop, but I have a sinking feeling it's about to be parked again. Some interesting updates, though:

(During the Celica's time in the shop, I happened to miss one day; another guy in the shop put the rear wheels back on after the drums had been cut. Funny enough, I almost died driving that car because apparently putting a wheel back on a car is too complicated for him. He tightened the rear passenger tire/wheel assembly on crooked, and the lugs came loose while I was driving home. Didn't know what it was when the clunking noise started, didn't have a choice but to keep driving with the hazards on the rest of the way (slowly, of course). By the time I parked the car, one of the lugs had actually fallen off, and the others had all come to be hand-tight; if I'd driven much longer the wheel would have come off and, considering it was rush hour, that probably would have been the end of me and the car. Guess I won't be trusting anyone around the Celi unless I'm there to make sure work actually gets done the right way.)

Anyway, issues currently plaguing the car:

Obviously winter is setting in and the mornings are cold, but the screeching noise that has started from under the hood is unbearable. Before we changed the timing belt, there was no noise. I'd assumed something was wrong with the power steering belt because it screamed on a cold start and whenever the car took a turn. Just turning the steering wheel back and forth, the belt starts to screech.

My father looked at the car and said it might actually be the alternator? After a quick search, it sounds like the screeching should be coming from a loose alternator belt. I'll have to double check that tomorrow when I pull the car into the shop. The power steering belt is definitely tight, the thing has no play whatsoever. But when I was driving the other day, my father commented that the headlights dimmed every once in a while, particularly when I hit the brake. My father actually suggested the alternator itself was on its way out? I'm wondering if anyone can confirm or deny this, tell me if it sounds like I'm on the right track here. I haven't had a chance to look at the car myself really, but tomorrow I'll have to check the belts.