_Chris_

I always think a wideband is worthwhile on a turbo engine, especially on a non-standard setup as it allows you to monitor the mapping stays safe under all conditions. The is a version of the AEM one which also reads RPM and map sensor and provides a warning if it goes too weak on boost - a potential engine saver. Mapping the mixture is pretty simple, ignition is harder although if you're only tweaking then you mainly just need to retard in areas where you get detonation (you will need det cans or knock warning system)

The 205 has a relay fairly local to the starter, so this solution probably doesn't apply.

The usual problem in relays is burning on the contacts as a result of the small spark you get when switching. Sometimes they weld themselves shut, sometimes you just get a poor contact which is the symptoms you have. Not sure where the relay is located, but I would most expect it to be in one of the fuseboxes in the engine bay. Most likely to be worn contacts on the starter solenoid itself, but could also be the starter relay (or earths, or power lead to battery)

The relay is a better solution. A resistor capable of disipating the 20W to simulate a bulb is fairly bulky, plus it's a fair bit of heat to get rid of.

Doesn't hurt to take them out every so often otherwise they end up corroded in and you damage the threads struggling to get them out.

I change mine when they give trouble. So that's about 80K miles so far then.

Keep an eye on coolant level, if it starts losing coolant then suspect head gasket. In the meantime, it's more likely condensation especially if you do loads of short journeys and no long ones.

A pothole hit hard enough to puncture a tyre and bend a wheel would give a bang big enough for you to know exactly where it is. If the tyre stayed up long enough to get you home would certainly have pumped up had you not driven on it. The main tyre damage would have been while driving flat, and I suspect the wheel damage too. A flat tyre will leave the rim so close to the tarmac that a small stone or a drain cover could impact and damage. Seems very unfair to blame a council for something that probably isn't their fault, more likely a nail in the tyre.

As a bump for more opinions, I'll just recap. Looks like very little interest in a dash replacement option. I'm surprised as this had the potential of a really good looking, very functional system, definately a WOW factor at a reasonable price. With current interest levels, this looks like a dead duck. Looking at the other options, it looks like there's potential for a separate display / warning / logging system which can be mounted in the centre console, dash top or on top of the steering console. Currently some debate about size & shape - din standard to fit spare stereo hole is one option, but that's too big for steering column. Display size & readability is also very important. I'm curently looking at doing a PCB / display combination that can fit a stereo size din case and a smaller case so the customer can specify when ordering which size is wanted. I'm also looking at whether I can get the electronics for the whole thing in a shallow box without going surface mount (not efficient for quantities less than 500), if not I'll consider doing a separate display unit connecting via canbus - this may be a product in it's own right as an OBD driven display which is built in the car rather than via a phone. Currently looking at 12 analogue inputs (maybe 4 of them thermocouple for EGT), at least 2 digital inputs (RPM,speed), supply voltage built in, built in 3 axis G sensor, CAN bus (hopefully obd2), RS232. For anyone interested in the discussion on the DC (I think you can view without registering): http://www.gt4dc.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=6240

I have run torque (not pro so far) on my clio with bluetooth / htc phone and agree it takes some beating as an 'add-on dash' system. I would say there's no real market for Gen 7 / other modern cars for an add-on / side box for engine monitoring / performance measuring. i would personally not consider removing the OEM dashboard and replace with an item that relies on operation of a nearby mobile phone / bluetooth. It should be self contained so any driver can get in, having been robbed of all their posessions, and drive the car with full readout of speed, distance etc. I believe this is also a legal requirement. From discussions here & on the DC so far, it looks likely that the first offering will be a generic monitor / display / warning in a din case designed to fit in a roughly stereo size hole. Many people remove the standard double din stereo and relace with an aftermarket single one and are looking for something to fill the hole anyway. This can be on the market within a couple of months as most of the work is already done. I'll continue to look at the feasability of the original idea of a replacement dash, as I think it should appeal to many who want something a bit modern & flashy.

Which version / what features would be of interest ? i.e. replacement dash, OBD box, din case engine monitor ?

And another suggestion, is a din sized unit to go in the centre console to provide more of an engine monitor / warning system. I've been running a similar system in my 185 for about 5 years which is an adaptation of a standard product I manufacture for other applications so not DIN sized. It would be easy to re-develop / re-package into a DIN size box with custom interfaces for automotive sensors. http://www.cdd.co.uk/monitor.htm http://www.javelinir...DSM_monitor.htm Would people be interested in this idea ? Likely cost would be about £250 - £300 and could be on the market fairly quickly as there's already a working and thoroughly tested prototype

Another suggestion that's been made on another forum is to just produce a box of tricks to give OBD2 output for the older gen's by splicing into the sensors on the car. This will then allow the user to run a cheap bluetooth adaptor & torque or a similar app. and avoid any potential legal issues with removing the standard odometer.

I probably wouldn't do a gen. specific version for the older ones unless there was enough interest, as each version of the PCB is subject to a tooling charge and minimum quantity to be viable. (1 costs as much as 10). If the earlier gen's are similar enough size & shape to a later one, it may be possible to accomodate them at the time of laying out the PCB for a later gen. I haven't looked at this side of it yet as it may be possible to accomodate all gen's in one PCB version. The most expensive part is going to be the display, and probably the front panel graphics. I'm largely waiting to see what sort of comments I get on here as to whether I aim for cheap & cheerful or go a bit upmarket - i.e. are people prepared to pay a bit more for a larger display, extra side displays to avoid the main display getting too cluttered, nice looking graphics.

Along those lines, but I'm not looking at touch screen as, firstly it will be behind the stock glass (plastic) front, secondly it will be behind the steering wheel so not very safe to stick hands through the wheel to operate, thirdly touch screen and motion don't go together very well unless you make the buttons very big. It's also going to be plug & play so anyone who can undo a dozen screws can fit it themselves.

Following a discussion at a DC curry meet recently, I'm looking at the feasability of developing a digital dash as a replacement for the standard instrument cluster. (I'm an electronic/software design engineer) The prime advantage as I see it is that it will monitor the engine sensors and provide a warning if anything goes wrong. The saves the driver from constantly monitoring gauges, or more likely it will wake the driver from autopilot as soon as something starts going wrong rather than when the engine starts coughing and spluttering making the driver look down to see what's just caused the destruction. It will also be able to take additional sensors to provide extra warnings. e.g. for us turbo users, we can fit a wideband sensor and program it to warn us if it goes weak on boost. Proposed spec: Mechanical: it will srew on the back of the existing trim in place of the standard circuit board / dial background. One colour graphic LCD display (probably widescreen) as big as will fit. Maybe one or 2 small displays filling in the wasted space for extra info display, possibly large size text only. Trim front over the display(s) to make it look good, possibly supplied by Mook. It will have OEM connectors so will be direct plug & play on all existing sensors. Extra connector or 2 for additional sensors. Extra connector(s) for canbus / obd2 / usb to link to PC for configuration / logging. There will be versions available for each car covered (probably be gen 6 & gen 7, depending on interest) Functional spec. Graphical dials on the main screen for speed / tacho, plus inset text for accurate readout. Poosibly one or 2 extra small dials for other display, e.g. temperature, boost, fuel. (user configurable setup so all required information is dispayed). Text display on the small screens for less critical information / and or alarm / warning / error display. The system will monitor all inputs against configurable limits and provide an alarm if something goes out of limits, this will include the ability to gate several inputs together to avoid false alarms (e.g. ignore low voltage below 1500 RPM) Several levels of alarm selectable (from non urgent which will just be a text alart, to critical (e.g. low oil pressure) which can provide audible alert and flash the screen. Relay output for critical alarm which can be used to cut ignition or just for a big dash top lamp. Display will automatically switch to show an input in 'alarm state' so the driver can monitor it. May include a G sensor to allow horsepower calculation. It may include a logging facility, maybe storing just alarm information, maybe allow storage of full logging data for short periods for download to a laptop. Price. Finger in air, probably looking at £300 - £500 (likely upper end of this range) What are peoples thoughts ? Any ideas for extra functions ? which functions would be of interest to you ? I know there are other 'off-the-shelf' systems out there for digital dashes, but I'm not aware of anything that's plug & play to exactly fit in place of the standard dials and look like it's meant to be there. If you post, please let me know which version celica you have. I'm expecting most interest from the Gen 7 folks, in which case I'd need a guinea pig in the Central South.

Agree, novices are likely to do unexpected things or lose control. Also much less likely to be able to avoid you if you get all crossed up. Much safer to have mostly experienced plus the odd novice.

I wouldn't reccomend Castle Coombe for novices, other than to do 'fast parade laps' and enjoy the experience of being on a circuit. The is very little distance between the edge of the black stuff and the tyres / armco. If you want to push the car to the limits and learn, I would reccomend an airfield trackday. If (when) you overcook it you'll just slide out past the cones onto more black stuff (or white stuff) Another (cheaper) and very worthwhile learning experience is to do autosolos or 'more open' autotests suitable for larger cars (traditional autotests are very small & tight normally). Entry fees typically £30 or less plus annual membership of an MSA club (normally £15-£20), no special equipment needed, not even a helmet.

I would advise going on track at Rallyday instead. Similar cost, better class of driver on the whole. Much more interesting show too.

140K isn't a huge milage for a big engined car. I know one GT4 that's done 250K, and it hasn't been grannied about. I'm even up past 180K on my small engined clio and it was thrashed (by me) for the first 140K miles, including being 'run in' down the autobahns at over 100 If the worst comes to the worst and the engine lets go, a secondhand engine doesn't cost a fortune. IMO it's the bodywork that should determine when it's time to break.

Head gasket is very rare on a 205. If the car's not going out on the road I'd hazzard a guess the exhaust is full of water which boils off as steam. The other thing that causes white-ish smoke is turbo oil seals on the exhaust side. Does the smoke smell of oil ? or rich mixture ? or steam ? I wouldn't start pulling it to bits until you've at least done the rad and started driving it to see if symptoms persist. It's quite common for GT4's to issue clouds of white or grey smoke when started cold and left idling for long periods.

Does the starter just click, or does it turn but very slow ? Do the dash lights go very dim when trying to start, or do they stay bright ? If they go very dim then battery voltage is dropping badly so bad battery or jammed motor (as below) Alternators are able to supply far more current than headlights draw. They will not stop it charging. A few possibilities: Contacts on starter solenoid worn so it needs a good kick to make contact and turn starter. A battery that's stood is normally about 12 - 12.5V a running engine is about 14 so jump leads will give it a little extra. Starter motor has a worn bearing causing motor to rub on stator when side load applied, thereby drawing more current. Battery is indeed knackered, although it's very rare that they are unable to re-start a car immediately after switching off. Out of interest, did your battery work in Daves car ? Another possibility is a poor connection on power lead from battery to starter or especially earth lead from battery to engine. If you connected the jump lead - to engine rather than battery would have made all the difference.

Any chance of the vid pretty please ?

If you've already driven on the tyre flat, it'll be shot. If you can get air to stay in for 2 mins, you've got nothing to worry about. If it's flat, youll probably get away with a mile or 2 as long as you don't hit any potholes or big stones, and as long as the tyre stays between rim & road. If you hear any metalic scraping noise, that'll be the rim on the tarmac which will scuff it in no time.