Banjo

Has anyone ever used one of these crankshaft pulley trigger wheels, available on ebay Australia, from a seller in Victoria ? They are specifically made for 3K 4K engines. Listing on ebay, indicates they have other tooth patterns available, beside the 12 - 1 one depicted here. https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Toyota-K-Motor-12-1T-Crank-Trigger-Wheel-3K-4K-5K-12-1-Tooth-EFI-Corolla-Starlet/114155439025?hash=item1a9431c3b1:g:UaYAAOSwHwRedLXC Really interested in the quality of them ? Price is OK. Cheers Banjo

I plotted out the results on a bit of graph paper, to see what the linearity was like. As the last 8 litres of the capacity of the tank is not usable, I have made that point 0% full. If the linearity was perfect, then the spacings along the red line, of the LED switching points, between 0% & 100%, would be equally spaced. It was never going to be perfect, as the positioning of the reed switches inside the vertical Stainless steel tube, are not equally spaced, as depicted by the bits of tape I stuck on the tube, at the point, where the switches actually switched. The spacing between LEDs 4 & 5, & LEDs 7 & 8 switching on, are a bit wider than the others. The switching points, right at the bottom & right at the top, are a little close together. I could also not utilise switching points no: 2 & no: 13, which would linearise it a little better, & just use two less LEDs. So I think, I might just pop it all in the car, & drive it around for a couple of weeks, or a few tank fulls, & see what it "feels like", in practice. It's got to be better than the original needle gauge on my KE30, & much more reliable. Cheers Banjo

Hi Dave, Your comment reminds me of an event, in my early life at high school. There were some boys in another much higher grade, that were already into cars. I was still very much into push bikes. The word got around that they were going to be doing something in a local quarry, with one of their cars. Me & a mate hid in the bushes, & after about an hour, they turned up in an "olde" English car. I think it was a Rover or something like that. It looked a bit like this . . . It had a very long bonnet, off memory. We expected they were going to do crazy driving stunts, in the dirt in the quarry. We were wrong. They wanted to see an engine blow up ! They opened the bonnet, & started it up, & then placed a large rock on the accelerator pedal, so it was flat to the floor. It screamed, & screamed, & they ran away from it, to a safe distance, where presumably, they hoped to get a great visual of this engine flying to pieces, with rods coming out through the side of the block. Well, they waited, as did we hidden, & it just sat there & screamed, with no load on it. After about 20-30 mins, it started to smoke a bit, but never blew up. We learned much later, that they had also drained the oil from the sump, to ensure it seized & exploded. It didn't, & the true story is, they apparently, returned to the quarry, the next day, with some more fuel, & drove it home. Cheers Banjo

In most automotive electrical installations, the frame or chassis of the car, is connected to the negative (-ve) terminal of the battery, and most 12 volt devices, complete their circuit, by one connection/wire of the device, connecting to the chassis. All lights, horn, radio, & instruments, work exactly the same way. That's why the earth connection between the chassis & the battery (-ve) terminal is so important. Most, if not all of us, have experienced dim lights, or poorly performing electrical items, as a result of poor earth connections. This is also applicable to instruments. The fuel tank sender, is such a device. It has a relatively low resistance; it's at the rear of the vehicle (long wire run); It uses only one wire to the sensor, with the chassis, being the return path. In the electronic LED fuel guage design, I have built, I have eliminated the ground connection to the sensor altogether, so that, poor earth connections, will never effect it. The design provides a constant current to the sensor, rather than a voltage. The constant current, through the fuel level sensor resistance, will produce a stable voltage that is fed back to the meter behind the dash, via a two wire circuit. The lowest voltage of the sensor output, is also elevated slightly above ground/earth/chassis potential. It works extremely well. Unfortunately, this technique, cannot be applied to other standard automotive sensors like water temp sensors, as there is only one wire to them, & the return path, is via the engine block, as the sensor's screwed mounting, is the return connection. However, I have in the past, taken a standard water temp sensor, drilled out the existing sensor element, & then glued into the hole, another NTC thermistor temp sensor with two (2) wires, neither of which, is connected to the chassis. I've just come across a diagram, on the net, that depicts how the internals of these fuel level sensors work. It appears it is a set of magnetic reed switches, that switch a string of resistances, in & out of the circuit. I've also come across a Chinese supplier, that produces these same fuel level sensors, with a 4-20mA DC current, rather than a resistance output. I image, it is still a switched output, so maybe it goes from 4 to 20mA, in 1mA steps. I'll drop them a line, & see what they say. There is a nice one pictured there, that combines sensor, breather & pick-up pipe, complete with filter, all in one assembly. Would lve to get hold of one of them. Cheers Banjo

Hi Caleb, Here's a link, where you can do a bit of research on KE70 diff options. https://www.rollaclub.com/board/topic/55039-ke70-borg-warner-diff/ Cheers Banjo

If it is not a rude question, Mr P; where is the battery located ? I think I can see a battery terminal lead, sort of hanging around there, up near the thermostat cover, on the engine, but can't actually see where there is any place to locate the battery itself. Maybe in the boot ? Cheers Banjo

Enjoyable Read & Pics http://www.speedhunters.com/2012/05/car-feature-chuck-wades-te27-corolla/ Cheers Banjo

Another even cheaper, & maybe easier way to fit the Tridon switch to control your thermo-fan, would be to simply drill a hole in the top of the existing aluminium thermostat cover, where the top hose attaches, & thread it, to take the Tridon switch directly. I did this on my 4K engine, as depicted below, & it has been working perfectly for years. There is even a K Series thermostat cover, that has a threaded hole in the top of this cover, for a sensor or valve, but I've only ever seen one, in all my years playing with Rollas. There is a Toyota thermostat housing cover from an 18R motor, which were fitted to Celica RA23s through to RA40s, which had a threaded hole. I've never seen one of these in the flesh, to see if it would fit the K series motor, or whether, the spout would point in the approximately required direction. Cheers Banjo

Good luck ! I'd be interested to hear if it works. My only initial reaction would be that you are not going to derive a very big "charged air" temperature drop, across the inter-cooler, with it tucked up there, out of the direct "ram flow" air stream, with one surface so close to the bonnet. Cheers Banjo

Yeah that is the way to go ! I have used these before, & they work a treat. I used one to measure the temperature drop across the radiator, on my engine on the test stand. I already had a sensor at the top of the radiator, near the thermostat, so just needed a point on the lower outlet side of the radiator, so just cut the hose as shown. I think the one to suit your application is the 34mm one. Pretty sure the top & bottom hoses are both the exact same size. Remove top hose & check before ordering. I think the Tridon 90-95 deg switch has two (2) insulated terminals, & won't be an issue. However, when using these "hose adaptors" to mount a temperature sensor, you have to be aware that the adaptor itself, is one connection, but it is isolated from the chassis earth/ground, as it is insulated by a piece of rubber hose on both ends. Hence why there is a black wire in the pic above, to ground the aluminium adaptor to the chassis. Cheers Banjo

Hi Caleb, OK ! I was guessing there was a thermofan, but like Altezzaclub, could not see a switch, to automatically turn it on & off, because it is near the dashboard, & only manually switched apparently. Here is an easy way to fit one, except instead of using it to fit a temperature sensor, you will use the adaptor to fit a Tridon thermofan high temp switch. Have a look at this video, which would work well, with your existing top hose. You can buy those adaptors on ebay, quite cheaply. https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=X1J_SgpgV68 Here's another link, about thermofans & controlling them, which might be of interest to you. https://www.rollaclub.com/board/topic/75038-cooling-system-issue/page/2/#comments Cheers Banjo

Welcome Aboard ! Where are you located ? In Australia, most KE55s already have disk brakes fitted on the front wheels, with drums on the rear. The rear drums on the KE30s & earlier models than the KE55, had 7 inch drums, off memory, but the KE55 had 9 inch drums. I've got a reconditioned BW rear end out of a KE55, already sitting in my garage, awaiting yours truly to swap it into my KE30. It has 9 inch drums. There are numerous ways you can upgrade the front rotors & calipers. If you search this forum, you'll find several suggestions, which often include replacing the front struts. If you like to take a couple of pics of your front & rear brakes, with the wheels off, we might be able to give you a few ideas, if what exists is stock standard originals. P.S. To be honest, most would agree that good brakes were not one of early Corollas great features. However, there are plenty of ways you can improve them, depending on how much you are prepared to spend. Fitting disks to the rear end is usually not feasible, unless you change out the whole rear end, for something that already has disk brakes. Unfortunately, that usually results in shortening the rear end width, which can be expensive, as it has to be done professionally. Cheers Banjo

Hi Caleb, After downloading the pic of your engine bay, & rotating it 90 deg C, so I didn't get a crink in my neck, I can see what you mean, about being "throw together". Nice big aluminium radiator & thermofan, I guess. Lots of extra wires draped around here & there, & all that spaghetti junction small rubber hoses around the carburetor, for all the California emission control stuff. (That's what the C in 4KC stands for) I'd get rid of all that eventually, as when it gets that old, it usually don't work any longer. The rear gearbox rubber mount, are a known point to fail, as they usually get a good covering of oil, from the rear of the gearbox. Have seen them come away from the mounting metal, & also "shear" right through the rubber. Easy to repair. Just hold the gearbox up with a jack, & remove rear gearbox support cross member, complete with mount. The front engine mount of the carby side, is also usually, the one that will fail. It is close to the exhaust pipe, & if the heat shield protector has fallen off, it gets exposed to the exhaust heat, & the rubber breaks down. Easy to replace, without removing the engine. Like Big G advised. A good 30 minutes, with some degreaser spray & a brush, should clean the engine itself up, so any leaks get exposed. Front wheel bearings, are likewise, very easy to replace. Cheers Banjo

We'll some days, you have a win; & yesterday was one of them. My careful testing, was not too scientific, or in a laboratory, but it worked. It took over an hour to do this simple test, as the water had to be added a litre at a time, so that the water trickled into the tank, & didn't cause any "waves', or create disruption of the water level surface. The results of the test were very encouraging, although I won't be able to use all 14 off switched level point in the sensor, as the lowest one, is below the point, where fuel can be sucked out by the pump. I could possibly lower the pick up point a bit, but think, I'll just stick with 13 switch points rather than the 14 available. I don't specifically know how these sensors work, but it appears to be a number of magnetically switched reed switches, which are basically equally, distributed up the length of the vertical tube. I believe a little magnet, in the float, probably switches each one in turn. The results are in the table above. I will now draw a graph of with the capacity & LED switching points, overlaying them, & see how much non linearity there is. Here is the LED Bar-O-Graph, indicating about half way through the test. I was pleasantly surprised, that the two top LED & switching points arrived, before the tank filled. As soon the last top LED illuminated, at 57.5 litres, I stopped filling. I then took the central pick up assembly out, & believe it or not, the water level was less than 1 cm below the top of the tank. I carefully added more water, & after half a litre the tank was just over flowing. The positioning of the top , or highest switching point, is nearly perfect. It also indicates the tank is closer to 60 litres than I thought. The useful capacity of the tank with the standard pick up point, is about 47.5 litre, or 45 litres, if you want to avoid running out of petrol. I was so pleased with the way the electronics worked, I added a couple more inputs. One was an input from the parking or head light circuits, that dims the LEDs for night driving,, so they are not too bright, or distracting. The other input was a need to disable the "damping function", of the sampling. The last thing you want is the bar-o-graph LEDs, blinking on & off, as the fuel sloshes around in the tank. By taking several readings, say 1 minute apart, averaging those, say every 5 minutes, then updating the LEDs, results in a very stable display. However, if you are testing, as I have been, I need instant updates of the LED display, so can now switch between instant & delayed response. I actually ran out of I/O on the 18 pin micro I was using, but have just received a slightly bigger one with 20 pins & subsequently a bit more I/O capacity. I will put this "rats nest" on a PCB now, transpose the code across to the bigger micro, & might actually put the tank in my KE30, & drive it around for a couple of weeks, or tank fulls, to see how it performs in practice. I'll then pull, it out, & put the submersible hi-pressure EFI pump in the tank. I'll come back & update this once I checked the linearisation, but based on what I've seen, it's not too far out. Cheers Banjo

Here's my tuppence worth of advice Rob. By "internal circuit breaker", do you mean one that is built into the MIG welder itself, or the one in your switchboard ? A circuit breaker, is basically an isolator switch, but also acts as an automatic fuse if the current (amperes) being drawn, exceed the rating of the switch. A RCD is a totally different device, that prevents electrocution, by comparing the current going into the device, on the active wire, to the current coming out, on the neutral wire. If it differs by more than about 30mA, (30 thousandths of 1 ampere), then it automatically trips. 30mA through the body across the heart area, can kill you. Basically, if there is less coming back out the neutral, the missing current is leaking to earth. That's why some refer to RCDs as "earth leakage detectors". If it is the RCD switch that is tripping, do not use it, until it has been "meggered" & tested by an electrician. Often in workshop equipment, & particularly welders, on which there are lots of air flow slots, the inside electrics get covered with rubbish, which can often create a leakage path to the frame or ground of the welder. Have it checked out please. Cheers Banjo

Hi Caleb, Well, at least you live in "the right state", & the Sunny Coast, is even better. Which area ? I know there a couple of guys on here around Caloundra. There are few members up there, so hopefully, one of them may respond. Photos of your engine bay would be good, or a particular item or part, you are concerned about. There are those on here, that can spot things, that are "out of place", very quickly. Keep firing away with questions or queries. There aren't too many "aging issues" with these olde Corollas, we haven't already come across, addressed, or have the solution to fixing them. Good luck ! Cheers Banjo.

Hi Caleb, Welcome aboard ! Totally agree with Altezzaclub, that your immediate, & most pressing problem, is probably starter motor related. However, that does not necessarily indicate that by inference, that the starter motor is faulty. The starter motor is the one electric item in your KE70, that draws more power & amperes, than any other piece of electrical equipment. Any connections at both the battery terminals, or the main earth connection to the chassis, are known places, where you could get large voltage drops, whilst trying to start the car. I would have hoped that the Battery World guy would have checked & inspected those, but you never know. So before you do anything else, one thing you can do immediately, with few tools, is remove battery terminals, & any high current lead connections, between the battery & the starter motor, & clean them all with a wire brush, until there are no signs of corrosion, which can appear as a fine white power, or a "bluey" gunk. Does the car in general & engine bay, look like it has been neglected ? When the car runs, & is driving, how is it's performance ? Is it relatively smooth to drive ? A car of this age, which is a new acquisition, usual requires a complete check over, of fuel, electric, & engine conditions, even if it appears to be going reasonably well. Where are you located ? There may well be a forum member, close to you, who would be welcome to give it the "once over", and assist. If you happened to be in Brissy, then, I'd only be too happy, to have a look, if you brought the car around. Luckily, the 4KC was one of the most popular & reliable of all the K series engines, & there are still plenty of spares available. They are also very easy to work on. Cheers Banjo

No, if the standard fuel sender unit, read the last 10 litres, then the float would have to be below the bottom end of the fuel pick up point, & therefore you would run out of petrol, before the guage actually got to minimum. My 1974 KE30 has a separate fuel guage sender unit at the end of the tank. The tank I am using is out of my deceased KE55 Coupe. It has the sender unit, in the centre, as part & parcel of the pickup point assembly. I have had that unit out of the tank, & when the float is hanging at minimum, the float is slightly higher than the bottom of the pickup point, as it should be. P.S. Already got a "nice chunky wooden one". It is my cheese board. Luckily, my wife drives a Corolla also, albeit, a bit younger than my KE30. Cheers Banjo

Update on this little project, which was interrupted by work commitments. The circuit I designed around a microprocessor, plus one of those multi_LED stack barograph thingies worked well. I set it up on my tank test stand, & slowly added, 1 litre at a time of water down the tank inlet, with a plastic funnel attached. 1 litre plastic jug, with markings, (courtesy of wife’s kitchen cooking cupboard), provided accuracy. I also replaced the normal fuel pickup assembly, & fitted a bit of fuel hose, so I could blow down it, after emptying each 1 litre jug of water. Once the water level reaches the tip of the pickup pipe, you can hear the bubbles. When it covers the pickup point, you know, because you can suck on the tube, & the water comes up. Well, that revealed my first lesson. The bottom two (2) switches of the fuel level sensor, had already illuminated the first two LEDs, before the water level was over the bottom tip of the pickup tube. So that limited me to only using 12 off the switches in the fuel level sensor, with 14 off switches. It also revealed that there are approximately 8-10 litres of fuel, left in the bottom of the tank, when you finally splutter & pull over on the side of the road, when the engine runs out of petrol. Initial thought was . . . I will have to get hold of a shorter level sensor. (There was a 250 mm one listed on ebay, identical to the 350mm I have. So I continued to add 1 litre at a time, & the LEDs progressively lit up, until the very last LED was illuminated. By this time I had filled the tank with approximately 48 litres of water. However, the tank was not full, as when I removed the fuel pick up assembly, I could see the level of the water, was below the top of the tank. I continued to add my 1 litre jugs of water, & can report that the tank was full, with a total of 55 litres of water. That seemed to add up, as when I fill my Rolla, it always takes a bout 38-40 litres, (depending how close to dead empty it is) So 55 litres less the 10 you can’t use, is 45 litres. That means when I fill up, there is still about 5-7 litres left, before the engine would have stopped. So I’ve got a fuel sender, with 14 off level switches, the bottom two of which can’t be used, & the top two trigger/switch, before the tank is full. It then occurred to me, that if I retained the level sensor I have, but lifted it up vertically, it may solve the issue. All it involved was to build a little plastic mounting block for the sensor, sited on the top of the tank, that would lift it up vertically, so hopefully, at least one of the bottom switches could be used, & that the top two, could indicate right up to full tank. So back to wife’s kitchen cupboard to cut three (3) x 100mm square pieces of plastic, out of her bread-board, which I then drilled & cut, using the level sensor top plate as a template. Pictures below, show what it finished up looking like, when mounted to the tank. So tomorrow, will be the big test, when I borrow my wife's 1 litre jug again, & we will see if this theory, works out in practice. Cheers Banjo P.S. Sorry, got to rush now, & get to the shop, before it closes, & grab a new bread board, before my wife returns home.

And here is me thinking, that's why we are always trying to make our Rollas go faster . . . . . . . . . . . . so we could catch some ? Bugga ! Talking Oils: I had a look at links in Papa's post, & came across the following product, which is an oil filter magnetic separator, that sits between the existing screw on filter, & the base. I am quite aware of magnetic particle collection, & have had a rare earth magnet, glued into my 4K & 5K sump plugs for several years. It works a treat, & I am always amazed each oil change, how fine the magnetic pieces are, that it catches/attracts. However, I've never come across this particular product. It has a whopping magnet inside it, & apparently lasts for maybe 100k klms. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4vW4XHBvGU It is even available on ebay. Has anyone ever used one ? Would fit easily on the K Series engine, me thinks ?. Cheers Banjo

Looks like Altezzaclub, & I have posted the same info, at the same time.

OK Papa, Glad to be of assistance. I have a "yellow bible", Toyota Factory manual in front of me, which covers all the K series engines, from 2K to 5KC. The valve clearances & torque settings are the same for all K Series engines, except the 5K & 5KC. The 4K manual Altezzaclub has offered you, will cover the info you need for the 3K. Oil Pump: Tip Clearance: STD 0.0016" - 0.0063" LIMIT: 0.008" Side Clearance: STD 0.0012" - 0.0035" LIMIT: 0.0059" Body Clearance: STD 0.0039" - 0.0063" LIMIT 0.008" ___________________________________________________________ Torques: 1: Rod Caps: 29-37 ft/lbs 2: Main Bearings: 40-47 ft/lbs 3: Head Bolts: 40-47 ft/lbs 4: Exhaust Manifold: 15-21 ft/lbs _____________________________________________________________ Valve Clearances: HOT: Inlet: 0.008" Exhaust: 0.012" COLD: Inlet: 0.005" Exhaust: 0.009" ___________________________________________________________ That means, nearly all the white metal has been worn away. If they are standard ones (not oversize), & you can't obtain new ones, then I would use the best bearings shells from both motors. If they are really worn, & you still have to use them, you could use the "olde mechanics trick", of putting one or more Tally-Ho tabacco papers, under the slipper bearing, to lift them up. This usually requires filing the ends of the bearing slippers slightly, so has to be done carefully. I've never done it myself, but remember in my youth, watching my then girlfriends Dad carry this procedure out, on a very old flat head straight 8 cylinder Packard engine. It took him all day ! Give us a yell, if there is any other info you need. Cheers Banjo

Hi Papa, As you have both oil pumps out, take off the bottom pickup plates on each, & check & compare clearances between the tips of the "star" rotors & the casing around them. Off memory the base plate wears badly, so pick & use the one with the least indent wear. The pressure bypass spring loaded valve in the oil pump, can be packed, to increase spring pressure, & therefore pressure at which the bypass opens. Someone on this forum here, has previously described what thickness is required. Think it was 3mm off hand, but don't quote me. Unfortunately, the oil pumps are throwaway, once they wear out. Plenty available on-line, & pretty cheap here in our part of the world. If I am rebuilding an engine's bottom end, a new oil pump is essential, but I guess in this case, this very old engine hardly demands it, unless, the oil pump turns out to be the root cause of this engines issues. Cheers Banjo

Good point ! There is a oil filter suitable for the K series engine that is used by Mercedes Benz. It's identical, except it has all the valves in it, to stop oil draining, through the bearings, when the engine is cooling down. I've got one on my 4KU. Works a treat. It has the numbers 423 in it's P/N off memory. I'll go take a look at it, & confirm, & see if I can find the Mercedes number, so you could cross reference it with oil filter suppliers you have there in Costa Rica. My research shows this oil filter, suitable for your friend's 3K engine, was fitted to Mercedes Benz models 260, 260E, 180E, 190E, 220E, 230E, & 300E. Here is the Australian made one I use. https://rycofilters.com.au/catalogue/part/index/part/Z423 There was a lively discussion about this topic several years ago here on Rollaclub. https://www.rollaclub.com/board/topic/73606-addressing-low-oil-pressure/?tab=comments#comment-711458 Cheers Banjo

Have you changed your battery lately, or completely disconnected it. The auto settings might need resetting. Easy to do. Just open & close the window with your finger permanently on the button, but hold it there for 10 seconds, after it has closed or opened. Also could be a window motor on the way out. Apparently they do fail. Plenty of videos & advice on the net. Just search Toyota Power Window Reset https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uECJ8TSwRJ4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-x7C6rkLAN8 Let us know how you go, & whether that advice assists you. Cheers Banjo