loks

After 11 years of having Supra's sitting on my driveway I have finally bitten the bullet and moved on to a more practical family car. It is a sad feeling not seeing the Supra on a daily basis. It has only been 18 days now but I have already looked started looking at the Supras classifieds both here (Hong Kong) and on Japanese sites just don't tell my missus... Good news is the buyer of my old Supra plans to do a full restoration as a pet project - which i hope to keep an eye on. Odd thing is this guy is a Mercedes nut. Another odd thing is now when I'm out driving the Mercedes and do adventure into the outside lane - I do feel the need to stay there! Uncanny.

Actually had the filter cleaned by the aircon guy last time but seems not to have helped much. In with another mechanic now (3rd one!), who I'm assured knows his Jap cars... I won't hold my breath but will cross my fingers. Got to have faith.

Well... had an aircon specialist have a look at the compressor this weekend and apparently it is in good working order and doesn't need replacing (i.e. no play, etc.). However he did comment that there was far too much oil in it. So drained it, replaced with the correct Toyota R134 oil and regassed. Everything seemed hunky dory until Sunday morning, when I went for a run from cold and the problem reared it's ugly head again. It remained the same even after the car had warmed up fully. Mechanically we seemed to done everything by the book now - where would I start looking for a possible electrical problem, as nothing is coming up on the fault codes? Help, I'm drowning.

Will let you know about the stiffness after this weekend. I guess both replacement units were on the car a couple of weeks (month+?) before I noticed the problem had come back again. Unfortunately I do not have the old units and my mechanic does not have them either anymore. Got the mail and service manual. Thanks. After leafing through all the 111 pages I also have a new thought that the problem could be part electrical? Shoot me down in flames but after reading through this repair manual and checking the troubleshoot guide page. There is an interesting line there: "No engine idle up when the A/C switch ON" and it points to possible problem with either the A/C amplifier or a wiring/wiring connection issue. Now if this idle up is not happening correctly (if at all as I can't recall it happening now), could this feedback into the system and cause the hesitation/overload of pump. Therefore engine notices this and either hits a safe mode or cuts the engine? I can understand this happening when stopped at the lights and does actually cause cut out when the A/C kicks in BUT does not explain when you are driving and happening when under slight load at slow speed - does it still need this idle up function to operate propoerly at this time? Next question is - where do I find this A/C amplifier to test it? It is not given on the repair manual anywhere and I have searched as much as I can whilst at work. As I say above, shoot me down if I'm barking up the wrong tree. I can be a numpty when it comes to these sort of things sometimes. Previous A/C pump I had shipped was from Keron (UK) and I quite confident that he shipped me a decent condition one. However with the feedback I feel that other factors may have contributed to its demise (or not as the case may be!) - see below. It is not for the Aristo, as that little baby left me some time ago - it is for my old Supra. Meanwhile on another thread, far far away... the Aristo suffered a similar "death" of the gearbox which in the end, turned out to be an electrical problem, by the new owner. That really is a biggy for me as i have no idea whether my mechanic has the savvy to do this AND "at the moment" top of my list for the possible failure reasons. I also have trouble asking him with my poor broken cantonese. He does not speak English and just smiles when I hand over the cash. Excellent. What sort of condition is it in? PM me please if you do not wish to put the price of it up here. I have already had one shipped from the UK before, so I have a good idea the of shipping cost to HK.

Not really thought of this option to be honest. I have no idea if such a service is actually available locally here. Will have a look around. Out of interest, where in the states did you source this option (E-Bay?) - was it from a supplier or an individual enthuiast? I am quite reluctant to spend any more money on this part until I am 100% sure that it is the solution to my existing problem. Besides paying for a new pump that is probably equal to half the value of the car in it's current condition, would not go down too well with missus

Bump - anyone? I don't want to fork out HK$16k (GBP1,400) for a new aircon pump and find out that it could be an external force that is the real reason why the 3x pumps have already failed on me recently! Thanks.

Can anyone post the inner workings of the aircon pump set up? My car seems to be eating AC pumps as of late or I have just been really unlucky with 2x secondhand replacements? Is there anyway of getting oil stavation or somthing that could seize them up? The condition I get is that under load when moving with the AC on, the car will seem to "seize up", no power but engine still running, the warning light will come and the engine will either cut out or burst back into life! If I turn off the A/C button all is well and no problem. Thanks for any advise here, as my 2 mechanics here have been unable to help me with the problem. Having no aircon in Hong Kong is not an option. Cheers.

Some more infor from Mr T... maybe of help to some? http://www.toyota.com/toyota-owners-online-theme/pdf/Batteries2011-LowRes.pdf

Sorry to bring back from the dead but at last I found some information from Mr T that may make some sense regards an NA battery... especially for me as everything runs off the JIS code labelling. http://www.toyota.com/toyota-owners-online-theme/pdf/Batteries2011-LowRes.pdf Hope it can help someone else here too?

Just as a follow up guys, Ian C was bang on, it was a electrical wiring issue and the new owner replaced all the wiring basically. Problem solved - albeit a tad expensive at GBP2k!

Thanks guys, thats great. I shall pass on the advice to the new owner and hopefully feedback how he gets on.

Sorry to resurrect this old thread but the old problem, went away, came back with avengence and now, although the car is with a new owner, it has thrown up another question for you kind techies. Long story short, I had a problem with the autobox with it being reluctant to change up through the gears. Did all the stuff recommended, checked fluid and even changed it but mechanic told me it needed a new box. Decided to sell the car for spares but the buyer was a real enthusiast and decided to change the box for a new secondhand one, it did not fix the problem. So he decided to try another autobox just in case but still the problem remains. What else could possibly stop your gearbox from changing up through the gears apart from the gearbox itself? Anyone know how to check the gearbox ECU? Thanks for any help all.

Sorry to ressurrect this thread but I have the same "underheating" issue since getting my car back on the road. It now takes an eternity (5-10mins?)to heat up to the normal temperature reading on the gauge (around 30-40% up) and usually it stays quite stable. However today I did a longer run on the highway and during that higher speed run the gauge actually dropped to around 10% on the gauge :-() and I got a little concerned. As this is HK I was soon back in traffic and the reading went back up again to normal. I have invested in a new Toyota thermostat, seal and even radiator cap in an attempt to fit at the weekend. My question to the original poster - did fitting a new thermostat rectify the issue completely?

Don't have a volt meter at home but plan to pick one up at the weekend to double check the voltage. @Dude. Had a gander around the alternator for any loose wires but could see/find any. New issue - since I have got it back on the road I have noticed that it takes an awfully long time for the temperature gauge to start moving and get to the normal position. A lot longer than it used to anyway. I am guessing that this would be a thermostat issue and would the best option be just to fit a new one? Is it a simple job that I could handle with my trusty lump hammer?

As previously all those warning lights did point to the alternator being shagged. Replaced with a second hand one and all is well in the world again. Great result at the weekend also, after the 2 year lay off I was expecting a few things to be an issue BUT it flew through the MOT and the only thing they picked up was the windscreen wipers. It feels real good driving the Supra again, such a good drivers car. However with an up there is always a down, it looks like the Aristo is destined for the knackers yard - gearbox is now totally shagged, front suspension issues and the long term electrical gremlins. It is not worth what needs spending on it. Sad but one of the 17 year old girls have to go Besides I need a younger model (read more practical) for the missus to drive.

Sorry but I'm old school... 1. Young ones 2. Blackadder 3. Fawlty towers 4. Only fools and horses 5. Men behaving badly I can watch these time and again, they still give me a chortle.

Look forward to seeing it in the flesh Nic.... ;-)

The oil level was OK both cold and when it reached full temperature. Will give the car a good old service once it it is running properly. I remember a quote from a supervisor from my old appreticeship days (30+ year ago!) - "To sort it out give it a clout!". Will try this one myself as I believe I'm over qualified. As for taking it to bits, I'd rather not. No idea mate - I half inched the picture from a google image search. Ejector seat for particulary loud and offensive wives? Of the five icons there, not the seatbelt or open door warning. The space invader, toaster and rear flames alert? http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg408/scaled.php?server=408&filename=img0439l.jpg&res=medium I have just read somewhere else on another thread here, that if the battery warning light were to come on for an electrical/charging issue, the other two would also light up, as they are wired together for some odd reason.

The earliest I can get you a picture of mine is at the weekend but here is one off the net... http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg135/scaled.php?server=135&filename=interior0039dh.jpg&res=medium Funny thing is I found my old thread about the alternator packing up and the relevant warning lights leading to it killing the battery are exactly the same as I have now 9 years ago now.... http://www.mkivsupra.net/vbb/showthread.php?8201-hmmm-warning-lights I guess that the alternator has given up working properly after the long lay off. Anyone have any tricks/suggestions to kick starting these (i.e. an odd drop of oil or grease into the unit at a specific location) or is it just a case of replacing the whole unit? Is it an easy job to replace an alternator yourself?

Hi Nic, I think it is the orange one... it is the one with the fire under an oil can and the far right one. Things... same old, same old... still in China daily and a son that is growing up faster than I like. Hope things are good in your world too? Need that pint.

I wasn't actually running the car with the oil cap off, I was just checking the state of gunge on the underside of the cap. That is when I noticed the bubbling type of noise. I may have to start another thread on the gearbox issue. That problem is getting worse.

I can but try. Been thinking about this diagnostic thing... does the car need to travel a certain distance, get to certain revs before it can diagnose anything? I only had the car idling up to working temperature, light reving, a little backward and forwards in the garden to warm up the auto box.

After having a few issues with the Aristo I have decided to get the Supra back on the road at last. Long story short, the Supra was taken off the axles stands after 1.5 years () of storage and a new battery fitted. Oil, water, etc were checked over - fingers crossed and turned the key. Fired up on first attempt, I was happy after all this time! BUT... the MIL remained lit up and the 3x lights on the left bank remained on and the cooking oil can light on the right hand side remained on also. Note that the engine warning light did not remain on at this stage Anyone else had this after starting the car after such a long lay off? I have had something similar to this in the past that turned out to be the alternator (which was replaced). However at that time the car almost died immediately as the battery was already dead. This time however, the car was still running perfectly and continued to until it had warmed up completely. At this time I turned it off to be safe. I fired it up several times after this and the warning lights still remained on. I tried the diagnostic check and the engine warning light flashed constantly to show no error codes. Is this because it is a really cold start (new battery connected) and no opportunity to register any error codes? Where to start looking for the possible problem as I guess that it is not safe to drive for any distance with the warning lights aglow Thanks for any help.

Thanks for the reassurance and things seem to be OK with the engine BUT on a slightly different note my gearbox is resisting to change up now. I guess the 2 problems are not related?

Phew, thx for that reassurance Dnk, I have been doing this to all my cars since longer than I can remember.... and that is quite a long time. Wish I understood more about cars than I actually do.