My Celica 190 T Sport

[abers]

Hello everyone!

Thought i would introduce myself!

Have recently purchased a Celica T Sport 190 as my dear Puma just was getting a bit tired and old. She was / is only intended for a work runabout but i have really fallen for her and see it as a bit more than that now!

She's done 97k, lots of bills mainly from Toyota. No idea on the lift bolts but have purchased the newer ones ready to fit however i have tried 'lift' and its certainly entertaining albeit a bit hard on the engine :-s

I have carried out a full service, new boot struts and refurbed the wheels as they were peeling and nasty. I intend to get a double din bluetooth headunit and possibly at some point a rear box for a little more piaaz when on throttle but am finding it hard not to find something that looks like it belongs on a drift car!

That aside she will remain as Toyota intended as its a pretty neat package.

Only downsides so far are i can a hear a little water gurgling noise from the front assume this is an airlock of some sort? and there is a slight little rattle on idle its very faint and not sure if its engine noise or a tensioner of some sort....

Enough rambling here are some pictures :-)

and one last photo of my old Celica :-( which I will always miss....

[Scarlett Arrow]

Your TS looks totally unmolested, which is what I would be looking for. I believe the water gurgling is normal, lots of Gen 7 owners have mentioned this in the past. The small rattle could be an exhaust heat shield..if so, they're easily re-secured using larger washers. I like the darker coloured TS rims, be beware, they're very easily buckled. Any plans to fit lowering springs? (TTE or Eibach), or genuine Celica floor mats? (about £50).

[Bennetsi]

Hi, like the look of your new Celica. I've just bought one myself last week so just getting to know it at the moment. I'm just deciding what to do with it first. Cheers Simon

[RUToyota]

Looks good..

I don't personally get any "gurgling"...(well, not from the car..lol)..I assume your temp sits where it should and that you are not having any coolant loss.?

Heat shields are always worth a check for rattles...but that can be a process of elimination.

Enjoy it..

Neil

[abers]

Hi all,

thanks for the welcome :-)

I would like to fit some lowering springs but my days of a trashy ride and on the floor looks are past me so if I could find some that firm up the handling with only a slight cosmetic change that would be ace!

I know Eibach make good springs, didn't know you could get hold of tte ones??

As for floor mats, yes, infact a set of genuine o.e ones have appeared on eBay might have to give them a go!

I liked this one as it had the dynamic pack and was in a decent colour, i was set on a 190 coming from a GT4 but i find myself hardly ever going 6k so wondering if the 140 would have been a better bet as the motorway gearing in the 190 is shocking

re: gurgling, the temp is sitting where it should be but haven't checked the coolant since i topped it up a few weeks ago - i hear the rads on these are prone to failure?

Thanks again,

[RUToyota]

Hi all,

thanks for the welcome :-)

I liked this one as it had the dynamic pack and was in a decent colour, i was set on a 190 coming from a GT4 but i find myself hardly ever going 6k so wondering if the 140 would have been a better bet as the motorway gearing in the 190 is shocking

re: gurgling, the temp is sitting where it should be but haven't checked the coolant since i topped it up a few weeks ago - i hear the rads on these are prone to failure?

Thanks again,

It's the reason why I chose a 140.!....the gearing is better for motorway type trips.

I can understand the "attraction" of a 190..and the hooligan factor it offers..but I personally had no need or desire for one.

I guess I'm old school in that it seems counter-intuitive to rev a car in excess of 6k revs just to get more "thrust"..?

My 140 gives me all I need.. :) ..it's the handling and the sure footedness that attracted me..it goes where you point it.!

It's simply a drivers car.

Keep an eye on the coolant level...the Celica does have a weakness in that the rads can corrode and start leaking...usually bottom left. You can't always notice it visually as it drips onto the undertrays..if you need to keep topping it up then it's worth investigation. The coolant level normally sits pretty much at the lowest mark in the bottle when cold...and then rises to the top level when hot.

It's a relatively cheap fix....a new rad can be had for £30...but can be a bit of a ball ache actually getting rid of all the air locks..if you ever have to do it then follow the instructions that you'll find on the underside of your bonnet..!

Neil

[Scarlett Arrow]

TTE linear springs can be had at Toyota Dealerships for around £150, these lower by 26-30mm. Eibach Pro Kit progressive springs are a little more expensive at around the £200 mark, again around 30mm drop :)

[abers]

Oh i see, thanks for the heads up scarlet i like the idea of oem parts such as TTE but i've had non progressive springs before and they are back breakers :-s so am tempted to for the eibachs...

I fitted a new headunit yesterday as i do alot of bluetooth calling / audio streaming and noticed the standard toyota unit had two rca's plugged in which from my experience usually is the tell tale signs of an amp/sub setup but can't see anything in the car :-s

i've plugged them into the new unit but wondering if anyone knew anything?

[Scarlett Arrow]

The pre face lift TS came with a multi CD changer, which probably explains the extra leads :)