Blood's Project Abby, Looks like we're starting over... Options

[richee3]

Looks like they even cleaned all the silver from the engine bay! WOW!

I like how Brigette helped work on your car but sits there and texts when I'm working on her car... I see how it is.... I guess a JDM dipstick is better than a USDM dipstick.

[bloodMoney]

Thanks Ferdi! Yea... With this being the 3rd time I've had to pull the motor in the last 6 months, it just keeps getting easier....

I like how Brigette helped work on your car but sits there and texts when I'm working on her car... I see how it is.... I guess a JDM dipstick is better than a USDM dipstick.

^This.

[Bitter]

I'm a page behind but I just wanted to comment that Chris shows exactly why you can't count on just MILES when figuring when a timing belt is due. Like any rubber it will age and crack...60k or 5 years is the suggested interval!

[richee3]

He had 50k and something like two years? It was cracked very prematurely.

[Stambo]

looks good! i have seen some timing belts last as long as 150k but thats a whole other story

[richee3]

I had one go 12 years and 175k.

[bloodMoney]

So, I was driving to work this morning when I noticed something out of my peripheral...

The freaking heater core is going out again!

For the last few weeks, I've noticed that if I park the car for a short time (at a store), I've been getting a streak of fog on the passenger side of the car. I didn't think anything of it as we replaced the core April of last year and it can't be the AC due to the fact that neither of my lines out of the compressor are hooked up an my condenser looks like swiss cheese.

Sure enough, on the highway this morning I saw smoke/vapor coming out from under the glovebox. Maybe it is because I'm used to it, but when I tried to waft a bit of it for confirmation, it didn't smell like coolant....

The funny thing is, I made a comment yesterday about how good the car has been for the last 6 months or so... It's things like this that make me thankful that I bit the bullet and bought a new car. I really don't want to put the car down for repair again though, despite the ralliart- I truly enjoy driving the Celica.

She's tackled the tail of the dragon for three years running and almost every part on the car is new with the exception of the shell... One would think that with all the upgrades and maintenence, I should be good for longer than six months.

I guess I'm just tired of celebrating mediocre milestones like "6 months without having to perform major surgery".

/rant

Am I the only one who feels like this?

[kurt95gt]

Nope id love to be able to drive the 1mz without fear of breakinf something
Or something leaking

[Bitter]

Any updates?

[bloodMoney]

Yea. We replaced the heater core with a new toyota genuine unit (our wallets still hurt) and things seem to be looking alright now.

We have been focusing most of our efforts on the 88, so now that its running well, we are probably going to pull Abby off the road next summer for the overhaul.

I did find a little treat that needs immediate attention though.... You'll have to wait until I get home from work. Photobucket seems to be hating me right now.

[bloodMoney]

My nemesis has returned for my Abby....

As it turns out, this is the reason why the wheel wells rust out back here. The wheel well is shingled the wrong way and when the water pools in between the 'rustproofing' and the inner wheel well, water can make its way into the rear arches.

In fact, it rained so hard last weekend on our way home from MI, that when I got home, I had to vacuum out not only the jack mount area but the whole spare tire well too....

I guess this another thing that has to get fixed next summer.

[Bitter]

Ew.

I would suggest using a hole saw to cut the rotten area out, then have a body shop (or yourself) use a flanger to make a nice lip to put in a new circle of steel with panel epoxy and some good thick layers of epoxy paint.

[enderswift]

Damn, gotta check my hatch too.

I would scrape off the loose stuff and slather some POR15 on there to slow it down until next summer

[Bitter]

Nah, if he scrapes off the loose stuff then it'll just be a wide open hole!

[dudeofchaos]

I have the EXACT same thing at the EXACT same spot... makes me wanna cry.

This post has been edited by dudeofchaos: Sep 6, 2012 - 9:13 PM

[cheela]

aw, poor Abby!

[bloodMoney]

Yea... I'm going to cut it out, weld a patch panel in and slather a good thick coat of POR15 all over the back of her.

[Bitter]

Spot welding that sheet metal can make it more prone to rust as it blasts any galvanization applied at the factory, that's why I recommend panel epoxy.

[bloodMoney]

Hmmmm... I'll have to check that out. I figured with POR15 all over the place, I'd be okay. But, if I don't have to weld, that just makes it better

[Bitter]

Panel epoxy is awesome. As strong as a weld when correctly applied (stronger in some instances since it won't make the steel brittle) and it seals up the bare metal edges as well.

3M 38315 or equivalent should work there.

Here's my thought on the repair.

From the wheel side install a long strip of steel over the area with the panel epoxy to prevent any further water intrusion (both sides). On the inside, I just noticed that you've got spot welds along there, you want weld there again since it's structural. Have a patch of sheet metal welded from the strut tower/wheel well to side panel there, be generous with the overlap and number of spot welds. As for the hole itself, cut out to clean metal and just epoxy in a plug of sheet steel or aluminum or whatever, the large steel panel welded over will take up the structural duties.

This post has been edited by Bitter: Sep 8, 2012 - 5:17 PM