JamesArup

Thanks Scooter, Yeah ... AB Flug has horizontal intakes, but it has a couple of them + one intake for the the air filter. I've attached a better pic of mine that shows it. I think if I was going to fit some sort of channel to deal with the water, then it would be something permanent (looking forward to my eventual return to England), as opposed to a temporary solution. But .... the plugs that are affected the worst are 1 & 2 (or whichever the ones closest to the firewall are), which aren't actually under any of the bonnet intakes. If it was just water entering via those, it should be the plugs closest to the front of the car that are affected I would have thought. I'll see if I can figure out some kind of water-channeling system though, as I can't imagine the bonnet vents help with the water intake either way! Cheers!

Hey guys, It's been a while! Been running into a recurring problem though and wanted to see if anyone here has any ideas. I'm currently living abroad, but the Supra is still here in the UK (had it for 14 years now!) and spends most of it's time parked up under a heavy-duty weatherproof cover, with the battery removed. I usually come home 3-4 times a year to take it for a spin and blow the cobwebs off, and she mostly runs like a dream! However, if the cover is off for any period of time (1-2 weeks +), then it seems an almost certainty that water will get into the engine, and down inside the spark plug wells. This will cause the car to run on 5-cylinders, sometimes less. I've started putting an old towel over the engine when I'm not here, but the car still gets moved around occasionally, and that's when the water gets in. Usually, I take the coil packs off, blast the water out with the compressor, clean up the plugs, and everything works. But quite a few times it seems that one or more of the plugs has died and I need to replace them. I've been through about 3 full sets of plugs now, none of which has seen more than 500 miles I reckon! Are there any other solutions out there that might work in my situation? Is there any way to prevent the water getting in there. Maybe I need some spark plugs that are a bit more resistant to rare-use - currently using some NGK Iridium plugs I believe! Last dyno-run I did, the car was a shade under 520bhp, so I think the plugs need to handle that! The bonnet does have vents in it (AB Flug), which is where I guess the water is getting in. Attached a pic of today's cleanup operation if there's anything worth looking at in there which might help Any help or ideas would be great! Cheers, James

Cool .. thanks guys, it's good to know that there are still options out there. I am not in the UK at the moment, but I wanted to try and organise something for my next trip back, just to make sure everything checks out. The car spends most of it's time under covers right now, so I don't want her to start rotting away TDI aren't miles away, but it's still on the opposite side of London to me, at least 2 hours I reckon. Does anyone do what Ryan used to do, and come out to you (for a fee of course) where they will map it on a local rolling road (in my case Surrey Rolling Road). Krister - that sounds interesting . I don't think I would ever want to mess around with it myself, but it would be good to have the software 'just in case' for the future! Thanks again, Cheers.

Hi guys, I just wanted to check to see if anyone still maps the HKS F-Con Pro V units these days? I know they are a very good ECU, but also I know they needed some specific HKS-sanctioned software to be able to map them. It wasn't that easy to find people with this software in my area (South East), so I was wondering if this is still the case. Ryan G was the last person to do it for me over at Surrey Rolling Road, but I am not sure if he's still active? That was about 3-4 years ago, so I am pretty sure it could do with a bit of a checkup (although the car seems to be running fine when I get the chance to drive it). Either that, or I need to look for a replacement to the F-Con that's more easily mapped! Cheers, James

Thanks guys, Well ... you know what I said about my Dad in my previous response? It happened! Just came home to find the bonnet up and the alternator missing. He managed to get it out and took it to a local parts shop. They will have a new OEM one arriving tomorrow. I was already looking at the SRD ones, but I guess that plan is out of the window now. Still .. he's got it all sorted, which hopefully means I can enjoy the car for a few days before I have to leave the country again! Thanks again for the help, Cheers

Great, thanks very much! Going to bust out of work early today and take a look once I get home. Is your spare alternator a standard one? I'm wondering whether it might make more sense to get an uprated one, as I am running quite a lot of electronics, ECU, audio system etc (and 500+ bhp ).. so maybe something a bit heftier than the OEM one would work better. I've gone through loads of batteries in the past few years, so maybe it was just an indication of the alternator slowly dying on me! Thanks again though, I'll let you know how I get on (if my Dad hasn't ripped it to bits already, as he can't resist a good engine-related project!) Cheers

Nah .. no airbox on mine! Just a big filter strapped to an even bigger turbo . The alternator is pretty clearly visible down below various pipes and hoses, so I'll see if I can take a look down there tomorrow and find this socket. Is there a "How To" guide anywhere for how to get the thing out? I've had a hunt around, but can't seem to find anything particularly clear. Thanks again, Cheers

Oh nice, thanks man. I'll need to go and take a look tomorrow and get some pics for you. I am only in the country for a few days, but I've left the car with my folks, so my Dad can co-ordinate anything if needed. I assume I can get to the loom plug without having to take anything out? If I need to get under the car, or anything like that, then it might take a bit longer! Thanks again, Cheers

Yeah .. checked the battery yesterday, and it was fine! Checked it today after I crawled home, and it's flat as a pancake! It doesn't seem to be getting a charge at all from what I can see. It's just draining itself and giving up! Pretty sure that it must be the alternator. That's one job I've never done before ... how hard/easy is it to change the alternator on a Supra? And do I just use an OEM one, or do people have good alternative/upgraded solutions? Thanks for the help, Cheers!

Hey guys, I've been living abroad for quite some time now, and the Supra sits under weatherproof covers for most of the year. When I come back, I drive it as much as possible, and 90% of the time it works like a dream ... until today. I drove it about 40 minutes this morning to our UK office, and left it parked all day. When I left the office, it started perfectly and everything was working fine. After about 10 minutes, a bunch of lights came on on the little warning light panel next to the hazard-warning light switch. It was a battery icon, the overheating engine icon, and the icon that looks like the rear lights of the car are flashing (not sure what that's for). I figured that it was some kind of strange electrical glitch, as the water temp was fine, oil pressure was fine, and the car was running fine. About 10 minutes later, the car started to get a bit "lumpy", as if it was suddenly only firing on 5 cylinders. It's done that before, so I thought I would just check the plugs for standing water once I got home. I never made it home. About 5 minutes later, all the lights came on, and the engine just cut-out on me, leaving me stranded at the entrance to a roundabout. Initially, trying the start the car just resulted in the rapid clicking noise you usually get when the battery is completely dead. After letting it rest for a few minutes, the engine turned over, but still didn't start. Luckily I was about 5 minutes away from my parents house, so my Dad came out to try and give me a jump start. It started immediately, with no issues at all. I raced home (with all of the warning lights still on), and managed to get there before it died again. The battery is pretty much new, so it seems like it used all of it's energy getting me to work, and halfway home again, before it died. Does this sound like a dead alternator? If so, what's it take to get a new one? As far as I am aware it's still the original alternator on the car (1995 RZ-S, big single), so I wouldn't be surprised if it finally gave up the ghost. Cheers!

Thanks guys, this helps a lot. If I drop this lot on the "normal" MOT testers desk, then maybe I won't have to travel halfway across the country to find a specialist MOT centre! Cheers!!

Hey all, MOT time coming up again for me! I am still living abroad, with the Supra covered up in the UK with less than 1000 miles on it per year. Last year, I took it to a local MOT centre, and it failed all over the place on emissions. It's a single turbo boostlogic (T6765) setup, with no cats and a full 4" HKS Titanium exhaust (so it's also very loud). When I then took the car to a well-known Supra specialist for an MOT, which was a bit of a journey, they told me that my local MOT tester "needs to read his MOT handbook because the car in an import, and he didn't test it properly". So I figured I would have been ok on emissions if they had tested it properly. I don't want to have to drive another 1.5 hours just for an MOT this year, especially when I have limited time in the UK to see my family/friends. With that said, is there anything specific I need to tell the "normal" MOT tester to make him carry out the tests properly. It's a 1995 RZ-S 6-Speed Manual which I've now had for almost 13 years! I saw the details by Graham S on the first post in this thread, but that was back in 2010, so I am wondering if anything has changed or, because the car is now 20 years old, is it more relaxed? Or is there anyone near Guildford that can do the test, knowing what the car is! I also nearly failed on dodgy numberplate size and spacing, but they just said I need to make sure I have a "proper" set lying around somewhere in the car Thanks very much, James

Howdy folks! So I am still based over in Madrid and don't get anywhere near enough time with the Supra (the plus side being that it's not getting any miles added to it either). I am making my Brother take it to work every now and again to make sure it gets a bit of a run now and again. He sent me this video today as he was worried about the excessive clutch rattle: https://www.dropbox.com/s/n7ykwz3ei4kphdr/VID_20140416_184948.mp4 There is definitely a non-standard flywheel in there, but no one has been able to identify it so far. It's been in there since I got the car from Japan in 2004. The clutch is a recently-fitted Whifbitz Stage 2 (6-speed) and has been a pleasure to drive with since it went in. I know the rattling is a pretty standard feature of lightened flywheels + aftermarket clutches, but I just want to put my mind at ease. Is this sort of rattle considered "normal" .. it's pretty loud and almost embarrassing when people outside can hear it? It's fine when the clutch is depressed, just starts the rattling once you lift-off (as you can see in the video). It's a 6-speed RZ-S, Single turbo conversion, currently mapped around 515 bhp. Thanks all, Cheers, James

I had this problem, turned out to be the dodgy coil pack connectors. Check this post out .. mine went from running like a dog to smooth as anything! http://www.mkivsupra.net/vbb/showthread.php?61141-How-To-Refurbish-coil-pack-connectors&highlight=Coil+Pack+Connectors Cheers, J

The whole thing is 4" right the way through!

Here you go, pictures of the actual hose ..... All fixed and running like she should be now Cheers, J

I will get my Father to take a pic, I just saw it on the other end of a Skype call and it sent shivvers down my spine! It looked like the picture attached, but thinner! Cheers, J

Thanks Ian, This is all sorted now. Got a new piece of PROPER braided fuel hose made up and now everything runs like a dream! Why do I say "PROPER" I hear you ask ... well, because quite frankly I could have died with what was in there and, at the very least, my car would have gone up in smoke! After replacing the hose with the new one, my Father cut open the leaking one to see if he could find out what went wrong! What he found is quite honestly scary. Inside the braiding there was just a simple, thin, plastic (PVC I think) corrugated tube. The kind of plastic used in budget water bottles from the supermarket. I mean, not even good enough for a garden hose!! I think it's the kind of stuff that you would probably use for low pressure air, like a hoover! Certainly not good enough for ANY car, let alone a very BPU single-turbo Supra!! So it's no wonder the fuel just ate it's way through it. Thank god I am abroad and not driving it much, because it was only a matter of time before that just gave way and pressurised fuel sprayed all over the hot engine ... and boom! I believe Homer suffered a similar scare! Going to check all the other hoses now! Grrrr! Guess I'm lucky that we found it! Cheers, J

Right! It's the pipe for sure! Looks totally brand new, but after taking the pipe off, blocking one end, and blowing air in the other end whilst the pipe was underwater, there were loads of bubbles coming from the middle. So that's that problem solved! There is a place nearby that fabricates hydraulic pipes, so we'll get one made up there. Just one question .. what pressure does the fuel line operate at on the Supra? I have a pretty hefty fuelling setup too with twin-pumps, big injectors etc etc so might have to take that into consideration. Cheers, J

Right, I checked with my Father and he said that it's not the joints, he's 99% sure (can't be 100% until the car is up in the air). He managed to get a spanner on those and they were solid and, most of all, very clean to the touch. He says the rate at which the fuel is leaking out shows that it's pressurised for sure, a steady and fast drip. Sounds like it is definitely the main feed pipe though. The braided pipe comes out of the 'red can thing' filter in the footwell (which is just held in place with some wire to stop it hanging down!) and goes up into the T-piece which then feeds either end of the fuel rail from the hoses with the green stripe. The car has been standing for the best part of a year though while I am working abroad, so I don't know if standing fuel in the lines could have eventually corroded it's way through? I would have thought that fuel lines were designed for that not to happen, but maybe they are crappy quality! Looks like it just needs a new length of hose, connectors all seem fine. Should be able to get something made up locally with proper flanges. Hopefully Dude will see this, he fitted it all Cheers, J

Thanks Ian, From what I remember of my Father's description, he says the pipe has turned a bit yellow where the fuel is coming from. Whether this just happens to be the lowest point of the pipe where the fuel is naturally going to collect, or where there is a hole there, I am not sure. It's a bugger to get the car off the ground to have a good look underneath. I'll get him to have a better look, he's been building engines all his life so he knows what he's doing, but it's in very hard to reach position, and therefore a pain to identify. I just assumed that, if it's the hose that's gone, then we just need a new 18" or so length of hose to replace it ... should be easy enough to find. It's just getting under there that's the pain! Thanks again, I'll get some more details off him tomorrow! Cheers, James

Howdy folks! Been a while! So I need a little help from someone who knows the fuel system better than I do to identify a hose that has sprung a fairly significant fuel leak. The problem is that all the information that I have about this is coming from my Father in England, while I am out living and working in Madrid, so I may not have all of the detailed facts. Basically, I asked him to have a look over the car after I came home for Xmas, really looking forward to driving it, and never got the chance because it was running like a dog with crazy misfires etc. He's now identified that problem as the not too unfamiliar perished coil-pack connectors. New ones of those are on the way (thx Mr. Manley). However, whilst investigating he also noticed a significant amount of fuel leaking from one specific braided line. I am trying to identify exactly what that line is, where it is and where I can get a new one. I am not sure if it's part of the standard setup, or if it's part of the upgraded fuel system that I have. I am guessing that the hose itself has worn and it just needs to be replaced .. a little strange as the system isn't that old, but these things can happen. I have attached 2 pictures that my Father sent me of the hose in question, but it's very hard to reach, so the pictures aren't great. The first picture (fuel_line1) shows where the line comes in just under the pipes with the green stripes that go into either end of the fuel injection rail. The second picture (fuel_line2) is towards the other end of the pipe in question, under the green striped pipe, where it quickly disappears under the passenger footwell into what my Father describes as a "red metal filter type thing" Can anyone help me identify exactly what this line is, what it does, whether it's standard or new and where I can get a new one that won't dribble all my hard-earned cash over the M25! Thanks very much, Cheers, James

Howdy folks! I told my Brother I would plug his car for him on here! If I hadn't spent so much money on Supra, and hadn't been forced back out to Madrid to work, I would hang onto this car myself. I love driving it, great fun and sounds awesome! Anyway, here's the link - R32 GTR 1992 All work has been carried out by Abbey Motorsport, and he's been the sole owner since it was imported to the UK by Ben Linney (previously linney.org, now GTC-R.com) Cheers, J

Let me know how you get on with this dude. I have the same problem with the Southbend. It's fine from cold, but the hotter it gets (i.e. the longer I drive) the harder 1st and Reverse become (sometimes 2nd too). To the point where after a 45 min. drive home from work, I can sometimes be sat outside my house wrestling with gear stick, using both hands, for about 5 mins to get it into reverse. Driving me round the (south) bend now as the rest of the car is working well! Other than that, yes, the Southbend feels great. Really close to stock feel and stock biting point, yet no hint of slipping under the power at all.

Indeed it is