Banjo

Hi Paul, Agree with Colin totally. Having driven Rollas for 20+ years, I've had 3k, 4K, & 5K engines in my Rollas at different times. They were in combination, with an auto; & 4 speed & 5 speed gear boxes. The 5K engine, in combination with a 5 speed gearbox, plus a 3.89 ratio diff, is simply the very best setup, without doing the twin overhead cam & Nissan engine swaps. The only thing that came slightly close to it, was the 4K-U version of the 4K engine, which pumped out more HP than any of the other more common 4K-C engines. I recently bought a 5K engine, that had been retired from speedway racing, for $ 100. I've only recently stripped it, & am always amazed how strong the bottom end of these engines are. Just balance them, & they'll spin at high revs all day, without a whimper. Cheers Banjo

Hi Lewis, Plenty of stuff on the net, regarding fitting fog lights to Corollas. https://www.toyotanation.com/threads/factory-style-fog-wiring.1673247/ You can also get the actual fog light switch on line, with plug & wire tails, that just plugs into your dash/facia, in place of the little blanking piece. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000188196228.html?src=google&albch=shopping&acnt=494-037-6276&isdl=y&slnk=&plac=&mtctp=&albbt=Google_7_shopping&aff_platform=google&aff_short_key=UneMJZVf&&albagn=888888&albcp=9604210690&albag=100463787298&trgt=296904913880&crea=en4000188196228&netw=u&device=c&albpg=296904913880&albpd=en4000188196228&gclid=CjwKCAiAtK79BRAIEiwA4OskBoyZRHSciKJdBNOMQA2rrsv65IXKrlS99FnPuuyEQbJPOSniZzr5zxoC9JoQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds You might need the changeover relay also. Hopefully, if you've found the wiring already exists, it is just a case of adding lights, switch, & relay. Hope that assists. Cheers Banjo

Hi Misael, Love it ! Invariably, behind every old car, still "percolating", there is a story. Thanks for letting us know. You certainly are a "lucky buyer". Keep us up to date, on what you find with your routine servicing of the "cooling system". Cheers Banjo

Hey Misael, I stopped your video, & tried to read the mileage travelled on your car. It looks like it is somewhere between 83-84K miles total. As the meter only reads to 99,999 before it rolls over, do you think your 79 Rolla is still on it's first round of the meter ? If it is, then by my arithmetic, your 41 year olde car, has only done approximately 2050 miles per year, or 3,300 klms per year. If it is on the second time around, then those figures would still be, only 4,500 miles per year, or 7,200 klms per year. That is truly remarkable. Cheers Banjo

That is absolutely brilliant Pete ! I saved your pic, rotated it 90 degrees, & read it by enlarging it. It is full of beautiful phrases. "The choke is a typical piece of Japanese ingenuity: Instead of a pull out knob, you slide a lever recessed into the facia." Cheers Banjo P.S. If I've got the time in the next 24 hours, I might transcribe the complete review.

Hi Jake, Agree with everything Pete has mentioned above. I've always found the number one culprit; & first thing to wear out, are the bushes in the idler arm bracket, on the opposite side to the steering box. Very cheap & easy to replace. The other thing, to consider is the balance of the two front wheels, in particular. They are very critical, particularly in vehicles, like our Rollas, that use the McPherson configuration. I've had numerous cars, over the years, which had McPherson type front suspensions, which have all had "wobble" problems at a particular speed, similar in range, to what you have described. It just appears to me over the years, that the geometry & design of the McPherson arrangement, has very low tolerance to small amounts of "out of balance", of the front wheels. This problem can be exacerbated, by fitting wider rims, or messing around with the "geometry" of the front end. eg: My KE30 Rolla, has a set of Pirelli Cinturators all around. I've found them over the years to be a great all-rounder, in both wet & dry, & extremely good wearing life. However, when the Rolla has been sitting in the garage, on a concrete floor, for a few days, it will always wobble badly for the first few of klms, of driving. It them stops & doesn't return on that trip. I've had the front wheels rebalanced in days gone by, & it made no difference. My theory, is that when the car sits on a hard surface for several days, the tyre distorts, & basically gets a couple of flats on them. After driving a couple of klms, the tyre warms up, & the centrifugal forces of the wheel spinning, removes the imbalance & the flats. Cheers Banjo

Hi Misael, That is beautiful ! I'm sitting here at my desk, & have just watched your 2 videos, twice, while having a coffee. I've now got to wipe my desk; not because I spilled my coffee; but because I've "droooled" so much over your car. That is in incredibly good condition. Orginal paint, & that dashboard top appears not to even have a crack in it. Lots of very jealous guys here viewing your Rolla. Good luck with it, once you get it home, & put a spanner to it. Keep in touch. Cheers Banjo

Hi Paul, As the 5K engine is a transplant in your new KE11-SL, have you been given any idea from the previous owner, what the history of the 5K is ? Is it original ? Has it ever been overhauled ? How many klms it has on it. Do you live in S.E. Qld ? They are a great transplant for any 3K or 4K, in a Rolla, as they rev more freely, being nearly perfectly square, & have that better torque at the low end. Cheers Banjo

Hi Paul, Welcome aboard. Hope we can assist you. I was able to run your audio file, but it was general engine noise; not that tick/tick tappet noise. Your best friend when chasing & isolating engine noises, is an automotive stethoscope. They have the advantage that they block out a lot of the "background" noise, and amplify the sound at the point on the engine where the tip of the probe is. They are less the $ 12 on ebay, with free postage. I swear by them. I have a 5K with hydraulic lifters, that had something similar to what you are describing. Being hydraulic, the lifters rely on oil pressure passing from the block to the lifter, through quite small oil holes. The problem is that if the engine has been sitting for a long time, the oil & sludge harden up, & the holes get smaller, & the hydraulic lifters don't pump up enough, to reduce the tappet clearance to zero. A common finding is that when the engine has run a while, & the oil becomes thinner, when it is easier for the oil to get into the lifter. A common example of this, is a 5K sounding like a bucket of bolts, when you start it up cold, but slowly quietens down after 5-10 minutes. The diesel & kero solution, could work, but a better way is to whip the head off. Lift out all the hydraulic followers (& keep them numbered in order, so they return to the same spot). Then you can take the little spring out of the bottom, & clean them out totally, paying attention to the tiny little oil feed holes in the wall of the lifter. While you have the rocker gear off, it is an ideal time to reface the rocker area, where it wipes across the valve stem. Even a fine sanding disk on a drill can assist in this action. I've even heard of people that have put up with the noisy hydraulic / tappet noise, for a couple of weeks, only to have them all progressively improve. There are those on here who have replaced the hydraulic lifters with solid ones, (landcruiser I think)& put adjustable rockers in. However, after saying that, none of the 3 x 5Ks that I have had, ever gave me any tappet noise problems, once I had cleaned the oil ways out. Where are you located ? If you are in Brissy, you can PM me, & come around, & we'll run my stethoscope over your engine. Cheers Banjo

Hi Luca, Here's one that popped straight up. It's for auto to manual conversion, but covers all the basics, & includes some pics. https://www.rollaclub.com/board/topic/58879-how-to-convert-an-auto-to-a-manual-ke70/?tab=comments#comment-59079 https://www.rollaclub.com/board/topic/32023-auto-to-man-ke30-advice/?tab=comments#comment-358122 I'm sure I put a post when I did mine, so have a look under my postings. Cheers Banjo

Hi Luca, There are pros & cons to what you are considering. Pros: K50 box from a KE70 is your simplest & best option, as your KE38 is already manual. K50 box from a KE70, has the gearstick further back. K50 box from a KE55 has gearstick in same position as your K40 box. Plenty of threads on this forum, regarding change over. Cons: Good K50 (from KE70) gearboxes are getting hard to find, & most are getting "long in the tooth". (no pun intended) You'll need to cut hole in the tunnel, for if you use K50 box from a KE70. You'll need rear gearbox mount & support, as well. Parts for them are now scarce, including bearings. Conclusion: I did a K50 from KE70 conversion to my KE30 2 door years ago. It was originally a 3 speed auto, so involved pedal box as well. What you are considering is fairly easy, as there is no hydraulic clutch mod required. If you are going to thrash the 5 speed box, then the k50 will suffer. However, my K50 was popped in, without overhaul, & I don't thrash it, but give it plenty of stick, & it has been as reliable as ever. P.S. If you do get a K50, then minimum you should replace is the rear prop shaft oil seal. Cheers Banjo

Hi Jack, No, I haven't progressed with the A/C addition to my KE30. I suspect, that taking the dash out, & getting at the heater box, & modifying it, is going to be the real challenge. Horrible getting in there, when you are relatively long. Have pinched the mounting points on the front LH bottom corner, of the block, where the A/C mounts, for a trigger wheel Hall Sensor mount. Might have to move that to somewhere else, before the A/C project progresses. Found an alternative ! On hot steamy days, I just borrow my daughters Toyota Echo which has A/C. Cheers Banjo

Thank you for that. That will make it easier, when I do the 'inquisitive kid" thing, & pull it all to pieces, to "see how it works". http://mazdaepc.com/parts/121/AEDA03/C2/1364/ Just looking through that parts list, it has all the necessary sensors to hook up to an ECU. Air flow Sensor P/N 13210B Throttle Position sensor P/N 189101 Idle Solenoid P/N 13XKX Looking promising for a 3K / 4K Aisin standard carby upgrade. Cheers Banjo

Well, after all this time, I finally have come across one of these Mazda 121 single injector carbies. It should be here in the next few days, so I'll pull it to pieces, see how it ticks, & see whether it really is an easy task to adapt it to the K series inlet manifold. Cheers Banjo

Oh yeah ! They can get extremely blocked, particularly towards the rear of the block & head, where flow rates drop. Very early head gaskets for the K series engines, had coolant holes that perfectly matched the flow-thro matching coolant holes in the block & head. Later head gaskets, from several manufacturers, blocked flow-thro holes in the head gasket around cylinders 1 & 2, to force the flow from block to head, to only occur at the rear two cylinders. This was an attempt to assist the issues with higher temps at the back of the engine & head. In Misael's case, if the coolant system, hasn't had a lot of attention for a long time, and there isn't the opportunity to do a complete strip down, I would suggest. 1. Remove the radiator. 2. Remove top & bottom radiator hoses. 3. Turn off the heater water cock. It wouldn't be needed in Arizona, me thinks. 4. Remove thermostat. 5. With a hose, with as much pressure as possible, flush the system out. First in one direction, & then in the other. 6. Like wise flush out the radiator, by it self; again, in both directions. 7. When all signs of colour & debri in the water disappear, reassemble the complete coolant system. 8. Fill the system with clean water, & make sure there are no air locks left in the system. 9. Get hold a good coolant passage "cleaner additive" & add to the coolant, & drive car for a week or upto 1000 klms. 10. Remove hoses & drain & flush again. 11. If the coolant system corrosion is very bad, then you might have to repeat 4-10 again for another week. 12. When the system is nice & clean, add a high performance, high temperature coolant liquid, & it should be good for a number of years. After doing this exercise, be aware there is always the possibility of welch plugs breaking through, where heavy rust on the rear (where you can't see it) has been diminished by the chemical cleaning process. It is important, when doing this exercise, that hoses are removed, The regular drain holes in the bottom of the radiator, & the front of the block, are too small to allow all the larger bits of crud that get released, to pass out of the system. P.S. If the system is very badly corroded, then remove water pump & have a look inside. If it is very bad, or there is noticeable movement or noise from its bearing, then replace water pump. Sounds like a lot of mucking around, but if done properly, your engine will love you. Cheers Banjo

Hi Misael, Your link works fine ! The thermostats don't appear to be very expensive on-line there in the USA, so go for it. Make sure you order a Hi-Flow model, as you live in Arizona, & make sure you get the exact model thermostat, that will fit your particular Toyota 2TC engine. P.S. No question is regarded as being "dumb", on this forum. We are all learning, every day. Cheers Banjo

Thermostats are easy to remove & test. Put it in a saucepan on the stove, & heat the water up from cold, until is just starts to boil. If you suspend it, in the saucepan, you can clearly watch it open. If that works OK, that's one thing to tick off your list. The thermostat it such a relatively inexpensive replacement part, that many people, including myself, just replace them, every 3-5 years, as a matter of course, & upgrade to one of the Hi Flow models. Cheers Banjo

Hi Misael, Altezzaclub's comment . . . . is an important one. The obstruction in water jackets in the block & head, severely hinder coolant movement, from getting to where it needs to be, around the cylinder walls. A good professional engine builder, will always remove all welch plugs, and chemically & pressure cleanout all the "crud", inside. I make it a rule, to always knock out the welch plugs, & clean out the "inner sanctums" of the block, when I have a block out on the bench. Most manufacturers use steel welch plugs, usually zinc plated. However, even the zinc plated plugs eventually rust. I've been amazed often, that an apparently good looking welch plug, can be incredibly thin, with corrosion, from the rear. To assist in removing a welch plug, I have always drilled a hole through the middle, or hit in the middle, to release a bit of pressure on the welch plug walls. The number of times, the drill or punch, has just broken through easily, has enforced my views on this subject. When replacing welch plugs, I always use brass ones. They don't rust or corrode as easily. Factories use zinc plated steel, because they cost slightly less, & they freeze them, before insertion, to achieve a tighter grip. Many object that the softer brass ones, don't have as much holding tension. However, if brass welch plugs are used, with a good quality hardening sealer, designed for this application, then that is the way to go. The other consideration is the way you install the plug. The very best way, is to use a correct size dolly, that allows you to tap in the plug, on the outer edge. Most engines suffer from unequal cylinder wall temperatures. The coolant flow entering & exiting the block/head at the front, usually results in the rear cylinders always running hotter. Unfortunately, the lower flows at the rear, result in more crud building up at the back of the engine. In our K series engines, it is easy to have coolant temps at no: 4, being up to 15 deg C, higher than those at no: 1. K series owners, will attest to this, with many experiencing, the plate on the back of the head, rusting out. I've taken these plates off previously, & it was totally blocked behind it, with crud & corrosion. I've fitted a coolant outlet to the plate at the back of my engine, & externally returned the coolant to the thermostat housing at the front of the engine. It lowered the differential coolant temp, between front & rear of the head, to just a few degrees C. Cheers Banjo

Hi Misael, Woo ! 110+ F for 50 consecutive days. I know Arizona is a hot state, but that's pretty extreme. That's why I asked. Here in Australia, in the interior desert areas, we have similar places with records like that. I once worked at a place in Western Australia, (Marble Bar) before Australia went "metric" to Celcius, where it held the Australian record for 100 consecutive days, with the temperature never dropping below 100 deg F. night & day. Coolant/engine temps are a very misunderstood parameter. Engines are designed, such that the block in particular, is held at a reasonably narrow ideal temperature range, to allow all clearance dimensions to be, "as designed". If an engine runs at temps for prolonged periods, either above or below this band (typically 175 - 195 F / 80 - 90 C) then there are consequences. That's why it is important, that an engine warms up quickly, before you put it to work. One of the real reasons, taxis get such very long engine lives, is that typically, they never get cold, as typically three drivers doing 3 off 8 hour shifts, results in the taxi, never getting cold. Coolant systems often get neglected, but attention to all the components of the coolant system, I mentioned earlier, are important. When we are working with engines as old as our Rolla engines are, especially with cast iron, & alloy components, the problem of coolant passage corrosion can be severe. The best thing you could possible do to your Rolla, is replace the original brass/copper radiator with a aftermarket 2 core aluminum one. Here in Australia, they are freely available on ebay, at around AUD 200+. https://www.ebay.com.au/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2380057.m570.l1313&_nkw=corolla+KE+radiator&_sacat=0 I presume you have access to something similar in the USA. If not, then find a late model aluminum radiator, that fits, from another younger car. Toyota/Nissan/Mitsi The efficiency of an aluminum alloy radiator, (in terms of removing heat) compared to the OEM originals, is like chalk & cheese. One of the best things I ever modified on my 43 year olde Rolla was fit an aluminum radiator. The second best thing I did, was get rid of the mechanically driven fan, that sucks so much power from the engine, & fit a thermofan. If you can find a late model radiator, from another car, that already has an integral thermofan, then you have "killed two birds, with one stone", so to speak. Cheers Banjo

Hi Misael, Is your current coolant system setup over heating, or losing water ? Have you done all the regular coolant system maintenance, like replace thermostat & radiator cap ? Has the radiator core been cleaned professionally ? Changed coolant completely ? Checked water pump, fan belt, or replaced ? Has there been any performance mods been carried out on your 2TC, that may have added heat load to the coolant cooling system ? If all above has been carried out, & you still have issues, a 3 core aluminum radiator with an aftermarket thermofan, will greatly help. How hot does it get to in the area/location in Arizona, where you use your Rolla ? Cheers Banjo

I think the 7K dizzy body was slightly larger in diameter, than the one for the 5K, but the ignitor & VR sensor are the same. Both engines made for commercial vehicles, so the advance / retard curves would be very similar. http://jp-carparts.com/toyota/partlist.php?maker=toyota&type=651150&cartype=100&fig=1902 I think I might have a 7K body floating around in the shed. I'll take a look. Toyota used both Bosch & Denso dizzies, & the Bosch was the bigger of the two. If your dizzy is cactus, don't throw it away. Fit an Accuspark Hall trigger / ignitor pack, & you'll have a great setup. Good idea, to strip out the mounting plate, inside the dizzy first, & see what state the centifugal advance bob weights & springs are in. Cheers Banjo

Hi Dave, There was a good discussion about this subject, here on Rollaclub, some (10) years ago. https://www.rollaclub.com/board/topic/42941-how-to-wire-a-5k-electronic-distributor/ The Yellow Bible (Toyota factory Manual) advises that the total primary resistance, should be about 1.9 ohms. Just don't use one of the very low ohm hi energy coils, or you run the risk of burning out the inbuilt ignitor in the dizzy. I've run a coil with 1.6 ohm primary for many years, with my 5K electronic dizzy, & never had an issue. Even if you do lose an ignitor, don't throw away the dizzy, as it is a simple job, to remove the ignitor, & bring the variable Reluctance (VR) two (2) wires out, & feed into a Bosch external ignitor, (P/N BIM024) designed for VR triggering. Actually, there was a good how-to on Toymods, on this subject at https://www.toymods.org.au/forums/threads/24609-Converting-to-a-Bosch-Ignition-Module-(Reluctor-Dizzys) Cheers Banjo

That's Great ! Wonderful to think there are still Rolla lovers out there, searching posts from 13 years ago, that are still relevant, & assisting them. Cheers Banjo

Hi Pete, I came across this one on ebay this morning. A 52mm fuel guage @ universal sender unit for just $ 23.00. Free postage. It might take a couple of weeks to get here, but at that price, even if you only used the sender unit, it is a bargain. ebay Listing for Fuel Guage & Sender Unit At that price, it is worth grabbing one, just to experiment with. Cheers Banjo

Mad Europeans ! But I want to see it in action. Think this entrant, makes an entrance, about half way through this video. Mad ! Mad ! Mad ! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxlFvwsLAXM Cheers Banjo