SJ's Auto Repair Advice Thread - For the Correct Answer the First Time

[boywitdaaznsmile]

haha its cool SJ thanks for the info.
thats not the first time i was told that.

I seemed to fix the problem today;
I got a new Greddy BCC and tuned it properly;
so far no problems.
Thanks again!

[SJ]

also one other tip...make sure that you hot or wet soldered the connections (i.e. melt the solder through the wire instead of just on it) and use hear shrink over the connections. Especially one ecu wires it is very important. Butt connectors are easy and fast but when it comes to durability and connection are not up to par. Also, you get a much much cleaner look.

[Mast3rmind]

I have a question... Ihave a 1993 n/a auto MKIV...well my main concern is the transmission.. In order for me to take the key out of the ignition I have to shift it right in between the park and reverse then push it all the way into park for it to let me take the key out of the ignition. When I shift through gears the transmission jerks from each gear I put it in. What could be causing this and what do I need to do to fix this problem? Thanks for your help

[SJ]

possibly a park/neutral safety switch

[rizinphoenix]

I have a squeaking Noise @ speeds under 20mph from rear driverside wheel. The problem appears after 10-20 minutes of driving and gets more annoying the longer I drive the car. I thought it was my brakes but they are fairly new and alright. I did my check on the calipers and hand brake just to be sure. I'm guessing it's a wheelbearing since the noise is coming from the hub, but how will i know for sure? If it is a wheel bearing, how hard is it to replace?

Lastly, Both my rear inside brake calipers are not wearing evenly. The outsides are fine what can I do to make sure they wear evenly?

[SJ]

I have a squeaking Noise @ speeds under 20mph from rear driverside wheel. The problem appears after 10-20 minutes of driving and gets more annoying the longer I drive the car. I thought it was my brakes but they are fairly new and alright. I did my check on the calipers and hand brake just to be sure. I'm guessing it's a wheelbearing since the noise is coming from the hub, but how will i know for sure? If it is a wheel bearing, how hard is it to replace?

Lastly, Both my rear inside brake calipers are not wearing evenly. The outsides are fine what can I do to make sure they wear evenly?

too hard to diagnose sounds over the internet...a sqeaking noise could desribe brakes, suspension, bushings, bearings, anything.

when replacing brakes you need to clean and lubricate the slides as well as clean and lubricate the metal the pads touch. that would be my first guess...either that or there is a caliper problem and one side is pushing harder than the other.

[hgonzalez]

A quick question. I washed my cars engine, then I took it out for a quick spin. Several hours, later I drove it to the store. While stopped at an intersection, it idled very low (-500 rpm) and sounded/felt like it was going to shut off. Now it gives misfire codes on all cylinders. At warm up, its rpm go from 450-600 and I hear an ugly popping noise from the engine. After a few minutes, the engine adjusts itself and it appears to idle somewhat smoother with the occasional popping noise and rough idle. The car will boost to 18 psi with no problems at all and I dont notice any hesitation or misfire at high speeds. I've replaced the spark plugs and coil pack clips. The Toyota dealership can't find the problem. My next step was to buy new coil packs?? The car is 97/stock twins TTC/140k miles/6 spd/BPU+. This has been ongoing for the past two months.

I did find a loose vacum hose. On top of the intake maniforld towards the rear of it, it connects to a small circlular diaphram looking disk, which I reconnected. I wonder if water might have got in it??

Any

[JZ1]

that is the vacuum modulator for the egr. water won't hurt or affect it.

[SJ]

Any

sorry I didnt see your post here. I would think that washing it effected a sensor or something in the ignition system. Obviously though, spark is not your issue or the problem would get worse with boost/higher RPMs.

This is kind of an inbetween problem...i.e. it has a rough idle and incorrect first idle. There are only two common problems that cause each of those. One is your throttle position sensor and the 2nd is your IAC Valve. Maybe washing the engine bay could have caused this or maybe it is just a coincidence (rare but it has happened before). Either way those are the two first things I would check. Also, there are always people are dealers who know what they are doing and others who do not know as much. The other thing that you find out after working in shops is that if it is not something that can be easily solved or ends up losing the tech money because a job like this you always get shafted on...they may just say "we cant find anything wrong" instead of figuring it out. Either could contribute to them not finding the problem.

I have a write up in the tech section of how to check your tps and if you could use anymore help my cell# is listed on the first page of this thread or simply PM me if you would rather do that.

Do not be fooled though as there are many other things that can cause the same problems...the two I listed are just the first two things to check. A bad mass air flow sensor, improperly operating EGR system, injectors/injector eletrical connections, etc. However, the only things that can cause poor idling but no problem at WOT would be the TPS, IAC, and possibly an EGR fault but the EGR fault should throw a code. I hope this helps you or atleast gives you a starting position.

[Esvilopez]

Hi I'm new here and I would like to kbow if can I swap a twin turbo engine to a nonturbo body. My car is a 1995 supra nonturbo any helpwill be appreciated, or if you know anyone that will do the swap let me know I live an Rhode Island.

[SJ]

Hi I'm new here and I would like to kbow if can I swap a twin turbo engine to a nonturbo body. My car is a 1995 supra nonturbo any helpwill be appreciated, or if you know anyone that will do the swap let me know I live an Rhode Island.

Yes. They are essentially the same motors so it basically bolts right in. However, you will need many thousands of dollars worth of parts (electronicss mostly) as well. I would think it would still be cheaper to build the NA motor and install a single turbo on that which is what most people choose (generally they do not build the motor but I just wanted to giveo ut a price comparison. There is much much more to it though and as many options to choose from as you have money.

Truthfully, I would say it would be more practical if not less expensive to sell your NA and just purchase a TT car. That way you would get the other benefits of the TT such as larger brakes.

[galleyhand]

Hi, I have a 93.5 6 speed Supra TT with 113K miles and everytime I back up and turn the steering wheel all the way to the left I will get a very loud knock from the front of the car. I have TRD motor mounts and tranny mount that was put on last year. It was doing this before the TRD mounts and I was hoping this was going to fix the problem but it didn't.

[myMUSICveins]

Ok, let’s give this a shot, I have a BONE stock 97 TT 6pd with ::gasp:: 177k

Soo, that said, there are a few things I've noticed since driving:

1. My check engine light came on and I noticed the car was hunting for a correct idle right before the light came on, and the car had been driven for about 80 miles when this happened, nice and warm. Code was for the TPS sensor. I have cleared the light and it has not returned. However, I notice a strange idle pattern that seems backwards, idles higher when warm ~900-1100 and lower when cold ~750ish.

2. Might be normal, as I’ve heard the v-160's are beefy, but before I actually shift the shifter into said gear, noticed mostly in 2nd and 3rd, I FEEL a light thump/thud through the shifter. I'm really babying the car now, so I’m granny shifting it, so the process is slow enough, I can feel this before actually making it into the gear, and after I start slowly pushing it. Always makes it in no problem, no grinding or popping out of gear or anything like that.

3. When I turn off the car, especially after driving the car for 30 plus miles, there is a loud rattle from the engine bay, like the engine is shaking to a stop. I was thinking maybe mounts.

4. Lastly, the most concerning problem, which I may have somewhat "band-aided" already, there is a BAD rumble/vibration feel/sound coming from the rear of the car that only happens after the car has been warmed up real good 50+ miles. It feels like if you were to drive over the bump reflectors in the highway at 80MPH constantly. When this happens on the highway, if I give it gas and spool up the turbos, the sound goes away right away, only to return if I let off the throttle and let it coast to a slower speed, or until I modulate the throttle back to a constant speed. At slower speeds, once the problem shows itself, it’s a slower knocking sound, that certainly changes its thumping speed depending on the speed of the car; slower speed, slower knocking, faster speed, faster knocking.

Sooo, what I did (I work in the service dept of an Acura dealership), I had a tech look under the car, at the rear sub frame, the lower control arms, drive shaft, everything. To me, it sounded like the driveshaft was loose, or had too much play, like a carrier bearing or something. What we ended up doing was removing the rear tires and loosening up the nut that’s in the center of the 5 wheel studs (is it called the hub?) to check for play in the rear wheel bearings. There was some play, so we decided we should replace both rear wheel bearings. After loosening both, and re-tightening both in the rear, the "play" in the bearing all but disappeared; I haven’t heard the noise once. Every once in a while, I think I hear it, but I turn down the music and listen for it again, and nothing. If its still there, its not NEARLY as pronounced. Ideas?

Thanks, sorry for the novel, I figure the more info the better

-Anders

[roliks]

Posted in another section but got no replies.. and I think this kinda relates to a previous post by afgsupra answered by JZ1.... sort of..

If it is worse cold and idles warm, your Idle Air Valve is dirty and sticking. Its best to remove it and clean but can be done on the car.

Warm the car up and clean the idle air valve with a throttle body cleaner. Spray into the larger hole at the bottom of the throttle plate. If you open the throttle there is another similar hole that allows the air to pass by the plate. Spray in there too. Make sure to remove the lower hose in the center of IAC and put a rag under to catch the crud and fluid that will come out. The hose goes over to a black box then splits to the fuel rails the other 2 on it are for coolant, don't touch those.

Brake clean works but removes the dry film lubricant on the parts so a throttle body cleaner is prefered. It also helps prevent future build up down the road compared to brake clean.

my auto 2JZGTE is not running properly when its cold. It will run rough and if you hit the throttle it will hesitate and then the idle will drop really low if not stall. When it stalls you can tell thats its flooding the car out as there is a very evident smell of gas. Now the only thing I have even slightly noticed that when its running rough the throttle position puck doesn't follow the throttle it stays seated at the bottom. When the car warms up (It seems) the puck raises and follows the throttle. This leads me to believe that its a vacuum line issue. I have also heard about this happening with a bad ECU as well as bad TPS or even bad coil packs.
Could it be the IAC? If so how do I clean this piece? Is it the same as explained above for the supra?

What do you think as any help is welcome.


I do have another issue that my mechanic has traced back and said that " the 2nd TPS is bad and is causing the TRAC Off light/OD light to blink" Unfortunately I am a couple states away from my my car and have no way to check it out. Could this be the cause of the above issue?? (Where is the 2nd TPS?)

Now a bit about my car. Built Auto/stall, T61, 3" Intake (MAF), 3" Turbo back exhaust, EGR block off plates, Manual Boost Controler, BCC, Tial WG/BOV

[SJ]

Hi, I have a 93.5 6 speed Supra TT with 113K miles and everytime I back up and turn the steering wheel all the way to the left I will get a very loud knock from the front of the car. I have TRD motor mounts and tranny mount that was put on last year. It was doing this before the TRD mounts and I was hoping this was going to fix the problem but it didn't.

It is probably in your suspension somewhere. Jack up the front end off the car and then support it via jack stand under each control arm. Then grab the top and bottom of the tire and push/pull and grab both sides of the tire and do the same thing. If you feel play, then you can further diagnose it.

The other thing I can think of is that the engine mounts are not tightened down all of the way...however because it only does it with the wheel fully turned I highly doubt that as a possibility. If you are unaware of how to check play in the suspension or what to look for, enlist the help of someone knowledgable to help pinpoint the problem.

Finally, if all else fails, have a friend outside of the car listen for where the sound is coming from while you duplicate it...make sure the hood is up when you do this so the sound travels better. Good luck...sometimes these things are a pain to find.

[SJ]

Ok, let’s give this a shot, I have a BONE stock 97 TT 6pd with ::gasp:: 177k

Soo, that said, there are a few things I've noticed since driving:

1. My check engine light came on and I noticed the car was hunting for a correct idle right before the light came on, and the car had been driven for about 80 miles when this happened, nice and warm. Code was for the TPS sensor. I have cleared the light and it has not returned. However, I notice a strange idle pattern that seems backwards, idles higher when warm ~900-1100 and lower when cold ~750ish.

2. Might be normal, as I’ve heard the v-160's are beefy, but before I actually shift the shifter into said gear, noticed mostly in 2nd and 3rd, I FEEL a light thump/thud through the shifter. I'm really babying the car now, so I’m granny shifting it, so the process is slow enough, I can feel this before actually making it into the gear, and after I start slowly pushing it. Always makes it in no problem, no grinding or popping out of gear or anything like that.

3. When I turn off the car, especially after driving the car for 30 plus miles, there is a loud rattle from the engine bay, like the engine is shaking to a stop. I was thinking maybe mounts.

4. Lastly, the most concerning problem, which I may have somewhat "band-aided" already, there is a BAD rumble/vibration feel/sound coming from the rear of the car that only happens after the car has been warmed up real good 50+ miles. It feels like if you were to drive over the bump reflectors in the highway at 80MPH constantly. When this happens on the highway, if I give it gas and spool up the turbos, the sound goes away right away, only to return if I let off the throttle and let it coast to a slower speed, or until I modulate the throttle back to a constant speed. At slower speeds, once the problem shows itself, it’s a slower knocking sound, that certainly changes its thumping speed depending on the speed of the car; slower speed, slower knocking, faster speed, faster knocking.

Sooo, what I did (I work in the service dept of an Acura dealership), I had a tech look under the car, at the rear sub frame, the lower control arms, drive shaft, everything. To me, it sounded like the driveshaft was loose, or had too much play, like a carrier bearing or something. What we ended up doing was removing the rear tires and loosening up the nut that’s in the center of the 5 wheel studs (is it called the hub?) to check for play in the rear wheel bearings. There was some play, so we decided we should replace both rear wheel bearings. After loosening both, and re-tightening both in the rear, the "play" in the bearing all but disappeared; I haven’t heard the noise once. Every once in a while, I think I hear it, but I turn down the music and listen for it again, and nothing. If its still there, its not NEARLY as pronounced. Ideas?

Thanks, sorry for the novel, I figure the more info the better

-Anders

#1. I have a TPS testing/adjustment thread stickied in the technical section. That is the first thing I would try being you had that TPS code before, even though it has not come back.

#2. With the age of your car, I would want to guess a bad trans mount. It may not be bad...but just worn. The reason you feel it in 2nd and 3rd is probably because there is more stress on the mounts when shifting at lower speeds...try rev matching when you shift to see if this goes away.

#3. Rattle is probably a heat shield on the exhaust somewhere that has come loose.

#4. I hate trying to diagnose sounds through a forum because I do not want to give you misleading info and furthermore I hate telling people that they need rear wheel bearings. There are about 5 or 6 things that could cause this so I will give you my best advice. If there is something bad on the car that was causing this, It will come back. Maybe retightening the hub nut realigned something or tightened it properly...hell maybe its just a temp fix. However, if the problem disapeared and doesnt come back than the car is fixed...if it was something going bad itll happen again so dont worry about it is all im trying to say.

[myMUSICveins]

#1. I have a TPS testing/adjustment thread stickied in the technical section. That is the first thing I would try being you had that TPS code before, even though it has not come back.

#2. With the age of your car, I would want to guess a bad trans mount. It may not be bad...but just worn. The reason you feel it in 2nd and 3rd is probably because there is more stress on the mounts when shifting at lower speeds...try rev matching when you shift to see if this goes away.

#3. Rattle is probably a heat shield on the exhaust somewhere that has come loose.

#4. I hate trying to diagnose sounds through a forum because I do not want to give you misleading info and furthermore I hate telling people that they need rear wheel bearings. There are about 5 or 6 things that could cause this so I will give you my best advice. If there is something bad on the car that was causing this, It will come back. Maybe retightening the hub nut realigned something or tightened it properly...hell maybe its just a temp fix. However, if the problem disapeared and doesnt come back than the car is fixed...if it was something going bad itll happen again so dont worry about it is all im trying to say.

Thanks for the response, Ill check a few things out and repost what I find

[SJ]

Posted in another section but got no replies.. and I think this kinda relates to a previous post by afgsupra answered by JZ1.... sort of..


my auto 2JZGTE is not running properly when its cold. It will run rough and if you hit the throttle it will hesitate and then the idle will drop really low if not stall. When it stalls you can tell thats its flooding the car out as there is a very evident smell of gas. Now the only thing I have even slightly noticed that when its running rough the throttle position puck doesn't follow the throttle it stays seated at the bottom. When the car warms up (It seems) the puck raises and follows the throttle. This leads me to believe that its a vacuum line issue. I have also heard about this happening with a bad ECU as well as bad TPS or even bad coil packs.
Could it be the IAC? If so how do I clean this piece? Is it the same as explained above for the supra?


I do have another issue that my mechanic has traced back and said that " the 2nd TPS is bad and is causing the TRAC Off light/OD light to blink" Unfortunately I am a couple states away from my my car and have no way to check it out. Could this be the cause of the above issue?? (Where is the 2nd TPS?)

My first guess would be the IAC in this case. It is fairly easy to test as all you must do is remove it and then apply a v source and a ground to it. You will see the valve inside open and close when this is done. ECUs very rarely go bad on these cars and are the last thing you check anyways so I would stay away from that. Your problem is more descriptive of a malfunctioning IAC than TPS but that is not set in stone. The MAF can cause this as well but would more than likely throw a code if it is bad.

The easiest way to check for a vacuum leak which never hurts is to start the car and spray 2+2 carb cleaner around/on any vacuum source such as vacuum lines etc. If there is a leak, the idle will change on the car and if its bad enough the car will act as though it is about to stall.

The mechanic is refering to the Sub TPS sensor. It can be adjusted unless he has tested and decided it needs to be replaced. I know it does operate with the TPS although seperate. I do not know what kind of problems it can cause other than the cruise control/trac control I believe. I would fix that first and see what that does because there is obviously a code there for a reason.

Let me know if you need further help or clarification.

[rezsupra]

i have wrecked my first and only supra 97 non turbo
hopefully it wont be my last or 2nd maybe it can be fixed
but that starts at frame bending and whatever comes after that
reply and ill give you more info and show pics so some one can tell me sumthing about where to start. and also ive been looking for a supra non or turbo so i could possibly put my engine and what not into it. so yeah someone find me.

[reimundo]

how do i remove the heater core. it is leaking in side of my car, or hoe do i block it off untill i buy a new one?

[SJ]

i have wrecked my first and only supra 97 non turbo
hopefully it wont be my last or 2nd maybe it can be fixed
but that starts at frame bending and whatever comes after that
reply and ill give you more info and show pics so some one can tell me sumthing about where to start. and also ive been looking for a supra non or turbo so i could possibly put my engine and what not into it. so yeah someone find me.

sorry but if you have to ask me this, I believe that you need to take your car to a professional.

[SJ]

how do i remove the heater core. it is leaking in side of my car, or hoe do i block it off untill i buy a new one?

there are two heater hoses that run to the firewall...you can connect the hoses to each other using a small metal/plastic pipe of the same size...this is on the passenger side.

the heater cores is a bitch to do...it is located in the assembly under the passenger side dash...and pretty much everything under there much be removed. Im not going to go through every step to remove it but book time is 6 hours and last time i did one it took me around 7. It involves having your a/c disacharged and recharged as well as removing many things. I would kind of say he a knowledgable friend to help or a mechanic to do it if you are asking these questions though...i dont know how brave you are but if you are asking where it is located then I do not know if your mechanical skill level is high enough that you would want to attempt it.
however, i will try and help you if you do because you will get stuck i would assume.

[reimundo]

there are two heater hoses that run to the firewall...you can connect the hoses to each other using a small metal/plastic pipe of the same size...this is on the passenger side.

the heater cores is a bitch to do...it is located in the assembly under the passenger side dash...and pretty much everything under there much be removed. Im not going to go through every step to remove it but book time is 6 hours and last time i did one it took me around 7. It involves having your a/c disacharged and recharged as well as removing many things. I would kind of say he a knowledgable friend to help or a mechanic to do it if you are asking these questions though...i dont know how brave you are but if you are asking where it is located then I do not know if your mechanical skill level is high enough that you would want to attempt it.
however, i will try and help you if you do because you will get stuck i would assume.

i by-passed it yesterday around 10pm. i was starting to think no one was going to reply to my question. there is no leak know. as for removing the heater-core i just wanted to know if i had to remove the whole dash board or if i could just remove it from the bottom. i guess there is no short-cut with this job. thanks for the help.

[SJ]

i by-passed it yesterday around 10pm. i was starting to think no one was going to reply to my question. there is no leak know. as for removing the heater-core i just wanted to know if i had to remove the whole dash board or if i could just remove it from the bottom. i guess there is no short-cut with this job. thanks for the help.

Unfortunately, there is no possible way to make it any easier. Sorry for the slow response as I have been fairly busy lately.

[reimundo]

thats all right, thank you for the help anyways.