Banjo

I also had to think about that one ! Most commercial auto tachometers are impulse type, & pickup the pulsing signal, derived from the collapsing field of the ignition coil. This pickup point is usually the negative side of the coil, although in modern cars with an ECU, this signal might come directly from the ECU. Depending on whether your engine is 4, 6, or 8 cylinders, the number of pulses created in 2 revolutions of the crankshaft, is therefore 4, 6, or 8 pulses. All multipurpose commercial tachos, usually have a "cylinder selection switch" on the rear, so the meter can be scaled appropriately. In our 4 cylinder Rollas, the points open & close 4 times, for each rotation of the distributor, which is 1:1 ratio with the camshaft. As the fuel pump lobe only "opens & closes" once per camshaft revolution, then 4 "distributor points" operations would have occurred in the same period of time. As the tacho I hook my synch pulser up to, would only receive 1 pulse instead of 4, in the same time period, I would expect the rpm, to be 1/4 of what the engine rpm actually is. If I've got that wrong somehow, I'll soon find out, as soon as I hook it up. Cheers Banjo

All input trigger, teeth, & synch are critical in an electronic ignition system, but none more so than the synch pulse, as it is the starting point, for setting the sequence & start of the other pulses being counted. Although the synch pulse sensor I created on the timing case cover, with a rare earth magnet, attached to the camshaft sprocket, worked perfectly, I was not happy at all with the amount of work required to install this sensor. Simply put, the timing chain cover has to come off, which can be a frustrating job, if the engine is still in the car, and even if the engine is out, usually means removal of the sump. The whole idea of this project, if it was successful, was that it could be replicated, by anyone, wanting to rid their K Series Rolla of its distributor & points, without any great heartache. My first thought was to pick up this pulse from the camshaft lobe for the fuel pump. Sounded simple ! Replace the fuel pump with an electric one, which worked perfectly. $ 12.00 on ebay, with free postage. Fashion a blanking plate to cover the opening in the block for the fuel pump. Check to see whether a Hall Effect proximity switch mounted through the blanking plate, could pick up the fuel pump lobe on the camshaft. Well it didn’t - reliably. The reason was that the lobe is pretty much a circular, offset from the centre of the camshaft, so didn’t have a sudden on & off, cycle, as you would obtain with a “pointier” lobe of say, a valve camshaft lobe. So I sleep on it, & came up with the idea of reinstating the fuel pump body but “gutting” its internals, and fitting a Hall Effect proximity switch though the lid, sensing a small “button” type rare earth magnet, attached to the centre top of the diaphragm. The casing for the Proximity Switch is a threaded tube, so it would easy to move it up & down to obtain a point, where its ability to produce a pulse was ultra reliable. So here is the finished product. Some of the mechanical fuel pumps used on K Series Rollas, were a sealed unit, which don’t lend themselves to being modified. However, on my shelf, I found a olde dicast fuel pump, which was perfect. You can still purchase these dicast type on ebay. It had a lid, valve section, & an actuator body, in three (3) separate parts. I removed the lid, & middle section, leaving the base & diaphragm intact. I punched out the valves in the mid-section, & then “gutted” the dicast framework for the two valves with a rotary carbide cutter, which took about 30 minutes. I then drilled a 12mm dia hole in the middle of the lid, to take the sensor. I tried several 10mm dia. circular rare earth magnets, but only needed a very thin one, 2mm in depth. This attached itself magnetically to the centre top of the diaphragm. However, I noted the metal centre of the diaphragm was slightly domed. I then removed the diaphragm, & filed the centre piece completely flat. I then reattached the magnet, simply using the magnetic attraction, although intending to Araldite it in place if it all worked. All reassembled, it worked perfectly. I screwed the sensor in, & stopped when the indicator LED on the rear of the sensor was “On” permanently. I then marked the adjusting nut, & rotated it slowly outwards, so that the proximity switch cam away from the magnet (greater air gap). 1.5 turns later, the pulsing stopped altogether (LED Off). I then turned the adjust ¾ of a turn, until the proximity switch was in the midway position, & it is running perfectly, over the full rev range. I was so carried away with how well it worked, I had forgotten to Araldite the magnet in place. I removed the lid to glue said magnet, & it had not moved at all, probably because being so thin; it didn’t have too much mass, & those rare earth magnets are so strong. I will now convert my daily drive KE30 to electric fuel pump, & substitute this Synch Pulser into my car, & give it a good thrashing for a week, to make sure the design is robust. The synch pulser I fitted to the camshaft timing chain sprocket was adjustable, as to where it produced the pulse in the 720 degrees of a full engine 4 stroke cycle. However, using the fuel pump lobe, I didn’t have that luxury. I checked it with the degree wheel on the flywheel, & the synch pulse is produced 71 degrees BTDC No: 1 cylinder, which would make it perfect for other ECUs, that “require” the synch pulse to appear prior to cylinder no: 1 TDC. So after I run it for a week, on my daily, I let you know how it went. I’ll just hook it up to a tacho, & it should read the actual engine revs, divided by 4. Cheers Banjo

There are plenty of posts on this site regarding rewires, with lots of useful info. Just search "rewire" or similar. I rewired my KE30 corolla completely, forward of the rear engine bay firewall. Probably the best thing I ever did. Also did the same with all rear lights. https://www.rollaclub.com/board/topic/65882-after-market-ke-light-column-switch/ The Toyota factory body manuals, usually have diagrams of the individual circuits, which are much easier to follow, than those "rats nest" wiring diagrams, you get in most car manuals. The advantage with rewiring from scratch is that you can increase the wire guage & reduce length of circuit path, which ultimately results in less voltage drop issues, & "BRIGHTER LIGHTS" ! Usually, up under the dash is OK, as it is all protected. Adding extra fuses also helps, as Toyota used to often feed several circuits from the one fuse, to keep down the fuse count, which can be confusing. Any specific help you need, just give us a yell. Altezzaclub on this forum, is a wiz on breaking down auto circuits, & issues, so search some of his posts. Cheers Banjo

Heavens Jeremy; you've got good eyes. Either that, or you saved the photo, then blew up that particular area, in a vieiwer software ?

The first number & letter of the engines serial number is the series of the K motor. 2KXXX 3KXXX 4KXXX 5KXXX 7KXXX The serial number is on the side of the block back from the dizzy.

Hi Pete, I guess you watch this video then, every night before going off into Toyota dreamland ? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ltBcBxJ9tQ Cheers Banjo

Hi Glenn, I think the bulb you are after in the "wedge" or "T10" type glass bulb, which are widely available. They come in 5 watt & 10 watt versions, & lots of LED versions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoWU4_Qmeyg Because you are using one in a blinker, you should go for a filament type, rather than the very low current LED ones, as the current of blinker bulbs determines the flash rate of your blinkers. However, you could probably get away with an LED one, as you still have two other filament bulbs on that blinker circuit, all in parallel. Lots on ebay, & very cheap, with free postage. Hope that assists. Cheers Banjo

Hi Glenn, I didn't know there was a indicator / blinker on the top of the guard of a KE35 Coupe ? Are you sure you don't mean the indicator / blinker on the outside of the guard ? If so, I'm sure those bulbs are available. I'll nip outside to the shed & have a look. Cheers Banjo

Hi Francisco, Have you found that elusive 15 degree difference you discovered, that wasn't there initially ? This is a bit like a murder mystery. i can't wait to find out what/who is the culprit. Did you rotate the engine to TDC No: 1 cylinder exactly, then lift the dizzy cap, & see at what part of the rotor outer end brass arc, the dizzy cap post for No: 1 spark plug was pointing to ? As you've got a points dizzy, you should also be able to visually see where the lobe & points are positioned at TDC. P.S. I always place a white mark, on the bottom base of dizzy, dead opposite No: 1 spark plug lead post. That way, when you can take the cap off, to look at the rotor position, you have a reference mark directly below it. Good luck ! Cheers Banjo

Just got an email from TechnoToyTuning this morning, for their BlackFriday sale. On their Instagram site, is a picture of a Te37 / SR5 that lobbed up at one of the meets they were at. Oh, they were an awsome looking, classic, aggressive looking coupe ! Or this one ! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvT8PQTBuRk If you like Levins, then this vid is a good way to enjoy a cup of coffee & relax, . . . and dream ! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7csP_Nq1eG4 Cheers Banjo

Hi Alon, If you are into the bare metal look; then if you haven't watched this very olde MCM video, you should. Only if . . . . . what not to do ! MCM VW Golf Bare Metal Project Cheers Banjo

Welcome Aboard ! We like Liteaces ! They have 5K engines in them ! Where are you located ? Cheers Banjo

What a weekend ! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ld_-6JitVyE Some of those camera men have nerves of steel; or are very trusting !

I did a bit of cleaning up, on the collector area, as suggested, & although not using the tie wire, I did make a triangle, using the Bunnings stainless steel ties, which are heaps better than those supplied with the heat tape. I had so much tape left over, I even lagged the front box, just because I had it. Always hard to know how much tape you need, if you've never done it before. For those interested, I ordered 15m of 50mm wide tape. With all that pipe depicted below wrapped, with a generous overlay, I still had 4.5 meters left over. Cheers Banjo

Did your KENT vernier large timing chain sprocket look something like this, or was it one with an off-set pin for adjustment ?

From your latest test, I can pretty safely say, the issue is one of "timing". All you have to do is find where the timing error lies. There are really only two places. The timing chain & sprockets, or the dizzy alignment with the camshaft centre gear. Do you mean by above that the dots on the two sprockets, were both on the outside, & aligned with a line passing through the centres of crankshaft & camshaft ? Even one chain link out in this area, can cause havoc. Was there any special instructions that came with the Kent camshaft ? With the keyway in the crankshaft vertical, at the top, that is at TDC for no 1 & No 4 cylinders. Interested to find out where the error lies. Cheers Banjo

I think you have found your problem. In my last post I said, "it may well be too advanced" Do you know how to make a TDC piston stop tool, & find true TDC ? Plenty of details on the net, with videos. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PD0ZRc7Dy28 I made one out of an old spark plug. What brand of duplex timing chain did you use ? The small sprocket is keyed to the crankshaft, but the large upper sprocket is aligned with a pin that comes out of the front end of the camshaft. Some vernier type TC sprockets have a number of holes, set distances, either side of the TDC location hole, to advance or retard the valve openings. Are you sure a pin locator was used. It sounds like the top sprocket might have moved/rotated slightly. After determining the true TDC, with the piston stop tool, you may find that the timing chain cover, is going to have to come off, to see where the issue really is. When you assembled the engine, before fitting the head, did you bring the cylinders 1 & 4 to the top of the block, & check that the crankshaft pulley timing mark aligned with the markings on the timing chain case. Is there any chance you used a timing chain cover from a different K series engine ? Their timing marks are not all in the same place. I think you are close to finding the issue, but as we are not in Portugal, it's you who will have to try out all these suggestions. P.S. I was so hoping, the problem would be the dizzy out one tooth, as that is so easy to fix. Cheers Banjo

Hi Austin, I have very good news for you. The KE30 auto console perfectly suites the manual conversion. I think I remember cutting away, just the barest amount of plastic. I'll take a pic of mine tomorrow, & post it in your post here. Cheers Banjo

So how was the WRC at Coffs Harbour ?

Is the roughness at the higher revs, or over the whole range ? Have you looked at the possibility that the dizzy is out one tooth. Very easy to do, & does often provide a symptoms like you describe. What type of Toyota dizzy are you currently using. Points, Reluctor, electronic ignitor ? Is this roughness the kind when you are missing one spark plug lead, or is it a shaking kind of roughness ? The first one is like a hiccup every now & again, where the second one has the engine rocking erratically on it's mounts. I know you realise, that once you put a 290 deg cam in the 5K, you will never get the smooth idle you enjoyed with a standard curve. That is the trade off; but I gather, what you are seeing is a lot worst than that. Get that timing light working. They can often tell you a lot, just by observing what the flashes are doing. It may well be too advanced, but the timing light will uncover that. Cheers Banjo

Hi Austin, I have a 2 door KE30 that came from factory with 2 speed auto & Jap diff. I did the KE70 5 speed conversion, & it worked perfectly, with the original auto tail shaft. However, you might want to go B/W diff, as the original auto diff, will probably be a 1.43:1 ratio, & you might like sometime a bit taller like 4.11:1 or even 3.89:1, if you can get one. With the B/W diff you will require a different tailshaft, as the tailshaft/diff flanges are different. This Ke70 5 speed mod does however require the following. Opening up the hole in the "tunnel" a bit at the rear end. Acquiring a manual pedal box. Acquiring a manual clutch cable. Bypassing the auto park switch, which stopped it from starting. Best mod you'll probably ever do to your Rolla. Cheers Banjo

Hi Francisco, Always a bit of a nervous time, when you start up an engine for the first time, especially when you have put so much time & effort, & money into it. Look at it on the bright side. It does start & run, despite the running being rough. All we have to do is now find out why it is running, below your expectations, & rough. The audio is a bit poor, as you mentioned, so that doesn't give us a lot of clues.I'm going to fire a whole lot of questions to you, & after we have your answers, we might be in a better place to offer valid suggestions. 1. Did you assemble the engine, or was it put together by the people that did the machining ? 2 Was the engine checked with a degree wheel, after assembly, by you or others, to ensure the valve timing was correct ? 3. I presume you replaced the original single timing chain, with a duplex, which has a vernier adjustment ? If so, what was the vernier initially set at ? 0 degrees ? 4. Does the engine feel, or sound like it is starving for fuel ? 5. Is the engine now in the car, with a gearbox on, or on a test stand ? 6. Have you got a timing light, that you can check the timing & advance ? 7. Without spark plugs in, is the engine very tight to turn over ? 8. Have you got an oil pressure guage attached to the engine ? 9. In the video, were you revving the engine, or was it surging like that all by itself, with a static throttle setting ? Fire us back some answers, & we'll go from there. P.S. My first best guess is that the dizzy, has been installed 1 tooth out, & the rotor arc'd end is running out of lining up with the distributor cap posts, inside the cap. At the higher revs, it could be causing it to feel like it is running on 3 cylinders. If one cylinder was dead, & it was only running on 3, it would show up instantly on the plugs, which I guess, are all brand new. Cheers Banjo

Hi Johno, Welcome aboard ! Which suburb are you located in, in Brisbane ? There are a number of members in Brisbane, who would be willing to give it the "once over", & get you started, in the right direction. Is that a picture of the car you are buying ? It looks more like a KE55 that a KE30, but does look very clean, & unmolested, as you say. How many klms are on the speedo ? Let us know. Cheers Banjo

Hi Michalis, Off memory, the JAP 4.31:1 ratio diff was fitted to Corollas with auto transmission. Manual transmission models, were often fitted with 4.11:1 ratio diffs. The 3.89:1 ratio diffs were not fitted to any Corollas as standard, from memory. However, I am led to believe, that the Datsun 1200 & 120Y series, used the 3.89:1 ratio diffs, of the same origin as Toyota, & that if you can get hold of a 3.89:1 crown wheel & pinion set new, a good diff reconditioning company should be able to swap them over, & lap them in for you. A lot od Datsun 1200 utes had 3.89:1 ratio diffs. Others on this forum may be able to confirm or correct my thoughts, as I haven't actually done it myself, but I do have it on my "bucket list", as I have a KE30 with a 1.43:1 ration diff in it, that I would love to fit a 1.389:1 diff into it. Here is a listing I found, that has a number of 3.89:1 & 3.9:1 ratio diffs http://www.difflap.com.au/ratios/gearratios_ad.htm Cheers Banjo

Excellent work ! Ideal placement up in that back RH corner, but then with the Nissan in the bay, there ain't too many other places you could put it. I put my commercial aluminium catch can in a similar area. Works well ! Nik of "Project Binky" would be proud of you. Did you make a cardboard cut out, & use it as a test box, to make sure it fitted in the space OK ? That's what Project Binky do all the time. http://www.badobsessionmotorsport.co.uk/project-binky-episode-13/ Cheers Banjo