Well, I guess since the maintenance section took way too much space in the N/A Upgrade FAQ, I decided to post up a completely different topic. In this thread I'll post up every single maintenance-type reference I've found on these forums and possibly others, so it's easy to find help instead of looking through tons of threads with the Search Function. This is a thread I've linked to in the N/A Upgrade FAQ so people get the hint that maintenance is key to having a decent/running N/A. The general rule of thumb for me when posting up these references is I'll link you to it if it's not on these forums, and if it's on these forums I'll just put it in a quotation box (unless there's too much information, then I'll just leave it as a clickable link).
Table of Contents:
Post 1 - General References
Post 2 - Engine Break-In Tips/Information
Post 3 - Engine Rebuild Tips/Information
You have no idea how many people skip this stage in an attempt to make their car faster. On a car that is easily over 15 years old, with possibly no idea of what the previous owner did, it's important to make sure the parts work before you modify the car. Modifying the car to make more power on parts that were probably already going to fail is going to cause a huge amount of problems. Here are a few nice quotes for you:
There are tons of sayings which bash MK3 owners (which are similar to those ones above) and the thing is, it's true in most cases. The sad fact is, the problem is the owner, not the car.
Also, Here's some information of the whole Regular vs Plus vs Premium debate (gas).
http://theserviceadvisor.com/octane.htm
Gives good information for stock applications on whether to use regular, plus, premium or whatever. The consensus is just to use 87 octane unless you have advanced your timing, or have done Intake/Headers/Exhaust in which you should use 89 octane, as a member reported that he started hearing a knock after he started running a OBX header on his car with 87 octane. 91 octane is usually completely unnecessary unless you are running really high compression, or highly advanced timing, or something drastic.
Well, there's some much info on this I won't even post it here, and instead, I'll give you a VERY useful link on the common Maintenance Required. Here is also a big list of guides on how to do a lot of things to your car, such as checking codes, etc.
http://mkiiisupra.net/bbs/showthread.php?t=11469
Here is a link to the Toyota Service Repair Manual (TSRM). This has everything you'll need to do the maintenance, provided you look in the right places, etc.
Here's a basic maintenance schedule to follow.
Here's some comments on Rod Knock and such.
Table of Contents:
Post 1 - General References
Post 2 - Engine Break-In Tips/Information
Post 3 - Engine Rebuild Tips/Information
You have no idea how many people skip this stage in an attempt to make their car faster. On a car that is easily over 15 years old, with possibly no idea of what the previous owner did, it's important to make sure the parts work before you modify the car. Modifying the car to make more power on parts that were probably already going to fail is going to cause a huge amount of problems. Here are a few nice quotes for you:
Nick M said:There is very little wrong with this car as intended from the factory. The only thing is all of you that have gotten your hands on them. Those of you in this category know who you are, and those who are not know who you meat heads are.
SupraCentral said:However I still stand by my statement that 99 times out of 100, the weak link in the MKIII is the owner.
There are tons of sayings which bash MK3 owners (which are similar to those ones above) and the thing is, it's true in most cases. The sad fact is, the problem is the owner, not the car.
Also, Here's some information of the whole Regular vs Plus vs Premium debate (gas).
http://theserviceadvisor.com/octane.htm
Gives good information for stock applications on whether to use regular, plus, premium or whatever. The consensus is just to use 87 octane unless you have advanced your timing, or have done Intake/Headers/Exhaust in which you should use 89 octane, as a member reported that he started hearing a knock after he started running a OBX header on his car with 87 octane. 91 octane is usually completely unnecessary unless you are running really high compression, or highly advanced timing, or something drastic.
Well, there's some much info on this I won't even post it here, and instead, I'll give you a VERY useful link on the common Maintenance Required. Here is also a big list of guides on how to do a lot of things to your car, such as checking codes, etc.
http://mkiiisupra.net/bbs/showthread.php?t=11469
Here is a link to the Toyota Service Repair Manual (TSRM). This has everything you'll need to do the maintenance, provided you look in the right places, etc.
Here's a basic maintenance schedule to follow.
Nick M said:As the almighty oil change is constantly a hot topic around here,::dead horse::
here is the maintenance schedule from Toyota. It will be suprising for some. This is from the 91 repair manual. If I had a TSB stating it superscedes the old information, I would give it.
7MGE oil and filter every 12 months
7MGTE oil 5000 miles or 6 months
7MGTE filter 10,000 miles or 12 months
In your oweners manual it would state a different rate for "harsh conditions". The repair manual has defined that for us.
- Towing a trailer, camper, or with a pickup topper
- Repeated short trips less than 5 miles below FREEZING
- Extensive idiling or low speed driving for long distances
- Dusty, rough, muddy, or salty roads
Except for the expected contamination from the last item, the others are due to excessive blowby created in those conditions. Boosting is not listed, as the engine is very hot, and you are in and out of load, unlike pulling a trailer, which we don't do anyway. When the engine heats up, the addititves put in at the refinery work to keep the oil clean and free of varnish and acid.
If you are doing this, the schedule changes to,
7MGE 6 months oil and fitler
7MGTE 2500 miles oil
7MGTE 5000 miles filter.
edit: now go read jetjock, adjuster, and jdub's oil and filter quality threads
Here's some comments on Rod Knock and such.
Supracentral said:General Rod Knock Info:
Diagnosing Engine Noises can be the most difficult thing a mechanic can do. Misdiagnosis is the norm rather than the exception.
I almost laugh when people open up and say it's a "rod knock" for every noise from fuel pump rattle to rocker arm tap.
My personal favorite was a customer of mine who insisted he had a rod knock when in fact a bulge in one of his tires was hitting a shock absorber.
You might not have enough money to send your kid to college after you spend it fixing an audio illusion. On the other hand you may spend dozens of hours and hundreds of dollars replacing parts in an engine that is truly shot.
First thing you need to do is spend 20 bucks for a cheap stethoscope at the auto parts store or if you are going to do this a lot get the electronic ones from Steelman for about $120.
But, possessing human nature, you will convince yourself that a hose stuck in your uneducated ear will do just as well. No sense in arguing with you that the whole idea is to be able to discern infinitesimal changes in direction and intensity that require the use of two somewhat experienced ears AND the right tools.
So stick your dumb ol' hose in your stupid ol' ear and we'll start with some clues.
Remember that diagnosis of engine noises is nothing more than splitting possibilities down to only one
First off, eliminate all of the accessories like the alternator, power steering pump, A. C. compressor and vacuum pump by removing the belts one at a time. If the noise is gone, of course the problem is a belt driven accessory. If the naughty noise is still there you should be able to hear it more clearly by not having the accessories whirring away.
If the engine has a carburetor instead of fuel injection it probably has a mechanical fuel pump mounted to the engine. Before the engine gets too hot, put your hand on it. If it is making a noise you should be able to feel it.
Try to track the noise down with the stethoscope tip or the end of the hose suckered onto the engine surface, sealing the end. Spend a full ten minutes putting the hose all over the engine, not just where it is loudest. Try to envision the parts moving inside the engine. You are training your ear, not just listening, so don't get in a big rush except to be sure that the engine doesn't overheat. A trained ear can tell you which piston is slapping or which rocker arm is clacking from outside the engine so if you come out from under the car proudly saying, "it's the bottom end" get your dumb-ass back under there until you can tell me it's coming from the oil pump or the 3rd piston back on the driver's side or the flywheel or the camshaft.
Rod knocks are loudest at higher speeds (over 2500 RPM) Feathering the gas pedal may result in a distinctive back rattle between 2500 and 3500 RPMs.
Bad rod knocks may double knock if enough rod bearing material has been worn away allowing the piston to whack the cylinder head in addition to the big end of the connecting rod banging on the crankshaft rod journal. It will sound like a hard metallic knock (rod) with an alternating and somewhat muffled aluminum (piston) klock sound.
Wrist pin knock in modern engines is very rare today but is a favorite for the misdiagnosticians.
Determining which cylinder contains the noisy parts may be aided by shorting out the plug wires one by one with a common low voltage test light. Now you won't get the bulb to light up but it is a convenient way to short the cylinders without getting zapped or damaging the ignition coil.
Attach the alligator clip to a convenient ground, away from fuel system components, and pierce the wire boots at the coilpack or distributor end of the wire.
If the noise is changed when the plug wire is shorted to ground, you can figure that the problem is in the reciprocating bottom end parts. (piston, wrist pin, connecting rod or connecting rod bearing)
The reason the sound changes is that when you short the cylinder plug wire you are stopping the combustion chamber explosions that are slamming the piston downward making the inside of the big end of the connecting rod bang against it's connecting rod journal. Or in the case of piston slap, no explosion changes how the piston is shoved hard sideways against the cylinder wall.
If you get a change in the sound when you short a cylinder out it may become moot as to what the problem is because the oil pan and cylinder head must be removed to correct the problem.
[Generally speaking, an engine with damage to reciprocating parts (pistons, rings, connecting rods, wrist pins or rod bearings) and more than 70 thousand miles is not cost effective or risk free enough to attempt to repair. Replacing a crankshaft, for example while the rest of the engine has 70k perfectly maintained miles on it is risky enough but whatever killed the crank has scored the rings and packed the lifters with debris and smoked the piston pin bosses etc. You need to find out why things went bad to start with. Engines don't just fail. There are reasons for the failures.]
If the sound doesn't change, look at parts other than the reciprocating ones. In many cases of rod-knock or piston slap, more than one is banging so even if you eliminate the noise from one rod the other one will still be a-banging away with a different, more singular tone.
Commentary on rod knock after a HG swap
I've seen dozens, no probably HUNDREDS of cars develop rod knock after a head gasket repair.
The common (incorrect) assumption is that the new head gasket provided higher compression and the additional force on the worn out old bearings cause a failure. In a word, bullshit.
What the real cause is, 99.9999% of the time is coolant in the oil. Now before you go and discount this, understand a few things:
Many tests have shown that as little as 0.04% (400 PPM) water in lubricating oil can cut the fatigue life of bearings by as much as 48%.
Moisture is generally referred to as a chemical contaminant when suspended in lubricating oils. Its destructive effects in bearing applications can reach or exceed that of particle contamination, depending on various conditions.
Water may cling to metal surfaces or even form a thin film around solid contaminants such as silica particles. But by far the most damage is done when 'etching' occurs.
Water etching is a common type of corrosion occurring on bearing surfaces and their raceways. This corrosion is caused primarily by the generation of hydrogen sulfide and sulfuric acid from water-induced lubricant degradation. Yes, you read that right water (and anti-freeze) when mixed with oil and heated inside an engine combine to form acid. This eats away the soft surfaces of your bearings in no time.
(Ever notice that a Supra with a BHG for any length of time will have rust in the coolant? - Guess what - the coolant has become acidic by mixing with the exhaust gasses that are getting into the water jacket!)
Remeber your bearings are never supposed to "touch" anything but oil. The bearings ride on a very thin layer of oil. Once there is some etching, the oil pressure drops (since the etching has provided the oil with a place to go other than where it is supposed to be) and eventually the bearing touches the rotating surface. After that it's all over.
Did you do your head gasket replacement with the motor out of the car? Did you drain 100% of the coolant from the motor before you removed the head? Did you pull the oil pan while changing the gasket? If your answer to any or all of these is no, I'll bet coolant contamination in the oil was the culprit.