general questions about my 86.5, what to do and how to do it.

[Im Chris Brown]

I just bought this 86.5 a week ago, some of you may remeber my other thread. I've since sat in the car and wrote down a list of things i just dont like and arent up to par as i would want them to be. Some are simple and i'm making progress on them but others, being that i am a first time car owner, am stumped on and dont know how to attack.

heres pics of the car.

here's the engine bay.

Firstly, the molding is starting to peel away in some parts. Sand and debris has got in where its pulling apart and its really hindering the car from looking nice and clean. Is there anything i can do about this? Is there a write up about pulling it off and cleaning it up or whatever?

Next, i think this piece ripped off on the way home from purchase, because it remeber it being there when i bought it.

whats it called and how much should i expect to pay?

i think this is weatherstripping around the hatch that is getting old and chipping away. Can i re-strip it or what is recomended plan of attack?

im missing the plastic cover under the steering column. guhh.

but moreso, whats that button under the steering wheel area? upper right hand corner.

if my terminology is right, this is the oil pan? is that hole supposed to be there? i washed my car yesterday and it leaked oil from there (im assuming, it looked like its where it would have leaked from) is that because i just had the oil changed and then washed it and some residual oil just leaked out or something?

I was cleaning and detailing my car most of yesterday and when i went to drive it at night, no dash lights worked. I dont know if i hit something and knocked it loose or what, but dash lights no longer work for me. I really dont know where to begin.

My AC doesnt work. I dont know if its a blown fuse or if the control console is bad or...well, its gotta be one of those 2 since the control console wont even turn on.



I have friends at a shop and they hook it up, so even if you guys say sme technical stuff i cant understand i can print it out and have them look at it.

Theres a button to the right of where you put in the keys, the button reads "PUSH" wtf does that button do?


Also:
The read hatch is sometimes wont open when popped, i think its something with the latch.

the rear hatch shocks are blown. i found a guy that will sell me the shocks for 30ish. good price?

the rear hatch light doesnt work
antenna is somewhat loose and can spin around but not a problem when driving

NO cabin lights work. its wayy to dark at night.

foglights dont work



I thiiinkk thats it. Theres some more little stuff i didnt mention. I've still got a good couple of seats to clean and some carpet to do work on, but the exterior cleaned up nicely.

Let me know if you need/would like pics of anything else.

 

[thebuddrik]

how much oil leaked out?
i touch up my window trim wit black touch up paint.
as far as the missing pieces, junk yard.
the car looks good!!

 

[bountykilla0118]

there is a dimmer swithch located above your left leg ...... its a roller type and it will dim the lights all the way out or make them bright.


Check the fuses also

 

[Im Chris Brown]

i live in palm springs, not very many mkiii's rollin around, i dont think there would be any in any junkyards but i think i'll do what i can to check around. Do you just go to the junkyard and ask if they have any mkiii's layin around or what? is it cool to call them?

I moved that dimmer switch each and every way last night and nothing happened. I can post a pic of the fuse box but my brother checked it last night and didnt see any blown fuses.

I would guess a couple drops, up to 7-10 leaked out. a couple leaked out on the driveway which was noticed when i drove away and then a couple of drops, enough to make a decent spot on the road from where i parked it.

 

[mk3 for life!]

that is a weep hole on the front timing cover. seems like one of your seals needs to be replaced if in fact it leaks out that hole. it is either the front main seal or the oil pump driveshaft seal. replacing them involves removing the head so this may not be a job you want to tackle on your own being it's your first Soup


EDIT: It is EXTREMELY important that you check the oil nearly everyday especially being that you have a leak. The 7M is not as tolerant when it comes to oil level as some other engines. Failure to keep within the safe zone will undoubtedly lead to rod knock, or worse.....

 

[thebuddrik]

most all sups with no major work have an oil leak or two. the amount you are talking about could have been spilled when they changed your oil filter, it happens.
if i were you i would get a fuse tester of just pull your fuses 1 at a time.
get some tools and let your car teach you some patience.

 

[Im Chris Brown]

the amount you are talking about could have been spilled when they changed your oil filter, it happens.

as in, it was just risidual stuff and eventually ended up leaking wherever the car was?

they replaced the valve gasket, which i thought should have covered the same spot where that hole is, but i suppose not.

my timing belt is getting shiny (as i believe they said) and its getting to need to be replaced. stock OEM one will be fine? anything else i should have them handle while they've got it all open? i've got some money layin around so i should be able to afford stuff. they were planning on doing some other stuff but i cant recall what it was.

check the oil with the dipstick, correct?

 

[Clueless]

nice looking mk3...wish mine looked that nice

 

[mk3 for life!]

I suggest spraying the oily areas off with some brake cleaner(will take a couple cans) so that you may be able to pinpoint the leak if there is one

the valve cover gasket is at the top of the engine so you would see the oil leaking from up there and going down the block, not coming out the weep hole

oem belts are fine and just havethem check the seals to see if it looks like they have been leaking badly while the covers are off

the dipstick is a good way to check the oil...just remember oil is on passenger side and it from what i can see i believe your car is automatic and that dipstick is on the drivers side

 

[Im Chris Brown]

the car's 5 speed.

i need a new shift boot and ebrake boot. are those supra specific or can i just snag anyone off ebay? i found a new center console cover but its blue and my car is grey

my friend sprayed it down with some brake cleaner when he had it on the lift. i made fun of him and pointed out that the brakes are not in the middle of the car, haha.

The leak is very, very slow. i layed there for a couple mins to try and find one and was not able to see it drop down. im only assuming its coming from the weap hole because there was some on my driveway and when i got down to look, it looks like thats where it was coming from.

i had a previous heavier leak and they replaced the valve seal for that.

Also, now that you've seen the interior of the supra, do you think i would be able to get away with these door panels?

they appear to be leather and not the same color, but kind of close enough. what do you guys think?

thx guys!

 

[mk3 for life!]

the boots and armrest cover can be found on ebay and you can get them in all different colors and even get colored stitching

if it is a seal leaking it will most likely leak more while the car is running

i will see what gray interior parts i have leftover from my partout, i can get you some pics tomorrow if youd like

overall it looks like you got yourself one hell-of-a-clean supra

 

[Clueless]

the boots and armrest cover can be found on ebay and you can get them in all different colors and even get colored stitching

if it is a seal leaking it will most likely leak more while the car is running

i will see what gray interior parts i have leftover from my partout, i can get you some pics tomorrow if youd like

overall it looks like you got yourself one hell-of-a-clean supra

Empura (sp?) makes em by hand, he's on this forum.

 

[Im Chris Brown]

boots? hand made boots sounds boss!

yea, i snagged the supra for 1,800. the paint is decent on it. they werent the tidiest. The guy got it from a lein auction then hit it with a clear coat cuz it was lookin bad i guess but hey, defiantly sealed the deal for me.

300ish for front rotors + brakes
300ish for valve gasket, spark plugs, spark plug wires and distributor cap assembly

then like 4 bills for timing belt.

im making out pretty good. i was hoping it'd be even cheaper than this, but im happy. Its an 86.5 so its NA, buttt....being my frist car, i think im happy its an NA. 146k miles too

still lookin for what to do about molding/trim
and what that button under the steering wheel does and what that one by the ignition does
what should i expect to pay for the hatch shocks?

what would be the best route for cleaning seats? would removing them, vacumming then shampooing then hittimg them with some armor all upholstry cleaner be the best? is seat removal easy?

 

[mk3 for life!]

Empura (sp?) makes em by hand, he's on this forum.

ahh, Empera, i forgot about that...I didnt think he was still making them

yea, i snagged the supra for 1,800. the paint is decent on it. they werent the tidiest. The guy got it from a lein auction then hit it with a clear coat cuz it was lookin bad i guess but hey, defiantly sealed the deal for me.

if there is any way you can find out how many coats of clear they laid down you may be able to wet sand and buff it till the orange peel is gone, but you must be really carefull not to cut through the clear

 

[cuel]

$400 for the timing belt job is good if they replace the cam seals, crank seal, and oil pump seal while they're there(You don't have to remove the head to do this). Also do the water pump and thermostat, since the w.p. is right there, and they have to remove the t.stat housing to get the front timing cover off.

The button under the steering wheel was probably for an after market alarm. I'm thinking the one by the ignition is the key release, so you can turn the key back to "off," and pull the key. Not really sure if that's what you're talking about, though.

Check the oil on the dipstick by the exhaust, while the engine is cold, and the car is level. First thing in the morning would be a good time.

 

[trydrew]

That door cover should work. The panel itself could probably use some cleaning but it the same color. I think you may be able to swap the leather insert with your cloth if you wish.

I've never bought hatch struts before, but 30 for both sounds reasonable to me. LOL and I just looked up what Toyota wants for them... LOL is all

Also, I think I have the trim piece you need for behind the driver's window. Hardtop right? PM me.

Also the seats are easy to remove. There are 4 14mm bolts at each corner of the botom of the seat. The drivers seat also has a electrical plug, and is pretty cumbersome. Also there are guides (on my 90 idk about your 86.5) on the center sides of each seat where the buckle is. The seat has to be slide off this rail before you can pull it from the car...

The seats should clean up well enough in the car though.

 

[Im Chris Brown]

yea, def hardtop, i'll pm you in a bit.

also, when i start the car from a cold(ish) start and get going, theres a flowing fluid sound from the dash area/passenger dash. i have no clue what it is and people have asked what the crap that sound is.

i just got the oil changed like 2-3 days ago so i should be absolutely fine. tomorrow i'll turn the car on and see if it leaks anymore. im taking it to the shop to find out why the deuce my gauge cluster is dark now.

also

the clutch fan or radiator fan or whatever spins more than it should. i thought i read that you could throw some oil in there and it would help it but we couldnt seem to find a hole to oil it in. if this isnt possible, i found a fan for like $30 so i'll just snag that

 

[Jaguar_5]

That sound isn't good. You're hearing air in your heater core. You have air getting into your cooling system somehow, either a leak of some sort, or possibly a blown headgasket...

 

[Im Chris Brown]

LAME!

i dont think its a blown headgasket since the car runs good and isnt putting out any smoke. the oil came out the color it should.

Im bummed on the cooling system. Like i said, the AC wont turn on....so once we figure that out, looks like im going to have to get a new AC.

 

[suprarx7nut]

Save money for that sound. It has a reputation for being ruthless on your wallet. Could be a 15 dollar hose, could be a 1000 dollar rebuild. If you're not dripping coolant anywhere, I'd put money on the later.

Sorry.


*edit, Forget fixing the A/C for now. In all seriousness, you should focus on the possible BHG. It can be blown and still run fine. Mine was perfectly fine when it blew. It passed the block test(combustion gases in coolant test), I had NO SMOKE at all, just a slow coolant leak down the side of my block.