Tham

Can the battery mounting brackets for the KE70, 4K, be found anymore ? It is a not-so-common bracket, with a straight bar on top, screwed in with a nut at the front end near the grill, with a long rod screwed in the rear end, hooked at the chassis bottom below the battery tray. A nut tightens the top of the rod and clamps the battery down. Those univeral mounting brackets with two rods at each end, sold in auto parts shops, are not really suitable. My bracket is still usable, but the L-shaped metal plate which clamps the top edge of the battery is already corroding.

Yes, I think he'll be leaving the high/low beam function to the lever, and add an on/off switch for the headlights and maybe parking lights as well, on the dashboard. It's a good option actually. Maybe I will get the wireman to do just that. These separate switches for the headlights/parking lights are far more reliable, really. They don't fail due to being messed around with by the countless flipping motions of the signal indicators and hi/lo beam flashers by mounting them all in one big complex unit on the steering stalks, just as is happening now. Now I know why they had a separate simple knob on the dashboard for these lights in my old 1974 Opek Kadett 1200S when I drove one way back in 1979 - 1980. And I had thought these Germans were old-fashioned then !

Yes, about that. But Taiwanese/Chinese parts aren't exactly known to last. See my reply above.

Thanks. Will see what I can do, but not good at DIY work, especially cars (most ordinary motorists over here are technically illiterate when it comes to cars, apart from replacing the air filter perhaps or topping up the battery water. Most repairs are left to the mechanics or wiremen). Otherwise I'll try to get a Taiwanese unit. I called a few shops and they don't stock it. Called a few wreckers too, no luck. Parts for a 30-year old car are fast becoming a rarity here. Will try again next week. A wrecker's part may cost maybe M$70 - 80. The problem with these Taiwanese or China parts, they're not known for reliability or durability. May last anywhere from 3 months to two or three years, depending on your luck. (One friend installed a Made-in-China carburettor in his Datsun 1200 and it gave out after ..... 3 months). At least I managed to find out its OEM part no. - 84310-12333, for right hand drive vehicles. Here's some China suppliers. http://www.mac-auto.cn/list.asp?ProdID=2719 http://www.youngbooauto.com/Switch/ColumnSwitch2.htm 84310-12300 looks similar. http://www.mac-auto.cn/list.asp?ProdID=2714 http://www.nbbona.com/product_largerimage.asp?id=5085

I'm using a 1981 Corolla KE70, Malaysian "DX" model, 4K engine. I was driving around Sunday night today.. The car in front was going a bit slow, so I flashed my headlights at him to hurry up. When the lever returned to its position, the headlights went off ! Turning its switch on the lever off, then on, the headlights came back on again. Then, when flipping my turn signal lever to the right to change lanes, it happened again. Turning the on/off switch restored the headlights. I had been noticing these few months, that whenever I flipped the lever for a turn, especially to the right, the headlights would "blip" a moment when the lever returned. Stopped the car at the roadside, sprayed some Philips contact cleaner into the lever contacts on the inside. Appeared to help a bit, but the problem was still there. So I phoned my car's wireman, and he said the complete switch assembly - turn signal, headlights, flash and wiper - had to be replaced, since the contact surfaces were likely worn, or else the headlights would fail to switch on permanently one day. He said this happened more when using the lever on right turns because this is the direction used most often on the roads here - Malaysia is right-hand drive. Thus the headlight/turn signal contacts tended to wear out more on the right. He could look around for a used or Taiwanese unit for me, said it would cost at least M$100 ++. Or he could try modifying the wiring, and installing a separate switch for the headlights, leaving the lever switch for it redundant. Would cost M$ 50 +. However, I called my car's aircon man for some further info. He said save my money - the problem could just be left alone. No risk of the headlights failing to come on. Just turn the switch on/off whenever the above problem arose, and it would come on again. He said his Datsun 120Y had been having this problem for years. Any opinions ?

Thanks for the info, everyone. Yes, I've also thought of adding in an antirust solution like Wynn's, Gold Eagle or Holts to the coolant as well. You mean demineralised water as in distilled or reverse osmosis water ? Car is a 1981 model, 28 years old. Water jackets - one of the core plugs leaked and was replaced half a year ago. Water pump - replaced maybe three years ago. Radiator - never replaced, but flushed and cleaned out at a radiator shop two years ago, and they welded back a leak near the bottom hose outlet. Radiator wasn't particularly rusty when they poked the tubes with their cleaning rod. No heater core - they don't use it in Malaysia, too hot. The cylinder head's inlet and outlets for the heater core are sealed off with rubber plugs, as with most other engines of its era. Seems quite a bit of scaling can be seen in the expansion tank.

I think those with built-in electronic regulators just need two wires, while those with old external mechanical regulators need at least three ? Better leave the old regulator at its place, in case the new alternator gives way and you need to use the back the old alternator.

The local coolant cans, typically 300 to 500 ml ones like those by STP and Abro, just says add one can to your radiator, then top up with water. Nobody sells premixed coolants around here. Wouldn't you have to buy 6 litres of that then ?

Thanks much for the info, Travis. You mean use just 100 % coolant in the radiator ? I normally add one litre of coolant such as Valeo or Paraflu to the radiator, then top up the rest with water. Seems to be the practice here in Malaysia. Some even use only half a litre, the size of many coolant cans here in spare parts shops and supermarkets. Don't think anyone here mixes 50/50 coolant and water, or use entirely 100% coolant in their radiator, as is the normal practice in Western countries due to freezing temperatures.

Does anyone know the cooling capacity of the Corolla KE70's 4K engine ? I drive a 1981 KE70 "DX" model. I am thinking of using distilled water or deionized water in my KE70's radiator to reduce corrosion and scaling. However, I read a lot of controversy on the net. Some say that it wouldn't really make much of a difference, while others say it does. In particular, some say that deionized water is actually corrosive to a car's cooling system, as it would dissolve the copper, iron and aluminium to get its ions back. However, others say this is nonsense. Any opinions ?

Thanks very much for your good information, Slapper. The reason I preferred SAE 20W-40 oil is that it is a bit thinner than 20W-50. The latter oil is somewhat thick, and it tends to make my old engine accelerate very sluggishly. There are no car engine oils here at 20W-40 grade, but plenty of 15W-40 and 15W-50 oils. 15W-40 here costs M$38 for the cheapest brand ("76", an American oil, 1 US gallon or 3.785 litres). Pennzoil 15W-50, if I buy it at their factory here, costs M$46 for 4 litres. The second Castrol link I gave you is actually a US website, and they don't have 20W-50 for the basic 4T oil here in Malaysia. Activ 4T has it, but I checked at the shop and it costs M$15 a litre. There's only one cheaper 20W-50 oil here, the local "Modenas" brand, at M$12 a liter. I then walked into another motorcycle shop to check more on the prices. The owner seemed quite knowledgeable, and he told me that while ordinary motorcycle 4T oils could be used in a car engine, it would run sluggish, as these oils were designed to be used on a system with wet clutches, and thus were heavier or less slippery than car oils. I believe he meant that, as you pointed out, they don't have friction modifiers. He said that oils for scooters were the exception, since scooters had similar systems with cars - they had separate transmissions and clutches. Thus their oils were similar too, and could be used without any problems on car engines. However, scooter oils are more expensive, with the cheapest standard oil here at around M$18 a litre. For quite a few years, I was using Pennzoil HDX 30, SAE 30 (monograde), meant for diesels, but rated at CD/SF, so petrol engines could use them too. Good acceleration, but thins out at higher temperatures. You can hear my timing chain rattling away on a hot day. You can buy it at the Pennzoil factory here at M$33 for 4 litres currently, was M$39 last year (several years back, when I first started using it, was M$19 ! ) I still have an unused 1 litre bottle of this HDX 30, so I'll follow your advice and use it to fill with 20W-50 for topping up, when it's used up. This cost me M$8 two years ago, I remember.

4 liters of car oil would actually be cheaper than four 1-liter cans of motorcycle 4T oil. The basic 20W-50 car engine oil, Repco, costs M$30 here for a four liter can. It sells at M$10 for a 1-liter can. Four 1-liter cans of basic Castrol 4T motorcycle oil, 20W-40, at M$10 a can = M$40. Perhaps the shop might give me some discount if I bought 4 cans, though. I was just thinking of trying out something new to see how the engine performed, plus it's more convenient to keep a 1-liter can of oil rather than a bulky 4-liters in my boot !

Can one actually use motorcycle 4-stroke oil in a car's engine ? http://www.castrol.com/castrol/sectiongene...ntentId=7018616 http://www.castrol.com/castrol/sectiongene...ntentId=7040925 I've noted that the API rating is at least SE for most 4T motorcyle oils, so I was thinking it would be up to specs for car engines. The grade is just about right, SAE 20W-40. The car engine oils in Malaysia oils in 1 liter cans are more commonly SAE 40. I was thinking that if I needed to top up (my old engine is consuming quite a bit of oil), it would be more cost-effective to get a SAE 20W-40 motorcyle oil, since these cost about the same for a liter as SAE 40 car oils - about M$10. They also have the usual additives anyway - antioxidants, dispersants, detergents. One of my friends said he had topped up with 4T oils and didn't find any problems. I drive a 1981 Corolla KE70, 4K engine.

Thank you for the good and very useful information, everyone. The people in this forum really know their stuff. I'm from Malaysia, so none of the cars are fitted with heaters here. Both inlet and outlet pipes (to the left and right of the water pump) are plugged off with 15 mm rubber plugs. The same with my Opel Gemini years ago. These plugs usually have to be replaced every two or three years. Most mechanics in Malaysia are quite "primitive". Other than those big service workshops belonging to dealers or assembly plants, hardly any small-time mechanics have tools like cooling system pressure testers or torque wrenches, let alone radioflourescent dyes or UV lights. One of them did have a pressure tester, but he had misplaced it. Well, I took it to another "primitive" mechanic two days ago, who still repairs my engine every now and then. He and his apprentice, using only their eyeballs, looked all over the engine very carefully for the leak. His appentice boy crawled underneath, and finally managed to spot what appeared to be some wetness lower down the rear of the right side of the engine block, below the intake/exhaust manifolds. Looking further up, it appeared to be coming from the last core (welsh ?) plug from the end of the block.The plug was rusty. From above, this plug was blocked from view by a heat shield. Replacement it was quite a major job. The starter and manifolds had to be taken out to reach this plug. The plug cost just M$5. He hammered the old plug a few times, it came loose, and the coolant burst out, which looked quite murky and rusty even though I am using good "Valeo" brand coolant (thought these had good rust inhibitors ?). I forgot to ask him to insert a hose into the radiator cap to flush out the rest of the old coolant. Anyway, the next day, looking at the expansion tank, the level appeared to have dropped half an inch again. I'm not sure, this could be due to some small air pockets still being left in the block after they had filled up the radiator with new coolant and water. Or the head gasket might also be having a minor leak, as Philbey suggested and experienced. I also occasionally notice some condensation from the exhaust on cold mornings, or cold rainy days. Thank you again for all the help.

My KE70's 4K engine's cooling system seems to be having a slow leak, about 100 cc a day. The expansion tank level would go down about half to one inch every morning. Several mechanics searched high and low for the source of the leak - water pump, expansion tank itself, radiator, hoses, head gasket, etc, but couldn't seem to find any. They ran the engine at idle at operating temperature for quite some time, then switched it off and let it cool down. The level in the expansion tank, as well as the radiator cap, stayed constant. The radiator remained full up to the cap level. However, the expansion tank level would go down half to one inch by the next morning. The radiator remained full, meaning it had sucked off the loss from the expansion tank. One of the mechanics suggested that maybe it was minor head gasket seepage or crack in the engine block which could not be detected, or even a small core plug leak which was out of sight, perhaps in the rear block housing with the gear box. Might pouring half a bottle of Wynn's Radiator Stop-Leak No. 68627 help ? I've heard that Holts Radweld tends to clog engine and radiator waterways. Thanks to all the good people here.

Thanks for the good info, everyone.

I was wondering why my Corolla KE70's 4K's engine oil level seemed to be going down much faster than usual. Just now, I spotted wet oil oozing out from the rear part of the engine, or valve, rubber cover. This rubber had been replaced by the mechanic recently when he adjusted my tappets. The oil was leaking on the right side of the rubber, at the lower part of the 4K's inclination, i.e. the manifolds side. Strange, I thought these rubber covers were designed to seal without gasket sealers. The bolts seemed tight enough. Anyway, I guess I will have to apply some Permatex on the rubber. Which do I use, which won't stick on to the cyliner head perimeter and can be removed easily along with the rubber next time ? Might it be the grey type ?

I have managed to find the fuse located here. Seems the hazard lights and horn share a common 10A fuse. But I wonder why my hazard lights are working while my horn is not ? http://www.rollaclub.com/board/index.php?a...st&id=20253 http://www.rollaclub.com/board/?showtopic=17042

Hi, May I ask where if the KE70 has a fuse for its horn, and if it does, where it is located ? My horn gave out today. I remember the wireman had added a relay for it some time ago, but it seemed to be OK on checking. Both horns also seemed to work fine on testing. I drive a 1981, 4K engine, Malaysian "DX" model. Thanks.

Thanks, will check that out too.

Thanks for the info, LittleRedSpirit. Will keep it in mind. Yes, most of the tyre shops here in Malaysia aren't really competent. The one I went to yesterday said the cause of my problem was underinflation. I was thinking that would cause both edges to wear ? I set my pressures to 26-28 psi, and he pumped them up to 30-32 psi. My friend was telling me some time ago that he knew of a mechanic who does manual wheel adjustments, just like yours. Hardly any mechanic in Malaysia who knows or can do this. I'll see if I can find this guy later.

I never knew caster could cause such tyre wear too. I'll get this tyre man whom I went to yesterday to see if it can be adjusted tomorrow. I believe though that he, like most other local alignment shops here in Malaysia, will say that caster is not adjustable in a KE70, like most other cars. Most don't touch the caster during alignment, like you say. Here's the alignment specs based on this tyre man's computer settings (an FMC Visualiner machine) : Caster : Min: 1 deg 30 sec, Max: 2 deg 30 sec. (Not sure what my readings are, not shown in the printout.) Camber: Min: 0 deg 35 sec, Max: 1 deg 35 sec (Negative, I believe). Left camber 0 deg 43 sec, Right 0 deg 53 sec. (The left camber was at 0 deg 12 sec a few years ago, so he used a hydraulic jack to push it in. This is how they usually do it over here. Seems a crude way, and known to damage the shock absorber and wheel bearing.) Toe-in : Min: 0.0, Max 0.6 (in mm, I think). Left 0.3, Right 0.5 Kingpin: 8 deg 20 sec. This is what I found in a KE70 book (one of those Charlton's manuals) recently : Caster: 1 deg 50 sec Camber : 1 deg 9 sec Toe-in: 0 to 2 mm Kingpin: 8 deg 6 sec Thanks for your help.

Yes, I never thought of the wheel bearing. The left one was replaced about a year ago. The mechanic checked it for wear by spinning the tyre just two weeks ago, but didn't really check it for free play. I forgot to ask this tyre man whom I went to yesterday to see if it needed tightening when he removed the left tyre. Thanks.

My Corolla KE70's left front tyre is wearing on the outside. This happens even after new tyre replacements. Doesn't appear to be a tyre fault. The steering has been aligned several times with camber adjusted to specifications. Both outer tie rod ends look ok. The left inner tie rod had been replaced not too long ago, and the right one still looks alright. The left lower arm bush still looks good and the ball joint too. The rack is a little worn, but is still in fair condition and free play has been tightened. Front shock absorbers have been replaced recently, and both front coil springs still seem strong, the height of the left one similar with the right one. In fact, all steering and suspension components still look good. The chassis and crossmember look in good shape too. The wheel alignment man, mechanic and even air- conditioning man are scratching their heads and told me to "just leave it alone, not worth changing any more parts considering the age of the car". Any opinions ?

I was wondering if the parking brakes on the Corolla KE70 are self-adjusting ? Mine don't seem to be, and the local mechanic says no. They've lost their effectiveness these few days, and I to pull tightly to the last click on slopes. Initially I thought they self-adjust when the car backs up like in some others, but doesn't seem to be so. I don't think the adjusting star wheel is stuck or something. The cable is still in quite good condition.