New Celica Owner

[storm99]

hi from an ex-pat living in denmark!! Dont ask. I am the proud owner of a 1987 celica 2 liter gti convertible. I have a few probs/questions if anyone can help.

1. The rubber seals along the top of the windscreen where it joins the targa roof are leaking, toyota only part i am told, for silly money! 200 notes for a bit of rubber isnt funny! Any ideas?

2. At high revs ( 4500 and over) when i change uo/down to 3rd gear i get a nasty crunch, is this gearbox oil or a common fault? have seen others write they have same problem.

3. I am a complete muppet with mechanics and facts/figures, is my car a 4th generation celica? Have pop up headlights, manual leather hood and a boot!

4. Engine is standard, how can i get a few more horses out of it for reasonable money?

5. Dont they look great! Had an mr2 b4 but like this better!

[Uncle Bob]

First off,Welcome to the TOC :) others will be able to answer some of your questions, and i'll try help with a few, Your celica is indeed a generation 4 and has a model code of ST162, 147 BHP 3S-GE engine.

Now onto your roof....your not alone with your targa roof problem, trouble is the roof conversion was not done by toyota but an outside contractor, and the roof seals got redesigned 3 time in its short life, but after a short time they all leaked.

I'm suprize you can still buy the seals at any price, so if you can still get them ,best buy them up quick .

hope thats given you a bit of help with your new motor, look after her she's a rare old girl

[dymchurchpaseo]

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[daktari]

Hi. Welcome to TOC.

In addition to the above reply by Bob and concerning the gearbox. It`s not an uncommon fault on celicas for them to baulk going into third. Could be that a gearbox oil change will help. (Oil tends to thicken up with colder weather) A change to synthetic oil would prevent this to some degree.

Also it`s worth making sure the clutch pedal is set up correctly.

If not your probably looking at replacing or rebuilding the box.. Unless you can live with the occasional graunch. Although slower more deliberate changing would probably help as well. Hope this is of some help.

[storm99]

I had one! In red. And it leaked too unfortunately. Only at one side though where some of the rubber didn't quite meet, so it channeled it to the drivers side. Not sure if its a recommended method, but i placed some vaseline in one of the seals to form a block.

The gearbox was a bit notchy and didn't like the higher rev gearchanges if they were forced. If you're going to spend £200 on the rubber surround, i'd seriously recommend replacing the windscreen surround too. Underneath is a haven for rust.

Had an mr2 b4 but like this better!

I know exactly what you mean! I thought my one was great and the interior seemed to be miles better than my gen 6. These cars ooze character. I miss my one to bits, look after her. Shes quite a rarity! There weren't many converted in the first place, let alone many surviving now!

I'm not too clued up performance wise. I'm sure the usual exhaust/inductoin kit will give you a little extra oomph. I'd be tempted to keep it standard though, they are lovely cars!

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looks like i'm off to the chemists then! hope i dont look too embarassed to be buying vaseline!! Thanx!

[dymchurchpaseo]

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[storm99]

Hi. Welcome to TOC. 

In addition to the above reply by Bob and concerning the gearbox. It`s not an uncommon fault on celicas for them to baulk going into third. Could be that a gearbox oil change will help. (Oil tends to thicken up with colder weather) A change to synthetic oil would prevent this to some degree.

Also it`s worth making sure the clutch pedal is set up correctly.

If not your probably looking at replacing or rebuilding the box.. Unless you can live with the occasional graunch. Although slower more deliberate changing would probably help as well. Hope this is of some help.   

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cheers!