Refreshing my 04 chilli red.

Nordoff · February 21, 2021, 11:17

I put up a few pictures in the introduce yourself section about 3 weeks back when I got the car. First chance to start changing some of the bits I've accumulated in the weeks in-between.

Hopefully I've reattached them to this thread.

What I'm ready for now is do the rocker gasket, oil and filter change, air filter, pcv valve, that o ring for the sensor that always leaks and polish the headlights.

Today is air filter and rocker gasket while I recharge the battery.

Nordoff · February 21, 2021, 11:21

Air filter went smoothly.

Serious evidence that the rocker gasket had gone.

I can see 3 points where sealant was used on the gasket, checking guides and youtubes before I finish removing it, every bolt associated is loose and the coil packs are out.

Joesson · February 21, 2021, 12:00

The headlight is looking good.

There' s always something to do on a 2
Sometimes it costs money
To make it run like honey
But sometimes elbow grease will do!

Nordoff · February 21, 2021, 12:09

The other headlight is a yellow fellow but I have a kit for that and 1 thing at a time.

If there is time left after this I'm breaking out the clay bar.

Looks a bit greasy under the rocker gasket so I'll use some cleaner additives when I change the oil.

Carolyn · February 21, 2021, 12:25

The O ring (for the timing chain tensioner, is a classic fail. The Toyota one is useless.

Send me your address and I'll send you one that WILL do the job. No charge. Courtesy of the club!

There's a 'How to' on the chain tensioner- worth reading before your do the job.

Nordoff · February 21, 2021, 14:37

Thank you for the offer, before you do could you tell me if the one I bought is correct? Some guy doing it on YouTube showed the tech details of one he bought and I went off that. I have attached the o ring details in the first pic.

While I was in there I had a look at the plugs and honestly have no idea how it was starting. The 2nd picture is old nkg ve new denso sparkplugs.

Nordoff · February 21, 2021, 14:44

Few more pictures on the rocker gasket change then I'm done for the day.

That plate inside the rocker cover is razor sharp on the cam chain side. Only found out while cleaning inside the cover while it was off.

Carolyn · February 21, 2021, 14:45

Yes - that's the right one. I figured this out some years back - now it seems it's 'common knowledge'.

paulj · February 21, 2021, 14:45

Well done for getting on with the oily things. We always say a service is worth the effort as previous owners might not have been as diligent as you would like.

The only other things to recommend are checking the tyres and pressures. Correct pressures help immensely and a matching set of tyres also helps.

.....and have a look at the rear subframe. they start rusting where the exhaust pipe passes close by.

Joesson · February 21, 2021, 15:32

Quote from: paulj on February 21, 2021, 14:45Well done for getting on with the oily things. We always say a service is worth the effort as previous owners might not have been as diligent as you would like.

The only other things to recommend are checking the tyres and pressures. Correct pressures help immensely and a matching set of tyres also helps.

.....and have a look at the rear subframe. they start rusting where the exhaust pipe passes close by.

Which probably links in nicely with what's going on in this thread:

https://www.mr2roc.org/forum/index.php?topic=69925.msg845690#msg845690

Nordoff · February 21, 2021, 16:01

Quote from: paulj on February 21, 2021, 14:45Well done for getting on with the oily things. We always say a service is worth the effort as previous owners might not have been as diligent as you would like.

The only other things to recommend are checking the tyres and pressures. Correct pressures help immensely and a matching set of tyres also helps.

.....and have a look at the rear subframe. they start rusting where the exhaust pipe passes close by.

I do want to get the underbody plastics off and have a good shuffle about when I do the oil change but I'm not doing anything else until I have done the basic engine refresh jobs. oil/filter and o ring should do for next weekend.

I noticed the paint badly peeled off/surface rust on the bars going to the hubs from the subframe and on the arb so there will either be some replacing or sandblasting and then powder coating in the future for them. If the subframe is bad I'll probably take it work, cut some patches on the laser and weld them in.

Iain · February 21, 2021, 16:18

That spark plug 😳

GRiches · February 21, 2021, 16:28

Quote from: Carolyn on February 21, 2021, 12:25The O ring (for the timing chain tensioner, is a classic fail. The Toyota one is useless.

Send me your address and I'll send you one that WILL do the job. No charge. Courtesy of the club!

There's a 'How to' on the chain tensioner- worth reading before your do the job.

Hey there Carolyn is this a common problem area then? I am still learning about the car and its loves and its problems.

Carolyn · February 21, 2021, 16:38

Quote from: GRiches on February 21, 2021, 16:28
Quote from: Carolyn on February 21, 2021, 12:25The O ring (for the timing chain tensioner, is a classic fail. The Toyota one is useless.

Send me your address and I'll send you one that WILL do the job. No charge. Courtesy of the club!

There's a 'How to' on the chain tensioner- worth reading before your do the job.

Hey there Carolyn is this a common problem area then? I am still learning about the car and its loves and its problems.

Yes. Possibly the most common one.

GRiches · February 22, 2021, 08:27

oh blimey ok - is it possible to order one from you please?

Carolyn · February 22, 2021, 09:02

Quote from: GRiches on February 22, 2021, 08:27oh blimey ok - is it possible to order one from you please?

PM me name and address and I'll pop one in the post. It's not a dire issue - just oily mess all over the engine.

GRiches · February 22, 2021, 10:03

Ok will do that now

Thank you

paulj · February 22, 2021, 10:25

@GRiches might be worth replacing the tensioner at the same time. You have to remove the old one to swap the o ring so the job isnt much more to refresh the whole thing.

GRiches · February 22, 2021, 12:02

I will look at that too then

Any recommendations on what part to use and from what seller? Or should I try and get one from Toyota?

paulj · February 22, 2021, 20:46

TCB car parts will do you a genuine Toyota one for £30 plus vat according to their website. They are also listed as an affiliate here

Nordoff · March 21, 2021, 14:15

Been busy with other things for a few weeks. Headlight day today.

I used a halfords headlight restoration kit. I'm terrible at remembering before pictures so......

Nordoff · March 21, 2021, 14:23

Doing the lights I found some more problems. The simple one was the foglights.

Pic shows how bad they were, junk basically. £20 on ebay solved that, they're due next week.

The worst problem was some rust on the panel that supports the radiator and the nearby brackets.

I'm thinking 2 possibilities.
1 Wirewheel it, coat it in an acid we have too much of at work then clean up, prime then paint.
2 drill out spot welds, buy a replacement panel if that's possible then puddle weld the new one in using previous location and some copper backing plates.
3 drill out spot welds, measure the shit out of it and see if I can knock something similar up on the laser at work. I'm not keen on 3 because I promised myself this is a refresh not full restoration.

I'm open to all experiences and opinions on this one.

The brackets supporting the radiator will be shot blasted and painted.

SV-3 · March 21, 2021, 14:41

How did you remove the foglights?

Nordoff · March 21, 2021, 17:00

The fog light was easy with the bumper off.

The white sides of the foglight sit in a hole on one side and a slot on the other, use a screw driver to pull the slot out and push the foglight forwards. Then push the black plastic tabs in on the adjuster and the foglight is free.

I've added a picture to show what I mean. You can see the red slot I pulled out and the foglight inside it. You can also see the black plastic where the adjuster is just sitting inside the hole where it goes. The fog lights are sides so left only fits left, right only fits right.

Joesson · March 22, 2021, 10:32

Quote from: Nordoff on March 21, 2021, 14:23Doing the lights I found some more problems. The simple one was the foglights.

Pic shows how bad they were, junk basically. £20 on ebay solved that, they're due next week.

The worst problem was some rust on the panel that supports the radiator and the nearby brackets.

I'm thinking 2 possibilities.
1 Wirewheel it, coat it in an acid we have too much of at work then clean up, prime then paint.
2 drill out spot welds, buy a replacement panel if that's possible then puddle weld the new one in using previous location and some copper backing plates.
3 drill out spot welds, measure the poopoo out of it and see if I can knock something similar up on the laser at work. I'm not keen on 3 because I promised myself this is a refresh not full restoration.

I'm open to all experiences and opinions on this one.

The brackets supporting the radiator will be shot blasted and painted.

A sometimes overlooked, neglected area, out of sight much of the time and out of mind.
My procedure was generally as your item 1. Remove components, clean away rust and any flakiness treat and paint. I did the whole section with zinc primer and then satin black from a rattle can.
I don't believe that warrants a new panel.