Banjo

Hi Gavin, No offense, but agree with Pete totally. Even the standard plastic fan, reduces power from the engine, that should be going to your back wheels. Bear in mind what the fan is for . . . It is there to force air over the engine, when your Rolla is not moving forward on the road, when normally, the force of the air passing over the engine, without fan, is totally sufficient to completely keep the engine at normal operating temperatures. It appears you have a large capacity aluminium radiator, which will be far more efficent at remove engine heat that the original factory radiator, from bygone years. My honest suggestion, would be to put the water pump pulley back on, & dice the fan you have there altogether. Then add a simple electic fan to the rear of the radiator, which is easily accomplised, as the electric fans come with all mounting hardware usually. Check ebay, & you'll find they are freely available, to suit the aluminium radiator dimension, you have fitted.. The fan is then activated by an additional water temp sensor thermostat, that switches the fan on, once the coolant temp, rises above 90-95 deg C. I put an electric fan on my 5K & 4ks, & I have a light on the dash, which indicates when the fan has been automatically switched on. Without a word of a lie, the fan, rarely comes on. Ocassionally in hot weather, it city traffic, waiting at the lights, it will be activated for a couple of minutes, but as soon as you drive off, within 1-30 sec. it turns off. When I first fitted it, after having driven for years with an engine drive fan, it was noticeable, how much more power was available to drive the car. I'm sure others on this forum, will testify to what I am advising you. Keep us updated. Love the detail & work you are putting into this project. Cheers Banjo

Hi Max, Welcome aboard ! Have you got a Rolla ? Have you ever had a problem with a sterter ? Cheers Banjo

Wheel spacers are very common; & readily available on line; but there are some serious implications if you "go overboard". Are you wanting to put bigger wheeels on, just for "appearance", or are you wanting to do it, as a performance improvement to the car ? Once you start fiddling with the geometry on front suspensions of cars with McPherson struts, then you have to get the geometry right, or you will finish up with "srubbiing" issue with you front tyres. Here is a good article, that describes the implications; with diagrams; much better than I can. https://suspensionsecrets.co.uk/why-you-should-not-fit-wheels-spacers/ Have a read, & if you have any more questions or queries, please come back, & ask them. P.S. I love what some of you Rolla owners do to Corollas in Malaysia. You really worship your cars ! Cheers Banjo

Hi Graeme, Yes you have something there, that could well be the case. All the dizzies that appear on ebay, are titled as being suitable for 3K, 4K, & 5K. The 5K was only used in commerical Toyota, like vans & forklifts etc. They are designed for torque, but can be made to rev well, if given the right curve. I'm a great fan of the 5K, as it is nearly a perfectly "square" engine. I had one in my KE55 coupe for years, & I got it perculating very well. Many of the 5Ks here in Australia had hydraulic valve lifters, & were very reliable. I bought a stripped down 5K a few years ago, for $ 100, from a guy up in Gympie Qld., who had modified it for speedway racing. With good preparation, & balancing, they could easily achieve 8K revs plus. The bottom end of them was almost unbreakable. I know Altezzaclub used to "play" with the springs in dizzies, to change their curve, but there is nothing like a locked up dizzy, using it as a trigger only; & feeding that signal into a progammable ECU, where you can play to your hearts content, with advance & retard curves. Cheers Banjo

I complete concur with Altezzaclub's conclusion that the extra weight in the mass of the double row camshaft sproket & chain, would have little, or no tangible effect on the total rotational mass load on the engine. It's good to hear your fitment of the new chain & sprockets has instantly improved the idling & mid range performance of the engine. It's now simply a matter of finding a way to improve the top end, in that 4500 - 6000 rpm range. Over the years of "playing" with K Series engines, I've changeed a few timining chains & associated sprockets. I've never been able to get a complete kit here in Australia, with all the components you listed, as being in yours. I've always had to purchase them indivually. i did, in recent years replace sprockets & chain on a 5K, & was interested to note that the camshaft sprocket did in fact have three hole in the back sde of it, to fit to the location pin. I had never seen this on any other aftermarket double row sprockets I had purchased previously. I was very tempted to try the alternative position to get the valves to open a little earlier, & see what effect resulted. Hoewever if it didn't work out; & I had to revert to the standard pin position; I would have to go & remove everything again, and changing timing chains & sprockets is an absolute pain, with the engine in situ. There are other simpler ways of maybe improving the top end performance, if it is impeded by something else. The standard ignition coil is well known to drop off it's output at higher revs. If you already have a electronic distributor, it is possibly one with the "ignitor" built in. You could replace your coil with a low impedance "sports type" coil, which will improve the top end performance noticably. You may however find that the electronic dissy you already have; has an ignitor that may struggle to switch the higher primary current of a performance coil. A simple way around that, is to use the existing ignitor in your electronic dissy, switch an external heavy duty ignitor, that will power the sports coil. If that works, & I'm putting myself out there, & saying it will; then you might even be interested in fitting a programable ignition system, which will not only be able to drive the sport ignition coil, but would allow you to map an ignition advance/retard curve perfectly, to give you the best perfomance possible with the engine, as it is. I did that to a 4K engine in my daily runabout years ago, & it works perfectly; & I've never touched it since, as it is totally maintenance free. https://www.rollaclub.com/board/topic/73743-electronic-distributor/?tab=comments#comment-712657 Cheers Banjo

I'm not questioning that you've noticed a difference, in the performance, but there could be a couple of reasons, which may not be related to the timing chain at all. 1. Did you ensure the little location pin between the back of the camshaft sproket & the front of the camshaft was reinstated, when you fitted the sproket to the camshaft ? The crankshaft sproket has a giant keyway, that locates crankshaft pulley & the timing chain sprocket. The camshaft sprocket does not have a key, but a pin, that it relys on totally to lock the camshaft & chain, in the correct position. There have been those on here, that have had this pin shear, with dramatic results. 2. Did you replace the tensioner at the same time, as I assume you had a kit with it in ? 3. It could be that with the sloppy old chain, & a tensioner not working well; that the timing was out enough to effect the performance slightly, as the cam shaft drives both valves & the distrubutor; & hence has a slight effect on the ignition timing. It could be that you have to adjust the ignition timing slightly, in both directions, in increments, & see whether it makes any difference. Have you got a timing light ? That could throw up the fault, as it will indicate, whether the automatic advance/retard mechanism is working OK. Have you got a standard points type distributor ? Maybe it is time to give that an overhaul ? Let's know what you find. Trust this assists. Cheers Banjo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcv5pyXVV1Y I don't think I've ever seen Scotty smile so much ! Enjoy. Cheers Banjo

Hi Graeme, The KE70 is a wee bit easier to remove the starter, as it has a rack & pinion steering; mounted down there behind the front cross member. The earlier KEs have the cross tie rod, & pivot points thereof, which get in the way just a bit. I had to unmount the cross tie rod pivot point on the exhaust side of the car, & pull it down, to be able to remove my KE30 starter. Cheers Banjo

Putting a thermostat in that starts opening at 76 deg C, is not the answer. The engine should run at say 86 - 92 deg C, for best engine operation. That's why Toyota put a 92 deg C thermostat in the engine in the first place. That's why in very cold climates, they block the radiator off, to push the engine & coolant temperatures back up. What part of the world do you live in; & what are the outside abient temperature ranges in Summer & Winter ? Get rid of the kink in the lower radiator hose. Ensure there is no air at all in the coolant system, as described earlier in this thread. If the radiator is new, we can assume it has no crud in it, & is not partially blocked. Does that "blue" aluminium block in the top radiator hose, house the thermo-switch for the electric radiator fan ? That is the right spot ! What are the On & Off switching temperatures for this switch. If it is not a new switch, it might be worth testing it in pot of water on the stove. is there a gap on the LHS of the radiator, as the Honda Civic radiator is narrower, than the original ? If this area is blocked off, it might force more ar through the radiator, but might also restrict air flow to the RHS of the engine, where the exhaust manifold, creates the hottest engine bay temperatures. Let us know what else you find, & whether you can sort this issue out. P.S. Do you have a temperature guage in the car, where you can "watch" the operation of the cooling system. I have one right behind my steering wheel, & it is a wonderful engine monitoring tool. Cheers Banjo

Interesting set of issues. The results you describe are certainly "not normal", & unsustainable, long term. You haven't advised where you are located, & what the ambient temperatures were at the time, that these observations of increased coolant temperatures occurred. If you drive the car at night; when presumably the ambient temperature is lower; does that make any difference ? Prior to changing the radiator ( which I assume was recently), was the engine coolant temperatures normal ? What was the reason for changing the radiator to the Honda Civic radiator, in the first place ? Did you ensure there was no air trapped in the "coolant system", when you first filled up the system, after fitting the new Honda radiator ? If all else is normal, then the answer could well be in the first line of your post. It could well be, there is simply not enough air passing through the radiator. Another question. How long, prior to changing the radiator, did you fit your 4AGE 16V big port engine ? Removing the thermostat permanently, should not be a permanent solution, as it is only "masking" what ever is the underling issue. If you can answer some of my queries above, it may assist getting closer to the cause. However, if the coolant temps were OK, prior to changing the radiator; maybe the quickest way to solve the issue, is to get hold of a new radiator, the same as the one, that was in there previously. P.S. Sometimes a picture tells a thousand words. Maybe if you add a few pics of the radiator & engine setup, it may indicate to some one reading this thread; what the problem is. eg: Maybe the smaller radiator is reducing the amount of air passing around & over the block of the engine, & that is creating a situation, where the engine block is hotter ? Cheers Banjo Cheers Banjo

From my comments in the link, in my previous post to you, regarding removal of the starter motor. A multimeter would help, but even a test lamp, will display a sagging battery voltage, by a dimmer light. Cheers Banjo

Welcome aboard ! That's a bit of a "bummer", first up. Sounds very much like there is something that is dragging the battery voltage down. If that is happening whilst you were driving it; that could well be the reason, why the engine misfired & "running rough" It could well be the starter motor, as a similar thing happened to me recently, which I detailed on Rollaclub. https://www.rollaclub.com/board/topic/82207-4k-corolla-starter-motor-problem/ I would disconnect the battery, & charge it up. Then reinstall the battery but disconnect the large cable to the starter. Then check that any other loads, like radio, or accessories,; lights, or ignition, are not dragging the battery voltage down. If all good, then touch the starter lead to the battery positive terminal, & see if the battery voltage takes a dive downways. If so; then it is definitely time for the starter to come out. It is not that difficult, but with patience; can be removed, without having the drop the exhaust pipe work. Let's know what you discover. Cheers Banjo

Simply Inspirational to all those that tackle long term projects; & for various reasons; never finish them. That will certainly not happen to this project, as it's now 24 months later, & you are undoubtedly more advanced than these pictures indicate. Cheers Banjo

Thanks Sebastian, i've been hanging out for the next episode in your Rolla journey for weeks ! (as I suspect others on here have also) Keep up the good work ! You're an inspiration to all of us, that would not be game to tackle something this epic. I guess once the floor is finished completely, you will be giving it a good coat of that black "mastic" tar like sealant, above & below; to prevent any further rust taking hold, in your good work ? Cheers Banjo

You've done a good job at cleaning the PCB. However, that harness wiring, & plugs look like they have "had a hard life" ! Let's know how you go. P.S. If you are concerned/worried, that you might short the "Check Light" solid state switch, inside the ECU; you could always disconnect the wire on terminal 10, & connect a small watt 12 volt bulb, with the other side to +12 volts; or just use a 12 volt test light/probe. Your "best friend" electrical tool ! Let's know how you go. Cheers Banjo

The full 7KE workshop manual, is available on line. It is described as July 1995, on the cover. The file is about 52Mb, so quite large. It is a bit "grainy", but readable. From my reading thereof, the engine check light is connected to pin 10, of plug/socket E5. E5 is the smaller of the two sockets on the rear of the ECU. I trust that assists. Cheers Banjo

Not familiar specifically with the 7KE hi pressure fuel pump, for an EFI fuel injection, but there are a lot of safety features that turn off high pressure fuel pumps, when they are not required. This is particularly relevant in the case of an accident, or a roll-over, where you certainly wouldn't want raw fuel pumping out, & possibly creating a serious fire. Logically, you wouldn't want a high pressure fuel pump running, when the engine is not running; so maybe that's the way the 7KE ECU is designed. Others may be able to add to this. P.S. You maybe interested to read this info regarding the 7KE on this sites Wiki, which I'm sure you could find useful. https://www.rollaclub.com/wiki/index.php?title=Tech:Engine/K_Series/EFI Cheers Banjo

A credit to you Russell, for keeping it so clean & neat. One thing puzzles me. I love the alloy radiator, & I assume, maybe you have ditched the mechanical radiator fan, & have fitted an electric thermostatically controlled fan. However, I cannot see any plastic ties through the radiator core, which is the common way of mounting them, on the engine side of the radiator core. However, I can see a bit of a black plastic cowelling, which may house an electric fan ? Looks very big ! Enlighten me please. Cheers Banjo

Well, all good now, & the Rolla is mobile again. It was just a case of the commutator section of the starter "collapsing". Nothing externally, caused this fault. Just olde age ! I did pull the "spare starter" I had, apart, before installing it. I cleaned up the commutator with some 2000 grit emery paper, & also greased & oiled it, in the appropriate places, & "shinnied up" all the electrical connection points. A quick test with the starter in a bench vice, with a battery & a couple of pieces of appropriate thickness wire is always a good idea, as it removes the need to remove & reinstall it, a second time, if you put it in, & it still has issues. Most people removed the exhaust piping under the exhaust manifold, to get access, to remove the starter. This can be a pain, because the threads on pipe flange to manifold, usually need a few hours of WD40, before they will move without issues. I decided to see if I could get it out, from under the car, without removing the exhaust piping. It is possible, but is a tight squeeze. The obstacle is the long cross tie rod on the steering. I found if I removed the two (2) mounting bracket bolts on the passengers side, securing the steering pivot assembly; & pull it downwards, it creates that little more room, to allow the starter to come out or in. Some have commented, that the operation of the starter is a little more involved, than what most people would believe it does. The following extract from a Gregorys manual I have here, explains it well. Even the solenoid operation is a bit more involved. Reference to the starter schematic below, indicates that the solenoid has two parallel windings. The "operate/pull-in winding" draws more current, & power, than the 'hold-in winding", as more "force" is required, to engage the pinion with the flywheel ring gear quickly. Once the pinion is engaged, it requires a smaller amount of power to hold the solenoid in position (hold-in winding). When the solenoid operates; at the end of it's travel, it closes the large contacts, that feed 12 volts to the starter motor windings. However, these contacts closing, also short out the "operate/pull-in winding', so only the "hold-in winding" is left energized. I believe in some very early Corollas, the starter solenoid, was directly powered through the ignition switch in the start position. As this current is fairly high, & the ignition barrel switch is a distance from the starter; the addition of a start relay, close to the starter, makes a lot of sense, reducing considerably the current passing through the ignition "start" switch contacts. Ignition barrel switch replacement can be a horrible job, as they are designed specifically, to be very, very difficult to remove. (hacksaw blade without handle, a very large blade screwdriver, & about 40 minutes of swearing, if I remember last time I had to swap a barrel out) Cheers Banjo

Here is a link to a page where Toyota's use of NE & G signals are explained. https://www.toyotaguru.us/engine-control-systems/ne-signal-and-g-signal-1.html Cheers Banjo

I gather that the "Suzuki Samurai"attracts a lot of upgrades, using different engines, fitted to them; all with more torque that the original Suzuki engine. I presume your Samurai, is one of them. Some good videos on the net, showing their off road clearance & abilities. The 7KE had the best torque output of any of the K Series engines. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLUGYr8KRc4 I would imagine, if the 1.8 litre 7KE was fitted by others, to your Suzuki, that they mated is engine wiring, into the Suzuki original loom, or simply, built a new wiring harness from scratch. I would suggest that you get hold of the 7KE wiring diagram, which appears to be available on line. The 7KE ECUs are still available on ebay, but you'd certainly be better served, getting hold of an aftermarket MegaSquirt, of Speeduino, etc. as a kit & build it yourself. Lots of fun ! So have you actually had your 7KE engine running, or are you trying to get it going ? What's the engines history ? Where are you located ? There is some ECU pin-out info on RollaClub at the following link. https://www.rollaclub.com/board/topic/52562-7ke-pinout-drawing/#entry535781 Also a bit of stuff, on the Club K website, also. Cheers Banjo

You can download the 7KE manual on line, in a pdf format at https://www.academia.edu/31028809/Toyota_7K_Engine_Repair_Manual I would assume that one temp sensor is for the dash temp guage, & the other is fed to the very basic ECU that the 7KE engine had. The thermostatic valve will probably connect to the dissy vacuum advance bellows to assist timing emissions requirements, until coolant temperature has reached temperature. Good luck getting the original ecu to work properly. Best option, would probably be to "ditch" the original olde factory ecu, & fit an aftermarket programable ecu. What sort of vehicle is your 7KE fitted to ? Cheers Banjo

Hi Keith, I think you are spot on. That is the same conclusion I came to yesterday, after delving into it a bit more. You will see from the pics below, once I "hammered" the armature out of the casing, that the enclosed area of the armature appears fairly contained. I'd agree, that probably a dislodged commutator segment, caused all that havoc. I'll put another starter in this afternoon, & will hopefully have my Rolla down off ramps, by dusk ! Cheers Banjo

Dissembled the solenoid this afternoon; half expecting to see the contacts inside the solenoid, to be welded together; or at least showing indication of burning & sticking. Imagine, my surprise, when the all the contacts involved it the solenoid, had no "welding" or indication of sticking. The solenoid was very smooth in it's action. I referred to a Gregory's KE Series manual, & it describes the Bosch starter motor as having a clutch built into the pinion arrangement, so that if the ignition key was held in the "start" position, after the engine had started, that the pinion could not drive the starter motor. My starter is a Nippondenso, so I looked closely at it; & it also has the same type clutch arrangement. I tested the clutch, & it was performing perfectly. This sort of blew my theory out of the water, that the pinion was stuck, & driving the starter motor at revs it couldn't withstand, & destroyed itself. I then got a big soft hammer, & drove the damaged armature out of the starter body. With the armature, separated from the starter housing, it was very easy to see what had occurred. Basically the commutator, where the brushes press up against; had broken down, and all those chunks & bits of broken copper were what remained of the commutator. It's such a mess, that it is hard to tell, how the commutator broke up. Suffice to say, I'm pretty sure there is nothing "external", that has caused this issue; so I'll go ahead, & fit a spare starter motor I have here. Starter motors fitted to K series motors have a hard & unloved life. Living there, just under the exhaust manifold, they are subjected to lots of heat, & can't readily be inspected, unless removed; which I previous advised, is a bit difficult. It would be a very wise move, if you ever have your manifolds off, to simply remove the starter, remove the cover & see what state the commutator & brushes are in. Cheers Banjo

Hi Si, Yes I remember the video in The Hoonicorn vs The World series, on Utube. I quickly looked at it again, when the 4 Rotor had it's first run, & you can clearly see them in the engine bay shot. However, they didn't work; because the 4 Rotor lost it's "engine bonnet/cover, in the very first run. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8_2rWB5vRw Cheers Banjo