Charlene the AE102

Latest JayDeeEmm accessory:




Doesn't seem to have memory so if it was running before you turn the car off it doesn't turn back on automatically when you restart (apparently it has some kind of learning function so maybe it just needs time)

mine doesnt turn back on automatically either. actually i dont think its supposed to

Yeah from what Scott has told me it is just for determining the fan speed, since there's no dedicated 12V feed the unit can't have memory, just got to remember to turn it on every time I get in the car

Latest mods, and probably final for a long time (not my photos)
 
ZZT231/RS200/IS200 pedals (only installed brake and clutch so far, accelerator requires a tiny bit of work, probably just buy a second pedal arm and do it outside the car)

 
Keylight ring (pictured with additional downlighting, which I don't have)

Had some time to kill after Cara got admitted to hospital so went down to Newcastle Beach and the Ocean Baths to catch some afternoon shadow (makes photos of water sooo much easier when you're not fighting glare)








And some scenic shots whilst I was there too

Nice shots!

Woah, beautiful shots. Cars looking good as usual, but I really love those "scenic" shots!

awesome shots ian

Any clutch experts out there? - what do you do when you have a tonne of pedal freeplay when cold but decreases when warm (still excessive though), but the pushrod/clevis is already adjusted as far as it will go? Fluid level seems fine, can't imagine there being air in the system as it has never been touched, clutch _is_ 380,000km old though...

So after 380,000km, one of the many original factory-fitted components has finally died. The mushiness and butt-load of freeplay in the clutch pedal turned out to be a master cylinder missing most of its seals (yet still not leaking) and filled with more sludge than Hexham Swamp. $300 later, and the difference is night-and-day, with a clutch that disengages within the first 50mm of travel rather than the last 10mm - so much so that it has taken quite a bit of getting used to, with the clutch picking up so high that it feels like you're still in neutral when pulling away.

Still, the clutch isn't slipping under power (what little power there is) and passes the old 4th-gear+handbrake test, so I should be able to coax it to 400,000km before it actually needs attention...

Coming back from Toyotafest, decided to drop by the old abandoned Yoothamurra Kiosk on the way out to Wiseman's Ferry for a couple of happy snaps











And the only one I took of my car at Toyotafest:

Charlie the Chook still remembers coming home from Charlestown Toyota on the backseat of my dad's brand new 1997 Corolla. 16 years on, and whilst he is starting to look a little weathered, he still takes time out to be a champ and hold up my entrant's number whenever I enter Charlene in an event

Latest mods (it's the little things that count ). Photos aren't great because I just grabbed them quickly on my phone


Fuel cap holder - actually came off an ST184 Celica but fits perfectly, didn't have to file off anything either for it to clear the filler neck (Aussie filler necks are different to JDM because we have legislation about neck size to stop people trying to use the old Leaded pumps, not that they exist anymore...)


Old shifter boot (ie stock) replaced by



Shifter actually looks taller/skinnier now . First impression wasn't that great but now that it has had time to rest in the sun and settle it looks a lot better

So now that the Snoarer is a viable daily again thanks to the exhaust work, and the missus is working from home, I took the chance to get the front-end knocking noise finally looked at (it has been there pretty much as long as I've had the car but has gotten worse lately, and has been mis-diagnosed twice in the past as rod ends and then steering rack, both fixed with no improvement). Expecting the diagnosis to be either CVs or balljoints (although how someone could miss those twice in the past I don't know), to say that I was surprised was an understatement when the results came back - gearbox.

For those not in the know, this is the situation:
There is a front-end knocking (not clicking, think the same sort of sound as rapping your knuckles on a window) noise, linked to road speed (say 10Hz @ 20km/h), that only appears when going around a right-hand corner with the right-front wheel unloaded and no throttle (for instance a roundabout). It does not occur if you enter the corner from a standing start (so most T-intersections don't do it), and it goes away instantly if you accelerate.

Not really an expert on FWD differentials so not 100% sure on what it would be (bearing/inner tripod perhaps?). If it was easily fixable that would be great (would prefer not to have to change a whole gearbox now, although it would give me a reason to change my 385,000km clutch), but any extra thoughts/theories before I get it sent to a transmission specialist would be appreciated.

In "classic me" fashion, I finally got around to fixing a problem that has been on-going for probably 2 years minimum....my fuel cap.

So a long long time ago in a galaxy far far away, my fuel cap release stopped working. Judging from my limited knowledge of Bowden cables, it seemed that the cable had stretched (was still attached at both ends but lever travel was insufficent to open the flap, and when closed the fuel-cap end of the cable sat several centimetres past the socket on the flap lever wheel. Because I could still open the fuel cap in a pinch by manually turning this wheel, I put it in the big basket of "I'll fix that one day when I get around to it", and it stayed that way for the better part of 2 years.

Eventually, the Soarer stretched it's bonnet release cable (classic symptom of front driver's side wheel rubbing through the guard splashguard and wiring, price to pay for living the low life), I decided to kill two birds with one stone and order both cables at the same time. A quick consult of my Gregorys manual showed that it should be a simple case of unhooking the cable at both ends, tying a piece of string to one end and then pulling the cable through the car, hooking the new cable onto the string and then reversing the procedure.

Whoever wrote that procedure should be shot.

Not only did the cable refuse to budge when unclipped from each end, I had to pull apart half the interior (boot carpet trim, rear seat base, rear seat side bolsters, both B-pillar covers, both rear door jambs, drivers door jamb, driver's seat belt, driver's seat) only to find that the cable is held in place by 3-prong clips in no less than SIX separate locations. Not even Hercules could have pulled that cable through, and even if he did there would be no chance in hell of getting the new cable to clip in as it was pulled through, thus making the point moot.

So an hour or two of swearing, scuffed knuckles and a front lawn strewn with interior plastics and seats, I got the new cable installed. Re-installed everything, only to find that the new cable still didn't open the flap (checked it for binding, checked it with the cabin lever moulding not screwed back down to the driver's seat mount, it all worked then, but when installed fully it suddenly stopped). In yet another "classic me" moment, I worked out that the old cable had not, in fact, stretched, but that a tiny piece of plastic clip had broken off the lever moulding, which meant that the cabin-end of the cable sheath was not anchored and thus half the lever travel was taken up in straightening the sheath. A quick visit to eBay sourced me a new cabin lever moulding (shared with the boot release), and 5 minutes later in the carpark the new unit was installed, with both fuel cap and boot release cable sheats firmly clipped in and operating smoothly, and for the first time in a long time I can now open the fuel cap without resorting to sticking my arm elbow-deep into the depths of the rear guard to manually turn the lever wheel.

Such a good feeling when you can use things normally after such a long time.
Been there many times before to, replace everything and it still doesn't work only to find what you replaced wasn't the problem in the first place.

Kudos brotha

Perfect condition never-fitted NOS ultra-rare optional Hella grille. Hella cool...

Even comes with all the wiring, just need a new grille emblem. Had to cut part of the air-con fan shroud off though, guess Euro models don't have much need for air-con...

Very cool!   

Hella cool

Looks good man. You're not running the stock muffler with all your exhaust work are you?

XsV wrote:

Looks good man. You're not running the stock muffler with all your exhaust work are you?

Not even close.  Entire exhaust from manifold gasket to tip is aftermarket and bigger/better than stock

This is what it sounds like:

Hi hiro,

Can you help he locate similar or the same exhaust parts. I have a 98 7afe and I cant find anything decent online. Yours sounds amazing and I would really just like to know where u got everything and how much it set you back??

Cheers

Scott Sillitoe wrote:

Hi hiro,

Can you help he locate similar or the same exhaust parts. I have a 98 7afe and I cant find anything decent online. Yours sounds amazing and I would really just like to know where u got everything and how much it set you back??

Cheers

Not sure what brand the extractors or cat are as I got the whole system off a mate who had the same car and was returning it to stock to sell. From memory it's a 2" system from the extractors to the cat and then 2.25" onwards, high-flow cat and hotdog resonator before a Lukey Ultraflow muffler at the end. Any decent exhaust shop should be able to knock you up something similar, the usual suspects (Redback, Genie etc) do extractors for them.

Okay no worries. If I get some of the parts (like the Headers, hi flow cat and muffler) and take them into the exhaust shop, would it be significantly cheaper or should I just let them do it all?

Thanks for the help by the way. Most of the other forums (other corolla ones I mean) with posts this old don't respond or check.

Well, the old girl turned 400 earlier this year, and coming up on her 18th birthday she was really starting to act like most 18 year olds - insolent, lazy, and demanding money all the time. So, I did the maths on what would be needed to get her through the next 12 months to a state where I'd be happy and content with her again, and to say it was a small figure would be lying. In addition, even after all that work I'd still have a 400k+ car at the end of it.

So on and off over the last few months I've been trawling eBay and Gumtree on the faint hope that I could get a donor to swap over all the good bits and keep her spirit alive. Didn't think the odds were that great of scoring exactly what I wanted, since most old people don't need a big-block 1.8L manual to drive down to lawn bowls and the RSL every Saturday. Those that were out there were still in the high 200s, and I knew they would be in worse condition than what I've got at the moment (which is saying something).

To say I was surprised when I stumbled across what has been temporarily named "Charlene Mark II" is putting it lightly. September '98 build (so 11 months newer than Mark I), with an aftermarket towbar, but in every other way identical. Same model (AE102), same trim (Conquest), same colour (OKA Diamond White), exact same options (air-con, remote central locking, power mirrors, no ABS or airbag), one/two owner from new (husband and wife, compared to my dad and then me), even bought from THE SAME FREAKING DEALERSHIP.

Oh, and with only 161,000k on the clock. For those playing at home, that's 240,000k less than what Mark I has. For some cars (not Corollas), that is a lifetime. The price was a little high compared to others on the market, but the condition (excellent, barely a mark on the paint and one tiny dent on the bonnet), history (also excellent), compatability (almost impossible to get better) and mileage meant that I'd be an idiot not to snap it up (plus it had rego until October next year, whereas Charlene Mark I runs out a few days before Christmas).

So I did. And here she is. Only blemishes are some slightly oxidised alloy bits in the engine bay, a torn drivers seat (will be putting the Levin seats in) and a saggy headlining (which I'll replace with my professionally re-trimmed one). As bone stock as they come, still with original Fujistu Ten tape-deck, chrome exhaust tip (yes, Conquests came from the factory with a chrome exhaust tip), original uncracked Toyota headlight protectors, a spare wheel well that is whiter than my old exterior was, and a bottle of the original touch-up paint that was still liquid.

















Plans are to live the stocko life over Christmas, and then take a few days off work in the new year to strip all the goodies off the old girl and have her spirit reborn in the new.

Wow! Excellent find, it was meant to be! It's going to feel good to have a fresh start on a new chassis, and having all the parts for both to keep the best of both cars.