Wingsforwheels

Sadly just before Christmas my beautiful ke55 was stolen when I was visiting my parents in Canberra, joyridden and torched on the side of a major road. I've been to see her at the wreckers yard, and she is completely done. The firefighters put the fire out before it reached the engine bay, so I have the car now at a mate's place and we're going to pull the engine and any other front end parts this weekend, then post them up here and on the forum if anyone wants them. Pretty awful way for a great car with a lot of love put into her to go. At least she was insured, and they'll be another (hopefully corolla!) project soon. Here she was at the most recent show, a fortnight before this happened.

Quick question--is the sensor the right size for the hole in the thermostat? I found it hard to find adaptors when I looked for a friends cars, and when we finally did it cost twice as much as that gauge!

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Uni holidays have started, and I've had some progress (kind of) The downdraft kept developing more and more issues, until I decided to spend a little more and scrap the 32/32. I picked up a set of Dellorto DHLA40Fs on a redline manifold, have rebuilt them and fiddled with the linkages to get that perfect. Now to the bolting up... But I just cannot figure out how anyone can get these manifold bolts in! The outer/upper bolts near cylinders 1 and 4 are in such tight space with the curve of the intake runners that I can't even get a spanner on to the 14mm bolts. I've tried with studs and nuts, but this didn't help much. The ones underneath are more annoying but I think with the starter out they should be accessible from under the car. Someone suggested hex head bolts and a long ball end Alan key socket fitting, so I guess that might be my next try. Has anyone had success fitting these manifolds with regular bolts or studs and some tool configuration I haven't thought of?

I know with mine I could tell the plate mechanism was seized by feeling it, but sucking on the diaphragm it was clear it wasn't punctured because it was like sucking on a blocked straw, i.e. no air getting through. Seems like the previous owner had gone 20 years without oiling the vacuum or mechanical advance mechanisms--I bet that would be common, being hidden under the points, etc.! A couple of drops of oil and some wiggling back and forth and they were perfect again

This is a beaut! I found the seals from Rare Spares for my ke55 pretty good--put them in 6 months ago, good fit and no sign of cracking yet.

I cut a tiny bit of a beer can and wrapped it around the float side of the tube, and tapped the tube and aluminium shim into the hole with a pen and a few gentle whacks with my palm. Eventually I might look at replacing it, but for now it's wobble-free. And it seems like weber spares don't come cheap!

Thanks for the responses guys! I ended up changing points and condenser chasing an electrical issue, and swapped the leads with a spare set I had, all to no avail. It did end up being a fueling problem, albeit a bit of a curveball! I posted the details with pictures in the thread below, but basically the little brass tube insert in the primary auxillary venturi had slid half a cm toward the air corrector jets, and was all but blocking fuel supply to the primary throat--I could only get the car going by pumping the throttle and so shooting fuel from the accelerator pump. Thanks again! The new 5k is running a beaut!

No, it certainly wasn't on my list of possible issues... But an easy fix! Sure is! It's noticeably lean at the start of the primary opening, but even before I rejet it, this 5k is so much quicker than the 4! Thanks for all the help.

Problem solved! After taking the carb off for a cleaning, I couldn't get the primary Auxiliary venturi off! Turns out the brass insert in the venturi had slid half a cm toward the float bowl, and rotated such that the opening was facing sideways instead of down toward the throttle valve. This was all but completely blocking fuel to the primary throat. I've attached some pictures of the before and after look at the venturi for the sake of explanation. The brass tube felt quite loose in its hole, so I shimmed it with a piece of beer can and tapped it back in with a pen, with the little fuel windows facing down.

If I do this fuel is shot out of the jets up the top and it revs just fine--it seems like the issue is that when I open the throttle enough that the primary opens, as soon as the fuel from the accelerator pump is consumed, it starts gasping and will stall if the throttle is open. Together with the fact that the problem hasn't changed after I replaced the condenser and points this morning, has me firmly in the fueling issue camp. I have taken the carb off to give it a thorough clean, even though I put a kit through it about 4 months ago. The main jets are not blocked, and neither are the emulsifier/air corrector bits. The primary venturi is so completely stuck that I can't lift it up, so I will keep trying to remove it and then can clear out the passages. Cheers

The change came on so quickly I think something else must be happening, even if it is compounding the lean condition... It's the dizzy off of the 4k, bosch points dizzy. I'll track down the part numbers and get a condenser, coil and points in at the local parts shop ASAP, and update from there! But I would've thought from what I have read that Altezza is right that the condensor could cause the bogging, but would be all or nothing--it wouldn't recover again at higher revs. Is there some way to test a condensor? Either in the car on a bench?

Thanks a lot Altezza. I've done as you've said and cleaned out the passages twice since I cleaned the jets out--although the bowl and jets looked pretty good to start. The fact that it bogs down exclusively in the range of the primary jet was what made me suspect a fuel issue, but the pump is working fine, float and needle and seat fine, and yes you can see fuel shooting down the throats when the throttle is opened. There is a pretty substantial "sucking" sound when it bogs down, which sounds like the engine groping for more fuel? I know the jetting of the carb was on the lean side having been set up for a bog stock 4k--is it possible that as the piston rings seated and the motor started pulling more fuel, the lean condition got worse and worse? Seems extreme to say the least, but I'm clutching at anything in the hope my new motor is not buggered haha! Ideally I'd be able to borrow a compression gauge of someone and check that just to rule that out too.

Mmm I cranked a couple of litres of fuel into a bucket this morning and it looks fine... I'm wondering whether it may in fact be electrical. I'm not too sure what role the condensor and coil could play in all of this, but I might look at changing them both so I can at least rule them out.

Hi all, I have a mystery for rollaclub's finest... I've just dropped a freshly rebuilt 5k into my KE55, and had success for the first night of driving (about 45 km). Then I noticed a flat spot under medium acceleration. This got worse and worse, to the present, where it is undriveable--bogs down and shudders when trying to accelerate past 20 km/h in any gear, but will go ok with my foot to the floor. I've taken the carb (Weber 32/32) apart and cleaned all the jets, adjusted the flat level and checked the needle and seat. I've also changed the ignition points and checked gap and ignition timing. Initially I suspected water in the petrol tank, but having filled a bucket from the carb inlet hose, and inspecting the fuel being pumped through, it seems completely normal and un-gunky. I'm a little lost as to what to try next--I thought of changing the ignition coil? But I'm not totally sure what these symptoms would point to as the next step. Any help would be much appreciated!! Cheers Jasper

re: the water in petrol theory, I'm going to take a terry can of fuel when I visit the car and put fresh fuel in the flat bowl--if it runs well for the first few minutes and then back to stumbling and sputtering, I guess I'll have to do the annoying tank draining.

The jet sizes are listed here: http://www.rollaclub.com/wiki/index.php?title=Tech:Engine/K_Series/Carburettor It's worth checking ignition timing, points gap, spark plug gap as well as checking for vacuum leaks, as any of these things could affect your economy!

Alright so I got the exhaust done, and it runs a dream! The carb needs rejetting for the bigger motor, but even so it was a beautiful drive yesterday. Until... After an hour or so of driving to pick up my girlfriend I started getting a really bad flat spot under light acceleration--at about half throttle it would stumble and shake, but then the revs would climb when I put my foot down. This quickly developed to not being able to take off, it spluttering and wanting to die until I really gave it some beans--although it still idles just fine, missing a little! In the end I had to park her and get the tram home! I'm going to go have a look today with a couple of theories--I know the timing is set to 10 degrees BTDC, and is advancing fine under load, so I'm going to start by changing the points and condensor (even though the former looks like new, and I know the latter to be brand spanking new). I'll also clean out all the carb jets, and check the float level. I also have a different idea, that the fuel tank might have a significant amount of water in it. I know the seal around the filler isn't great, because I've had this issue in the past after leaving her out in the rain. When I filled her up yesterday, I could only fit 8 litres in, and I was sure it was lower than that before the engine swap... I also noticed some white smoke (steam?) out the exhaust when idling after the issue started yesterday, and I know the head gasket is fine--I just changed it, and there's no other evidence of a leak i.e. loss of oil or coolant, one mixed in the other, etc. Has anyone had similar issues caused by water in fuel? (Or caused by anything I haven't mentioned here?) Thanks! P.S. admins, is the idea that I should post this kind of thing in the rides section now that I've made a rides thread?

Yeah! It does feel torquier already, but maaan is it loud with just headers, so exhaust is next... It also needs a bit of a tune, seems like the fuel mix adjustment on the carby is a bit temperamental right now--maybe the lack of backpressure with just headers? Or the piston rings still seating, meaning changes in vacuum conditions? Really looking forward to this as a daily though!

Ahh right, I didn't think of shimming the pressure plate! The flywheel I got given was supposedly a 4k one though I have my doubt... Either way, I just swapped it over for the old one and voila! Took the 5k for her first drive around the block, and it is great!

The swap is coming along well. She started first try after I built up oil pressure and put a bit of fuel in the float bowl. Next issue is the clutch--it's not disengaging at all. It seems like the clutch arm is going all the way to the front of the hole in the gearbox without too much resistance, and not actually pushing the pressure plate diaphragm spring. I've adjusted the cable to spec, and took the box off to check that the clips were connected properly on the release bearing housing and the little ball bit on the far side of the clutch arm (not sure what this bit is called?) I'm going take the box off again this arvo and check that the new flywheel that came with the 5k is the same depth as the old--I suspect the old one might have been a little bit deeper. If they're different I guess I'll have to swap them over, unless anyone has any ideas about adjusting to compensate for a depth difference in flywheels? The good news is I have the gearbox removal/installation process down to about 1 hour haha

The real question is whether KE Corollas will one day become the new hipster car--if they do I'll be ready! Thanks for the response Wayne, I'll be following these instructions for sure, and I've read a little around the place about breaking in. I've been pretty hectic with uni, but should be back to the car to start it next week, so I'll post how it goes!

Everything is ready to turn the key! I'm a newbie in terms of running in an engine, etc.--is there anyone on here who could give me a hand for an hour or two who knows and could guide me through the first start, breaking in the cam and all? I'm in Melbourne, Brunswick West specifically

Yesterday was the day: Pulled the old engine, swapped all the hang ons over to the 5k, and dropped it in complete with a set of extractors. Put the gearbox on and took the old exhaust off since it was pretty unstable without being bolted to the manifold. This arvo I reinstalled the drive shafts and the starter motor. Just the water pump, radiator and alternator to go in now. After that I'll give the carb and dizzy some adjustments, put in engine and trans oil, water in the cooling system, and nervously turn the key. I'm a little worried about the noise given it's only got headers on, so I might have to push it down the road a little to appease the neighbours. The plan is to start it up, wear in the cam, and then drive her to the exhaust shop to get a full exhaust welded up!

Planning some work on my KE55, time for a build thread. Here goes: I bought this stock as a rock KE55 a few months ago, and have been pouring time into learning how everything works and repairing whatever issues spring up. So far, I've changed the stock carby to a 32/32 weber off a fiat 500 (or similar), given it a thorough tuneup, done a couple of suspension bushings, etc. and changed the clutch after it exploded when I was interstate. It's developed a decent misfire, and I've diagnosed this as a piston ring issue. The motor also has just on 200k kms on it. I figure if I'm going to take the motor out to fix it, I may as well change it for a 5k! I picked up a 5k (not sure what vehicle it was from) that has had a full rebuild and never been run: cylinders have been honed, oversized pistons, all new bearings, head tested and cleaned up, new double row timing chain and a clive cams 265 duration cam grind. It didn't come with anything attached, so dizzy, manifolds, carby, alternator, fuel pump, flywheel clutch, oil filter, engine plate, etc. are all going to come off the old motor. It's also missing the pushrods, so I am planning on getting these this week and putting the motor back together with a new head gasket, doing the welch plugs, gaskets and seals, and generally getting it ready for the other motor to come out so the old parts can be transplanted. This is my first time doing anything this involved, so there has been a lot of reading the yellow book, gregory's manual and the how to build a tough 4k thread. All things going to plan I will find a hoist to borrow and try and drop the new motor in in the next fortnight. I think I'll need to take it to an exhaust shop and get a full exhaust (including extractors), before the swap, since the cammed 5k in unlikely to run too well on the stock exhaust. Here are some photos of the engine bay as is, and the 5k parts: I'll update as it comes along, and will probably need advice on this or that! Thanks for reading Jasper