TheVDM

Didn't think of that! The battery was a spare that used to live in the shed with an inverter on it so it's probably not in the best condition but does crank well and holds charge well. A new 005 battery is in the pipeline for later this year so if that is the issue at least it won't add any expense, it'll just shift around my purchasing priorities

Glad somebody asked, I was wondering what it was too

OK... So every now and again I get in the Celica to go for a drive, turn the key past the first and second notch, everything lights up on the dash just as it should. Then when I turn the key to the starter position I get a relay click and everything goes dead! This to me sounds very much like a bad earth on the gearbox. If I pop the bonnet and lightly touch the positive terminal (well not the terminal, but the rubber cap that isolates it) the relay clicks and everything is back to normal. The battery terminals and terminal clamps are clean and have a good connection and the gearbox earth strap doesn't appear to be corroded, although I haven't delved too deep as the gearbox is being changed next week anyway. Has anybody else experienced an issue like this on their car (or specifically a 5th Gen Celica), if so what was the cause?

That's good news, rust is always my biggest concern as I can use a spanner but have little to no skill with welding gear!

I had a similar issue a few years back in my old Rover 800, it was caused by reversing onto the drive at a funny angle and clipping the tale pipe on the kerb. All you should need is a new back box.

It would appear I have no leaks and the grinder made short work of it all. Thank you all for the advice, I feel like I've got a new car now Sent from my D5803 using Tapatalk

I don't think it leaks, only one way to find out [emoji38] I do own a fire extinguisher for all it would be worth.

I've had mine all of 9 months now, so far I've covered about 2,500 trouble free miles (it's a second car for tinkering with)

Would your recommend the aerosol or the bottle? It would probably be worth investing in some anyway as I have a gearbox to remove next month

Thank you ams, I didn't think of getting the blow torch out. I've just picked my daughter up from nursery so probably won't get a chance now until Sunday. I'll give lots of heat a go and try and break the seal on the nuts. If not I might try drilling them out as I've got a fresh set of nuts ready and waiting.

Hi all, what's the best advice anybody can offer for undoing the bolts that hold the back box on? I've soaked it in a lifetime supply of WD-40, I've knocked it about a bit to release any loose dirt/rust and I cannot for the life of me undo those bloomin' bolts. Should I just get the angle grinder out or is there a secret to undoing the bolts?