2001 Corolla Sr Vvti

[Tibs]

New Carbon bits ordered today, something I've been meaning to sort for an age.

Awaiting Mr Postman arriving next week....

[Steven252]

Mmmmm carbon you say!

Lookig forward to seeing what youve gone for :)

[Tibs]

Nothing major (sadly...).

Had email confirmation of dispatch today.

[bigshark]

Had a go at the earlier mentioned instrumentation bulbs a while ago, and got not very far actually, so thought I'd have another crack.

Problem.

Cowls removed and speedo assembly freed off, but the whole lot will NOT pull forward, feels as if the harness is snagged or perhaps held with a tie or something. tried putting my (considerable) weight behind it, and still no movement forwards.

Damn you!

Any ideas on this guys and gals?

did you ever get the speedo out?? the reason you cant pull it out is because it is still connected to the speedo-cable! you need to undo the cable from the engine bay if i remember correctly... look under the hood by the firewall and you should see a cable pretty much coming out at the same level the speedo is at, trace it down about 30cm is where you unscrew the cable, very easy! i had to do this when i was replaced my normal speedo with a G6 speedo, That was however on the Pre-facelift E11, might be different on the facelift????

[Littlenicky]

Had a go at the earlier mentioned instrumentation bulbs a while ago, and got not very far actually, so thought I'd have another crack.

Problem.

Cowls removed and speedo assembly freed off, but the whole lot will NOT pull forward, feels as if the harness is snagged or perhaps held with a tie or something. tried putting my (considerable) weight behind it, and still no movement forwards.

Damn you!

Any ideas on this guys and gals?

did you ever get the speedo out?? the reason you cant pull it out is because it is still connected to the speedo-cable! you need to undo the cable from the engine bay if i remember correctly... look under the hood by the firewall and you should see a cable pretty much coming out at the same level the speedo is at, trace it down about 30cm is where you unscrew the cable, very easy! i had to do this when i was replaced my normal speedo with a G6 speedo, That was however on the Pre-facelift E11, might be different on the facelift????

Sorry i couldnt offer any advice on this , i just wrenched the thing out with brute force , smashed it to pieces , oops.

[Tibs]

Thanks for the info guys. Been putting it off for the time being.

I know it isn't totally the last word on such matters, but would have thought that the good old Haynes publication would have mentioned such?

Oh well, thanks to you chaps, I am wiser and will have another go soon.

[Tibs]

Fantastic news!!!

I have had another £200-300 piece of damage done to the car! How happy am I!!??

Thinking of just giving in to be honest, what is the point? Rat-look here we come?

[Steven252]

Never :( sorry to hear that mate :( whats been done?

[Littlenicky]

My cars were getting trashed outside my house , decided to put up 2 CCTV cameras , havent had a problem since.

[Tibs]

All the damage, well most of it, happens at work. So I can't put anything up in place, and employers aren't interested. Their insurance doesn't cover my vehicle on their property either.

This time, marks to the roof and scratched to bare metal on one of the doors.

So sick now, nearly every panel is scratched, scuffed, dented or all 3 thanks to either careless b3llends or teenage vandals, plus damage to the windscreen and glass sunroof. Would write the car off if I put it all right under my own policy, and it's worth more to me than doing that.

I'd save a fortune on polish and wax etc if I just gave in, and I'd perhaps sleep better if the damage didn't detract, but simply 'added' to its appearance?

[Littlenicky]

I can understand your annoyance :(

On a positive note if you want a new sunroof im flogging mine for £20 , god knows what postage would be though as i see your a few miles away from me.

[PaulinhoT]

Shame to hear about the car being damaged, there are some real butt munches out there..

[Tibs]

Thanks guys,my end is well and truly done in this time, so disheartened.

I can't afford to keep putting it right, Police can't help, even limited when confronted with photographic evidence. Employer doesn't want to know. I'd lose the car if I claim on it all, and will be well out of pocket with hiked premiums if I claim for just some of it.

If it's not someone vandalising it, its mouthbreathers opening doors onto it in carparks or catching it with keys/bags/trolleys/shopping etc.

All that, and the council providing lovely craters in our roads that make the alloys 50p shaped! Fan-!Removed!-tastic!

[TRD King]

well man just read through your thread there and a few things i have to say.

I love the attention to small detail... im currently running Greenstuff pads on me e11 SR

on me old corolla 1.6 avensis powered 1.4shell corolla i was running drilled and grooved discs, unfortunatly i decided to break my old corolla so the green stuff pads and drilled and grooved discs will be combining soon. :D

regarding the damage, any pics? would you consider using your car for track and not worrying about the look?

Love the colour, I currently have two green corollas here now and love them collour!

Keep at it mate, well worth it :).

P.s what carbon bits did you order? :D wanna get some meself

[Tibs]

regarding the damage, any pics? would you consider using your car for track and not worrying about the look?

Love the colour, I currently have two green corollas here now and love them collour!

Keep at it mate, well worth it :).

P.s what carbon bits did you order? :D wanna get some meself

No pics, not really worth me taking any. All small bits, but on nearly every panel, which adds up in cost and annoyance.

The car is my daily, so use it for everything. Not really in the position financially to use it just for track work, so it needs to carry out all duties, and as such, I'd like it to look its best.

[Tibs]

No real updates as such of late, work/bad back/poor weather/lost heart all meaning very little done.

On with trying to sort the rear 'knocking' from anti rollbar links, and will source replacements shortly. Started another small thread regarding the anti roll bar bushes, as if I'm under there tinkering, I may as well do those too, help tighten it up a wee bit. Problem being the sizes. Upon measurement (thanks Steven....) they are slightly different to those listed as replacements by SuperPro stocked by Fensport? Feel a phone call coming on, as they don't seem to answer emails too promtly.

Once I have supply sorted, I'll have them ordered up. Local Dealer can't compete pricewise, even with a chunk of trade knocked off, shame really, so may as well upgrade to SuperPro.

Ah, yes, one other thing. Brake Warning light has started flickering. Does this on occasion. Check fluid and it was a bit low, triggering low sensor on hard cornering, so topped it up and had a (very) quick look around the car. No leaks visable, but rear pads look a bit thin.

Again, I'll have a proper shufty when all eases up. Don't think I'll be fitting anything other than OE to be fair though on the rear, job seems to be covered well enough.

[KPARRIS-JONES]

Just caught up on this Thread again! Great stuff mate and I loved those track live action shots!

[Tibs]

Thanks KP :-)

[Tibs]

50 pence pieces.

Those lovely little fellas lining your pocket, that can be exchanged for new things, new nice things, like an ice cream perhaps......

Eggs.

Those chaps that can be whisked up into a tasty meal, or even the chocolate variety that bring joy to all at a certain time of year......

These things are welcome to me, more than welcome at some times. However, when in relation to my alloy wheels, 50p's and eggs are not what should be included in the same sentence as "My alloy wheels are the same shape as....".

The typical state of the local roads are such that my alloys have been pounded more times than lord knows what and are a bit of a !Removed! shape, to put it kindly.

This translates into a faint hint of a wobble at the steering wheel, that is intensified to something really quite alarming under (very) heavy, sustained braking.

Not good.

So, the remedy is new wheels.

Now, my budget is what it is, and although I could cover a set of new wheels, it would leave me short in other areas, and being realistic is where I need to be, to be honest.

So, looked at some 'cheaper' wheels, but I just dont like them, and it would be 'making do', which I hate to do, ever. Used wheels, a cheaper option than buying new. Smaller choice out there at the moment in the right fitment, and used is an unknown quantity in my experience, so this again is something that I feel I should avoid in this case.

Hmmm....

Decided on a happy medium. Two new wheels. Hurrah! Half the cost of a new set, and the rear two are still pretty much round and in decent condition, result being that the old wallet is less battered and safer running should be a given. Smiley me!

So, decided on whipping one off the car to get the details off the back before ordering new ones. No problems, done this a hundred times over the years. Tailgate open to grab jack/tools etc. Lift up the boot floor carpet to find.....

Poo.

Spare wheel out, tools out, and a bit more 'wet' found including parts of the soundproofing beneath the plastic trim that are sodden. Decided to have a look under the OSR compartment in the boot. Lifted it out and.....

Double Poo.

Now. During this time of water shortage in many parts of the country, I fully agree with conserving water, indeed even storing it if needed. But storing the !Removed! stuff in my car, sloshing around as I drive, is where I draw the line. Drought or not, this has got to go the journey!

Anyone have anything similar in the back of their E11? Now or previously? My initial thougt is that it is coming in via the rear side vents, but not tested or proven as yet. Hoping I can get some thoughts and opinions via here to help me.

Anyone?

[Steven252]

Mine done EXACTLY the same thing in EXACTLY the same place - i bet your rear drivers tail light is also full of water too as mine used to fill up.

Mine was a combination of two things. The rear boot seal had rubbed through from use, so i simply rotated it round so the worn part was at the bottom where the bumper meets the car. The other thing was the light seal was not positioned properally and was lose. i simply removed it, cleaned up the seal and the area it sits on and tightened the light up properally. After this i havent had a mobile aqarium re apear even with the heavy rain weve had.

Another thing i noted in that area is the sunroof drain offs. These are a 30mm clearish pipe that goes from the top of the sunroof down to a grommet at the wheel arch. so if neither of the above works to solve it, id imagine its poped out of the grommet and is now draining it into that lovely water well.

Hope this helps :)

[Tibs]

Thanks Steven!

I wondered whether you had any experience of similar, and up you pop! hehe! Cheers.

I have the carpet drying out of the car and will get out tomorrow to have a gander into sorting it out,

[Steven252]

Aha, i noticed mine at the very early stages so the carpet didnt get wet. i did however replace the driverside rear lamp thinking it was that as the fog part was filling with water. Only to find out the new one did it a couple of days later

Boot seal would be my first point of inspection - mine had rubbed a little hole through it from use of the boot being opened/closed :)

[Littlenicky]

Mine was full of oil , rainwater very toxic but very lubricating in skegness.

[Tibs]

Now then all!

A few bits from the last couple of weeks or so. Weather round these parts has been dire to be fair, so not a lot done. That, and a bit of work on the house taking up the weekends.

But, I had a look at the water ingress into the boot area. Still yet to be sure of how it is coming through. Boot seal seems fine, bar one small hole lower down from water level (so have discounted that). Rear lamp seems to be sealed ok too.

It doesn't seem to leak everytime it rains either, or when being washed, which is odd. I'll keep at it for the time being until it is sorted.

Few more small parcels arrived since last update. Nothing major. Sourced rear anti-roll bar drop links, and along with them, a pair of SuperPro poly bushes for the anti-roll bar itself. Weather was pretty good last night after work, so set about replacing them at home.

Jacked up, wheels off, all ready to go. Only to find that the links on the car require holding in place with a 4.5mm allen key whilst being undone. I own an allen key of every single size, apart from a 4.5mm. *****, and double *****! Thought I had that bit covered.

So that's been put off for the time being. Being under the car gave me a better chance to look at the old links before they do come off, and the 'play' in them is very noticable and accounts for the 'knocking' that I've been getting for some time. Weather is forecast for rain all week now, so will get back under when I get a break.

Used last night in a constructive manner though, went online and sourced a 4.5mm allen key (in a T-Bar set which will be a nice addition to the tool set), a new front indicator to match the drivers side replaced a little while ago (passenger side seal has gone and getting condensation inside) and some items for the 'Spill-kit' I'll need for taking part in this years Toyota Sprint Series again.

So, fingers crossed for a break in the weather next weekend, and a few little plans working out so that i can get a few of these jobs ticked off the list.

[Steven252]

Yes i thought i had cured mine but its back again :/ is your drivers tail lamp getting wet too? Mine builds up in the fog light part.

I changed the antiroll bar bushes without and allen key. Just unbolted it and reattached it. If you leave the car on the ground or on a set of drive on ramps you wont need to faff about holding it in place ;)

You doing many sprints this year?