_Chris_

It's not unknown for people to drill holes to fit sideskirts and not seal them properly allowing water to get in to the sills. I know the gen 5 sunroof drains also went into the sills, not sure about later models. The usual mot bodge is to slap a plate over and weld round. To do properly involves cutting the rusty area right out including inner structure and welding in new metal, ideally replacing the whole sill but can be done with just a patch butt welded. Not a massive task but commercial welders tend to charge a lot.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/8316230/download_pdf/st205_3s_gte_rev3_engine_supplement_rm398e.pdf p.60 (EG 32) The markings for 0 and 10 are on the cam belt cover. Worth marking the 10 degree one with white. When setting, make sure your head is placed so that the 10 degree mark is in line with the crank pulley center to avoid paralax error. It all works by strobe action - the voltage pulse for the spark triggers a very short flash from the timing light, illuminating the TDC line on the pulley at that moment against the fixed scale on the belt cover. The E1-TE1 link fixes timing at 10 degrees as far as the ECU is concerned, so you adjust the distributer (ECU triggers) until you actually get 10 degrees.

Changing dizzy cap won't affect the timing, you would need to loosen the 2 bolts holding the dizzy to the head for that. On the other hand, knowing your symptoms it would be worth checking anyway. Link E1 & TE1 and verify engine light is flashing, then check pulley mark lines up with 10 degree mark.

Many years ago in an old escort van with a sloping front, I had a pigeon take off & try to outrun me. It didn't quite manage it and there was a small thump as it hit the sloping bit just above the windscreen. When I looked later there was a brown line running up, looks like it was worried at least.

Sounds like you know what you're letting yourself in for. I know exactly what you mean about projects for love not common sense, I have too many of them

Paul has made a couple of very valid points in his remark. Firstly, there is a multi direction compromise between power, ecconomy, reliability, drivability and comfort. The more you push at one, the more you lose on the others. I know many people with highly nodified GT4's that take a standard one for a blast and when they get back realise what they've lost in the comfort and drivability directions. Secondly, a well modified GT4 engine is a handful even in a GT4. In a FWD chassis I can see lots of scary moments ploughing straight on towards walls/ hedges etc. at the slightest touch of throttle. It always pays to realise what you're getting into before spending lots of money.

It would help to know your location. Without knowing that, I would think MK autos in Blackburn - very knowledgable on GT4's and also do some reasonable ECUs.

28% fail on lights not working. That's just plain lazy.

Indeed, I always reccomend doing this, known a few where the leak has become bad enough to damage the gasket which is them a sump off job. Re. the op - do an oil change with mobil 1, at least it smells nice

As Paul says, there's nothing fundamental about the gen 6 engine to make the change worthwhile. I did it on mine working on the theory that being a newer engine they would generally be less worn. Subsequent experience with a few engines of each type have shown the 205 engines generally have more bore wear. The power gains are largely from bigger turbo, more boost, better chargecooling.and more modern/accurate engine management. The CS/RC variant had the better chargecooling, plus a slightly bigger turbo than the a-a version.

From my experience, oem hoses last 20+ years. I've had silicone ones fail in 5. I suspect it's like most 'tuning', done for looks and because marketing hype makes it seem better.

On our 2009 trip to the european gt4 meet, this was for sale in the toyota dealer where the meet ended. Those are swiss francs, and it certainly wasn't a mint example.

Edited highlights in case it's in time. 1. - headgasket - the standard car has a paper gasket which is prone to failure if boost is increased. Check the coolant very carefully for signs - nasty rusty smell, anything but good clean coolant should ring alarm bells. Not a massive job to change if you're a competent mechanic, but a garage bill for this will write off a 185 (many have been lost to this) 2. - rusty sills, especially a sunroof model as these drain into the sills.

The 205 was probably the best celica ever in virtually every aspect, however it will never be worth as much long term as it was the disgraced one, caught cheating. Bear in mind also, that they are worth far more in mainland Europe. It's only the UK that undervalues them.

If the slider pin and bore are cleaned up with wire wool and wd40 until they slide easily, then pack with loads of grease to refit, they will last as long as any refurbed caliper. A refurbed caliper will be seized in a year if it's not pulled apart and greased before fitting, I've seen it happen.

Can't be that seized if you managed to rotate the caliper. Just wd40 or plusgas and keep rotating / pulling to work it loose. Failing that, heat is normally the savior for anything seized but be careful not to damage the caliper seals. Also SDS drills set to hammer only can work wonders, but beware of collateral damage if it fights too hard.

Particularly an oil & filter change. Pretty much everything else can be done as & when it wears out or fails the mot without causing major damage. Old oil and clogged filters causes problems inside the engine such as increased wear and jamming piston rings. The first you'll know about it is when the car starts drinking oil or rattling, and by then it's too late.

Sounds like it's just exhaust related, broken mount, broken baffle inside or could just be heatshield broken off mount and now resting on exhaust. Doesn't sound serious to me.

Lights must be in pairs and symmetric. Not certain if full beam is needed, but a single one is illegal. Bear in mind if something will not pass an not it is also illegal on the road and you can be prosecuted if stopped by the fuzz.

I wish my cars had. Fuel mysteriously appearing in them.

p.s. you will find this useful. https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/8316230/download_pdf/Wiring-Supp.3S-GTE_3S-GE_5S-FE_ST185RC.pdf p106/107 - fuel pump p108 - ignite & coil. (Earths aren't shown but are vital) p9 efi fuse location (to clear error codes) p35 - location of coil & igniter. (Looks like they are not on same bracket on the gen 5) I would guess the problem is more likely with the igniter than the coil.

Check the Earths on the igniter and coil. It may be a single assembly on a bracket with a wire connecting the two from memory. Particularly check the threads on the mounting bolts and tapped holes on the bulkhead aren't rusty. Clear the fault codes by resetting the ECU as per the link above and see what comes back. Only the GT4 variants have the dual speed fuel pump, the GE engine just has the 'circuit opening relay' which is on a bracket on the side of the ECU.

First port of call would definately be check the error codes. No special equipment needed (a paperclip). The following guide applies to the 182 as well as the GT4 shown although some error codes don't apply. http://www.gt4dc.co.uk/info/howto/ecu/ecu_error_codes.htm There is a possible known fault on the 18x ECU's but I don't think your sypmtoms quite match. Worth a look though, the ECU is located behind the centre console above the exhaust tunnel. Pull back the carpet to access. http://www.celica-club.co.uk/forum/index.php?/topic/148489-heads-up-common-gen-5-ecu-problem/ Do you have an immobiliser fitted ?

All old cars are much the same, as are many new ones. Celicas are better than most in my experience. Buy new and it's dual mass flywheels and diesel particulate filters emptying the bank account.

http://www.celica-club.co.uk/forum/index.php?/topic/157717-alloy-rdiators/ Just to add a little info to the thread, the first alloy rad I had was part of a group buy & made by golpher which worked reasonably well. The second one I bought - and which seems to be the only design available - has a slightly taller core leaving little room for the top tank, hence flow is very poor as it only has about a 5mm gap to flow through. The second one I bought has only done a few hundred miles as the engine kept overheating and the block was cracked after investigation - which was cause & effect ? who knows. The rad is going for scrap either way.