New Owner Options

[Wadgti]

Hi Folks,

Just picked up a 97 celica 1.8 st for a bargin on Sunday. Very chuffed with the car, runs pretty well. Going to get the wheels off this weekend and pop it on the ramps to have a look.

However, i have noticed a few small things which I hope someone can give advise on as I have never really had an EFI mottor before.

1. This morning when starting cold, the car idles around 2k rpm (not for long) and then gradulay reduces back to 840/860 rpm.

2. When the car diles, their is a small ticking which reduces as the revis pick up. It doesn't sound like the tappets, but just a faint ticking noise?

3. I have red about resetting the air/fuel mix b y taking the fuses out etc. i take it, that the old negative off the battery for an hour does not reset it, as I think it was sitting for about 6 months without moving.

4. Is their anything I should look out for or inspect right away on the 7AFE engine?. its done 140k however the engine bay and engine is really clean.

Any advice would be appricated.

many thanks

[stumpydave]

Hi Wadgti,
Welcome from a fellow ST [Scottish Toyota] owner,
Idling - sounds normal / Ticking - don't know / resetting the fuel mixture ? if the plugs are the correct condition why mess with it? If you don't know the car's previous i would replace belts / filters and check boots and suspension and brake components for any issues.
Out of interest - what did you pay / what condition - please post photos. My car is stock [rare on this site!!] and costs enough to keep running sweet - Last weekend i went to Toyota dealer to view the new gt86 - he said my car was "worth hee-haw" - not to me it isn't!!!! - I certainly won't be paying £26K for a new toyota - unless i win the Lotto.

All the best and welcome!

[richee3]

Welcome to the site! Be sure to post pictures of your new car. These questions are pretty easy to answer.

1. Idling high is perfectly normal. The engine does that to warm up for a bit and idles down as it gets warmer. On cold days, it will idle higher for a longer period of time.

2. The 7A-FE is known to make a ticking noise at idle. If you can get a video, someone here could let you know whether that's normal tapping or something else.

3. Resetting the air/fuel ratio is as easy as disconnecting the negative battery terminal for about ten minutes and pressing the brake to drain any residual power in the system, or by pulling two fuses- one underneath the hood and one inside the car. Reconnect the power and let the car idle for a while to relearn the engine. This isn't really necessary to do as long as nothing has changed with the engine- same intake, exhaust, etc. The ECU is constantly learning and changing to adapt, but will learn big changes more quickly if reset.

4. Check for any leaking gaskets/seals, of course. Being that you are unsure of the previous owner's maintenance, it might not be a bad idea to give the car a tune up with new spark plugs, wires, distributor, belts, fluids, etc.

These cars are known to develop rust at the bottom of the doors, so that's one spot to check out. It's a Toyota, so 140k means its just now broke in! Enjoy the new car!

[Xander_X]

1. Yay Scotland! Slainte Mhath!
2. Agreed withe the idling, that's normal. This helps the engine warm up quicker, reduce internal friction of metal parts that haven't expanded yet, even more so its because the engine pumps in more fuel on a cold start and revs higher to help with atomization as the cold metal liquefies the gasoline when its injected into the cylinder.
3. Since when do people say "Hee-Haw" in Scotland? I'm embarrassed to call myself Scottish lol.

[Wadgti]

Thanks folks.

Stumpydave - £400 i paid for it. Got to say its in really good condition. Its a bronze color (will get pics soon).

2 wee dings in the front wing and the lacquer is starting to peel from the spoiler. a could of wee marks on it, but it goes into the paint shop next week.

Unfortunately, it has been done around 200 miles without any oil. Its is now filled up though. Just going to measure the oil over the next weeks to see if its burning.

Whats peoples views with oil flushing this engine The engine is pretty clean, however I dont know the service history, and assuming there is a mix of oils in the sump...i was thinking about flushing.

Thanks

[Wadgti]

Shot at 2012-08-11


Shot at 2012-08-11


Shot at 2012-08-11


Shot at 2012-08-11

Still has the stock tape and cd decks old school


Shot at 2012-08-11


Anyone know what this plug on the back of the alternator is for (i am thinking AC?) Mines doesnt have AC though


Shot at 2012-08-11

This post has been edited by Wadgti: Aug 11, 2012 - 12:46 PM

[Wadgti]

Also forgot to mention, hit has a stainless catback system. Going to pickup a pipercross panel filter soon and reset the ecu.

Thanks for the tip Richee!

[Special_Edy]

Welcome to the forums. Prepare to spend all your extra cash on 6gc parts you dont reall need, and prepare to burn all your smartphone battery surfing the forums while your at work.

[richee3]

Welcome to the forums. Prepare to spend all your extra cash on 6gc parts you dont reall need, and prepare to burn all your smartphone battery surfing the forums while your at work.

You've just summed up my life so perfectly.... Truthfully, I'm at work right now, surfing the web for the best deal on flywheel bolts.

The car looks great! I like the rear shot.

[kurt95gt]

Welcome to the forums. Prepare to spend all your extra cash on 6gc parts you dont reall need, and prepare to burn all your smartphone battery surfing the forums while your at work.

You've just summed up my life so perfectly.... Truthfully, I'm at work right now, surfing the web for the best deal on flywheel bolts.

The car looks great! I like the rear shot.

Make that 2 of us. I have a spare phone charger at work just because of this site lol

Car looks great! The 7a is known to eat oil but will run forever as long as you keep it full of oil an fix leaks as the come up

Anyone else see he got lucky an already has the rear splits

[Box]

Welcome! Which not sure how successful it was yet, but I did a piston soak on my 7A-FE and seems to have freed the oil ring. If you're burning oil, it's worth a shot trying.