Fulcrum2000

Yes that was my thinking, I thought it better to put new oil in than the old oil that came out and of which I dont know the provenance or is my thinking wrong there?

Hi Mellonman I did the tests I can push it but only just and its much harder to push backwards then forwards, to be honest not only am I having squeal up to 15mph since I put the CW pads in but they are very squeally in general especially when pulling to a stop and I just want to go back to official Toyota pads and see whats what. There is heat coming from the tyres even after short journeys especially the rear passenger but its not pulling to either direction so I am inclined to agree the brakes are causing the noise but not the main low end power problem, I suspect David P has hit the nail on the head that it is over full from the last time someone did it probably during the rebuild and needs reducing and maybe even flushing. I'll hopefully be able to do the level this weekend and then we'll know.

Thanks I just purchased the Fuchc 4400 I'll keep everyone updated about whether the altering of the level sorts out the problem

Just a thought but whats the best ATF for my box? I'll get some in for when I'm draining this weekend as I would have thought if I drain too much it's better to put in new than used? I know its Dexron III but any particular make? Also mine says T-II on the dipstick I assume this means something else related to the Japanese market and I should ignore that?

I'm looking for a set of UK brakes to upgrade but not sure if they will fit with my wheels, had no problems at all before I upgraded the pads to the CW ones though so maybe my calipers just dont like it. I can drop the level down on the fluid I guess there's a drain on the bottom which I am sure I can find and see what happens then and then when I flip back to Toyota pads maybe it will all be ok hopefully. Thanks for everyone's help so far.

Sorry I posted the pics twice accidentally

Bright red pics are attached - - - Updated - - - - - - Updated - - -

Cherry red, here's a couple of pics and the arrow shows the level when cold

One of the first things I did was a full service including auto transmission change but that was three years ago. Then came the rebuild and in 3 and a half years its done less than 2000 miles because o fall the other problems. Just checked the transmission oil though and when hot its about 1cm above max on the dipstick, guess someone overfilled it when they last took the engine out to fix the problems with the sump. Could this be causing some of the issues? What does 1cm over max translate to, a large overfill or just small? If I put it in 1 position I imagine this is only first gear? I can try this to see what it does if so, but in other auto cars when you put it in 1 it holds first for longer but then switches up anyway, is it jammed in first n a Supe?

Hi Frank No offence taken whatsoever and I totally admit I am not knowledgeable but in my defence I actually sorted the BC and bonnet out by taking advice from you guys on here. Also excuse my ignorance but who is Mike? I got the oldest first generation Supra I could because it was released when I was 18 and I felt a link, I knew it would be the hardest to bring up to spec and I would need to lean on the forum and I do take advice when I can. The brake pads which could be causing all the hassles are Chris Wilson fast road pads , I booked in to have those swapped out for Toyota ones and then when that variable is removed I'll update you all to let you know if it was the problem. I took the car out again today for a few miles and really listened and felt what was happening and basically the really noticeable fault it has is from a standing start it needs too many revs in first (say 2-25000 to get any speed up and then suddenly frees up to drive normally before switching into second, after which it is largely normal across the board, all gears, both boosts etc., but take it down to a standing start and it drags again in the first half of first gear. So this could very possibly be a brake issue which the car is overcoming or it could be slippage. I've never had a n auto box which had half of one gear slip before it went pop so would most people think its the brakes more than the box? As I say I've taken advice from here and I am getting my brakes looked at first I just wondered whether people agreed it was likely to be the brakes. I've had nearly 50 auto cars in the 24 years I've been driving and my gearbox failures are in early double figures and this does not resemble the beginnings of any of the other problems.

So I've tried it in neutral and can push it both back and forth, its not easy and is slightly harder pushing in reverse but I can do it so I am guessing as I'm not Hulk Hogan the brakes are only mildly sticking? Which leads me to believe I may have a failing auto transmission is this the next hypothesis? I've had loads of autos go but they generally either fail immediately or the lower gears get affected first and I would guess this could describe it if the first couple of gears were slipping but the last two are fine hence on WOT its fine? if so for one thing f@#k and for another I guess it's better to have a rebuild with new internals than buy a second hand one that could have starship mileage? I suppose it was inevitable, my car has been (badly) stored for years before I come along, I get it and it needs a full rebuild then restoration underneath, suspension goes, brakes go, so the only thing left which is thirty years old is the auto box. Has anyone had an auto box go in a Supe and if so am I basically describing the process? I've only got it up to BPU and the standard box can take this load surely? I appreciate its old and I may need to replace it but I take it after this it will be fine at BPU ie sub 450 hp? I tell you this year I feel like I've run over a gypsy.

Ok as an update I sprayed WD40 on all the air lines, vacuum lines and nothing shows a leak - its an auto and has CW brakes which ever since I put them in have made a whistle/grind sound up to 15mph and then cleared, I took it to the mechanic and one caliper was stuck on and he freed it but the sound returned almost immediately. Is it possible that the brakes are now stuck to the point its making the car labour? I also took it for a test drive and to more accurately describe it, you put it in D, it then it crawls forward but nowhere near as fast, then as you put the accellerator on it feels like the car is having to use higher revs to achieve the same speed and there's a resistance. This happens all the way up to about 40-50 and where my foot is normally placed to go at 60 the car is doing about 45mph. Perhaps foolishly I got to a straight at 45-50 and tried giving it more beans and it flew forward like normal, the turbos giving the normal 1.15 (I'm full BPU) and it just felt totally normal shooting up in speed. After this I stopped, then set off, and it was back dragging again at lower speeds. Am I describing a brake issue here? The only other thing I can think of is the gearbox is on the way out but why can it sometimes shoot off when more power is applied? Surely its brakes, ie sticking/stuck or more severe with them all sticking somewhat?

Hi All Just wondered if I could get any more help on this? If there is an issue with the air inlets I will check this morning (just waiting for the world to wake up so I can start the destroyer of worlds....) but could someone just answer, if it is this would the power loss literally be from 0mph onwards or does it only affect the turbo range? My car is being affected right from set off not just on boost and I would say flat out it will do about 80 not 180 (dont worry I havent tried this!). Any help would be appreciated.

Would the power loss occur pre boost though if this were the problem as its across the board?

Hi All So my Supra today seems to have very low power for some reason, basically it labours off the mark at higher than normal revs to attain any kind of speed - I've had all manner of noises and whistles coming from my CW brakes but other than that no issues, could my brakes be stuck on partially causing this? Any ideas? When the turbos kick in it still provides the jolt of power just like normal but the overall speed is much lower. It's an auto and the car has had a full rebuild so I am wondering if its brakes or if the TC is stuck on limp home mode or something (although I've tried deactivating it and no difference), any ideas? It feels catastrophic but with a rebuilt engine and no warning lights I am assuming brakes can be the only reason?

It is more of a squeal really, ok to isolate it yes it is louder with windows open, yes someone can hear it outside, yes it comes back at 15 from higher speeds and yes there is NO sound at idle or when the vehicle isnt moving. It does happen when the vehicle is moving either in gear or out at any speed under 15mph. No fans are making a sound, no belts, nothing under the bonnet makes any sound at all I can hear. The brakes can go from rusty to factory shiny within a mile so I am guessing they're rubbing?

Ok so I have had EVERYTHING checked out and the only thing we could find is a front caliper slightly rubbing, had it all taken off fully freed and cleaned and the whistling is still there. Handbrake etc all fans belts all fine. The mechanic says he thinks its the non standard pads I have (CW), I have standard new genuine discs, new lines etc. I cant remember whether the whistling started when I put the CW pads in. Is anyone else running these and are you getting any whistle etc? I still have the old genuine pads so might swap them out but I was told CWs are better in a JSpec? Because of all the issues and the rebuild, underbody restore etc etc over the last three years the car has done maybe 7-800 miles in the whole time I've owned it so the pads cant be worn in any way and I do notice my discs are insanely shiny after even a tiny journey they are like mirrors. Are the CW pads just a bit too 'grabby'?

I'e finally got it down thanks guys, it was the latch just kept making it close with a screwdriver body and spraying with WD and its finally working

Ok so the difference is about 4mm which could be explained by my measuring I would imagine so they're near as dammit perfect. Here's two pics one of the normal side and one of the affected side, as you can see it all seems to indicate the clamp is not low enugh as the gap increases slightly all the way from the cabin end to the bumper end - if the bumper end was pulled down the effect would be mostly seen at that end and less and less as it goes towards the windscreen which is exactly what it needs to my eye. Can it be dropped by say 3 or 4 mm with those bolts I think that would do it

I'll measure it later and let you know, I've just manually made the clamps work on both sides and then released them so they still work, but it might be possible to drop the clamp down a bit with its bolts like you say and resolve it easily that way, how adjustable are they? The clamp isnt just floating in there is it, ie if I remove all three bolts it wont just fall through?

Needless to say I've drowned it in WD 40 too to try and eliminate the latch being stuck and it didn't help either.

This is what I thought too, is it the latch, but by definition you cant see if its working with the bonnet down so it stumped me as to how to test this. I've tried all settings on the rubber stay and even temporarily removing it to see if it had any effect and no joy I'm afraid. Maybe if I put a paper sticker round the u and see if it rubs off when I close the bonnet?

Here's a photo of it at its worst

Sorry but what is the process of shimming

Hi all Ever since I've owned my Supra the passenger side of the bonnet has been raised ie there is a gap at the corner nearest the bumper of maybe a cm I assume the bonnet is slightly warped or twisted but its rather annoying, does anyone know of a fix for this short of buying a new bonnet? I've tried adjusting the rubber stops and even removing one but it makes no difference