Celica Questions

August 24, 2006

Have had our '91 celica G.T.-R's engine reconditioned after being "had over"when we bought it,in so far as:The engine had been sealed[cracked block n head cooked]& the water dropped so nowt could be seen in the rad.,

Also,the car had been tracked out so as we went through a set of tyres in 3 months.When the track was corrected a noise on the d/side that could just be heard @ 80-90m.p.h.became obvious,to say the least,@30-40.

This was done after we went on hols 2 wales and the car was tested properly for the 1st time and the obvious happened.

It was summer 2004.Since then it's stood garaged a year n under a tree the rest.

Finally,we got the money together to sort it out and after being asked not to use my block,they did,consequently it's had to go back in,so we missed the return to wales we'd planned.

Since this is the case i asked the gaffer @ this place how big she could be bored out to[3sGE engine]since i/we don't know how deep the sleeves are & how cooling is affected,if at all.He reckons apart from 1 oversize it's not safe.

We hope the noise is only a wheel bearing,one guy says it's the diff bearing & a quote was £600 to re con the diff only!

So,the wheel bearing & the rear g/box mounting[which is perished]please!

We & kids love the car n couldn't afford to have wasted the £1900 we were ripped off for.It's already cost us nearly the same with tax n insurance.

All advise,opinions etc.,welcome[& needed] ta,Dan & Jem.

August 24, 2006

I dunno what to say really - except sympathise with you . Sounds like you bought a car and ended up with a project.

15 year old cars are bound to have some problems but it sounds like you've got more than your fair share.

August 24, 2006

Hi, welcome TOC.

I'll echo what Boro Sera said there.

I also recently bought a Celica of similar age and it's got a couple of problems - not as big as yours from the sound of it though.

Also, just wondering whether you got more than one quote for the work. I took mine to Toyota for a quote, and also the GT4 experts Toyauto who fortunately are near me in Nottingham. I'm still waiting for the Toyota quote, but they took an hour just to look at it, and they charge just over £1 per minute for work on GT4s. I'm sure the Toyauto quote has saved me a fortune compared to the price that I'd have to pay at Toyota (though as I say, not got the Toyota quote yet). But as an example, the independant's labour price is about half as much per hour and they're helping me source the parts I need second hand at a fraction of what I would have to pay for new parts.

Good luck with getting your problems sorted quickly and reasonably cheaply. Providing the bodywork is in decent condition, I'm sure it's worth the expense in the long run as the Gen 5 Celicas are fantastic cars, even if they are beginning to show their age.

August 25, 2006

The diffs on the gen 5 aren`t a known weak spot. But the wheel bearings/hubs/CV joints can and do play up if not regularly checked. It could well be this is where your noise is coming from. The rear G/Box mount (Also another problem area) could have a lot to do with it as well. Hopefully getting those sorted will help.

IMHO it`s not worth taking any 15 year old car to a main dealer. Find a good independent that`ll do the job for £30 quid an hour. There`s a good few of them around.

And as T600 says. The gen 5 is a class act. When they`re sorted. And there`s not really that many problems with them usually. Good luck. :thumbsup:

August 25, 2006

The diffs on the gen 5 aren`t a known weak spot. But the wheel bearings/hubs/CV joints can and do play up if not regularly checked. It could well be this is where your noise is coming from. The rear G/Box mount (Also another problem area) could have a lot to do with it as well. Hopefully getting those sorted will help.
IMHO it`s not worth taking any 15 year old car to a main dealer. Find a good independent that`ll do the job for £30 quid an hour. There`s a good few of them around.
And as T600 says. The gen 5 is a class act. When they`re sorted. And there`s not really that many problems with them usually. Good luck.

Ta for ur time.'s good to hear this from someone with time/experience in celicas.

Hi, welcome TOC.
I'll echo what Boro Sera said there.
I also recently bought a Celica of similar age and it's got a couple of problems - not as big as yours from the sound of it though.
Also, just wondering whether you got more than one quote for the work. I took mine to Toyota for a quote, and also the GT4 experts Toyauto who fortunately are near me in Nottingham. I'm still waiting for the Toyota quote, but they took an hour just to look at it, and they charge just over £1 per minute for work on GT4s. I'm sure the Toyauto quote has saved me a fortune compared to the price that I'd have to pay at Toyota (though as I say, not got the Toyota quote yet). But as an example, the independant's labour price is about half as much per hour and they're helping me source the parts I need second hand at a fraction of what I would have to pay for new parts.
Good luck with getting your problems sorted quickly and reasonably cheaply. Providing the bodywork is in decent condition, I'm sure it's worth the expense in the long run as the Gen 5 Celicas are fantastic cars, even if they are beginning to show their age.

R.R.G.Salford wanted 1,200 just to take our engine out!Forget it.dan & Jem

August 25, 2006

You'll get quotes like that from big places though.

The best mechanics I've ever discovered are usually in run down industrial estates. Big places could do the job for you for ( say ) £60 per hour - but it's an involved job - 5 spanners in the haynes manual. OR they can change Wiper Blades and brake shoes for the endless stream of people who can't or won't do it themselves - £30 for 20 minutes work. Doing this all day is easier and makes you more money.

I've just replaced a heater matrix on a Gen 5 and there was a good 5 or 6 hours work involved. If I'd gone to a main dealer then the bill would be somewhere near the value of the car.

for £1200 you could spend £150 for an engine crane at Machine Mart, couple of hundred on some decent tools, then do it yourself.........then have a holiday with the rest.