Banjo

That can't be right Keith ! Their ICE toys don't use much "juice" ! Foot Note: This guy just needs to get to get to work quickly, & has found a way to go clear through all that traffic . . . . . literately ! Cheers Banjo

Keith, I heard the other day, that there are about 1000 SmartPhones a day, in Australia that "generate" ! Generate lots of anguish, when you drop them ! Cheers Banjo

When cars (horseless carriages) first appeared they were very, very dangerous ! There were even protests. "It used to be that in Britain the speed limit was 2 miles per hour in the city and "horseless carriages" had to be preceded by a man walking with a red flag." We'll get used to EVs, with their incredible acceleration, but we will miss that burble out the exhaust pipe. There was an EV racing car at the Leyburn Sprints last month. It was awesome to witness it's acceleration, but you couldn't hear it. How many people are going to get run over by EVs because they didn't hear them coming ? Cheers Banjo

Hi Dave, Agree totally ! Your comment above reminded me of pictures still taken in eastern Europe. Maybe this is how all olde KEs will see there last days out, when we run out of power to drive our EVs, and go "full circle" again ! Maybe Irokin will just have to add another Forum Area on the Rollaclub website called KE EV CONVERSIONS Cheers Banjo

With the head long rush world wide to introduce EV cars, with the talk of . . . . 1. Lower safety standards to get EVs up & established quicker. 2. Talk of relaxed driving licences (because you won't need to drive it). 3. Complete banning of ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) cars by as early as 2025-2030 in some countries. 4. Phasing out of ICE cars over time, by many other countries. . . . . . I was feeling a bit despondent, that it is going to be up to us Rolla owners, to make sure that the last ICE car to ever drive this planet, will be a KE Corolla. (Big Responsibility) So I was delighted to read the excellent editorial by Nicholas Vinen, in the Sept 2017 edition of Silicon Chip, who put it all in perspective. As usual, it has not been thought through practically at all, & there is hope for us all. If you don't get Silicon Chip, you can read the editorial here on SC's website. http://www.siliconchip.com.au/Issue/2017/September/Editorial+Viewpoint%3A+A+rapid+shift+to+electric+vehicles+could+be+disastrous?res=nonflash Cheers Banjo Long Live the KE

Hi Guys & Gals, These tubes have been reported on here as being very very expensive, if you buy them from Toyota, if they still have them available. Came across these aftermarket ones on ebay out of Thailand. http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/ALUMINUM-SPARK-PLUG-TUBE-FITFOR-3K-ENGINE-TOYOTA-COROLLA-KE20-KE25-KE26-KE30-/152578244696?hash=item23865f4058:g:4PMAAOSwYHxWLPlu I checked with the seller overnight to see whether the price quoted is for 1 off or a set of four (4) as depicted. The seller has come back and advised the price is for 4 off, complete with the oil seal rubber ring. Has any one purchased & used these aftermarket ones previously ? Interested in the quality. Any feedback welcomed. Cheers Banjo

Hi Frank, Picture No: 2 is the end of the assembly with the nylon gear therein. If you undo that single 10mm bolt in the picture, the whole assembly will just slide out. With the assembly removed, you should be able to look into the round hole, with a torch, & see the worm gear on the output shaft, that you have highlighted in the parts listing. I sounds like someone has maybe previously forgotten to refit the worm gear, when the gearbox was reassembled previously. Cheers Banjo.

Hi Frank, You can probably determine whether the speedo cable gear is missing, without getting under the car. Simply lift the bonnet. Grab hold of the speedo cable, & run you hand down it as far as it will go. Give the cable a good shake & tug. If it is "terminated" in the gearbox, then it is more than likely that it has the nylon gear assembly. If the cable comes away or is free, then it is probably missing. I doubt it is missing, as without the nylon gear assembly, there would be a serious oil leak, unless the resultant hole had been plugged somehow. I think you mechanic would have checked this all out, & would have told you, if the nylon gear assembly was missing. He would have to have removed it, & looked down the empty hole, to see that the worm gear inside had not been fitted at some time. Cheers Banjo

Hi Neil, Yes, they did make a rear louvre for the KE55 Coupe. However, unless you could find a NOS one somewhere, or someone whose got one tucked away in a garage somewhere unused, I think you're chances of getting a brand new one are pretty slim. The genuine Aunger ones were extremely good, and were very hardy. However, if they have been left out in the weather for a long time, they will become brittle. I have a second hand one here, that came off my KE55 couple that went to Corolla Cancer Heaven recently. I'm was going to photograph it this coming weekend, & put it up for sale, as it is in excellent condition. I have a KE30 2 door now, & would really like an Aunger one to fit it. I was prepared to swap this one, for a KE30 one, or sell this one to fund the purchase of a KE30 2 door one. I have all the glass adhesive mounts for it also. Have a look at the Parts For Sales section next weekend. P.S. Re the pin stripe repair. I like people with a "Sense of Humour" ! Cheers Banjo

Hi Frank, I was thinking you were probably missing the piece that inserts from the outside that has a nylon gear & drives off the worm gear you have highlighted. Do you have the press in assembly, with nylon gear, into which the speedo cable is inserted ? Cheers Banjo

Is the 5 speed GB from a KE55 or from a KE70, with the gearstick back further, which would require the tunnel hole to have been extended back a bit ? Cheers Banjo

It could well be the flasher unit, which looks like a relay, & usually resides down behind removable the kick plate, adjacent to the drivers right foot. (that is if you reside in Australia) However, as the light bulbs's load actually determines the flasher rate, there could be a number of other things, that could stop it flashing. I suggest removing all six (6) bulbs & testing them individually, to make sure they all work properly. Clean their bayonets up, & the socket, before refitting the bulbs. Make sure that all bulbs are the correct size & Watts rating. Also look under the steering column, & make sure none of the electrical plugs or sockets, have come loose. Don't replace the bulbs with LED ones ! If all that looks & tests OK, then you will need a test lamp & a wiring diagram to work through, to work out where the issue is. Check earthing of the flasher unit. P.S. If you are pretty sure it might be the flasher unit, the best way would be to "borrow" one from a known working Rolla, & substitute it for yours. Cheers Banjo

Very Good Point ! Cheers Banjo

Hi Keith, "Now add an auto gearbox torque converter hooked up with water piped through a valve and calibrated for bhp as it pumps the water round and round!" My ultimate goal is to build something I can place on the rear end of the test bed, so that I can suitably load on the engine, to set parameters & settings under load. At present it is all done on the road, on steep hills. I've laid awake at night & dreamed of all sorts of things, that could economically & simply built & implemented. I've though of a generator with a dummy resistive load. A large water pump circulating water, that could be throttled, except the pump would probably just cavitate. I've never considered the torque converter idea. Not sure whether it would provide enough load. You might like to expand your thoughts on this, as I really want to ultimately build some sort of engine dyno load thingy. Any suggestions welcome ! Cheers Banjo

Hi Bruce, "What's the piece cut out of the bellhousing for? Can see the ring gear." The gearbox in the photo is gutted & completely empty. It's just there for mounting purposes. The little rectangular hole in the bell housing, is from an earlier experiment where I was using a Hall Effect detector to trigger off two (2) rare earth magnets, mounted in holes in the flywheel, 180 deg apart exactly, for a waste spark arrangement, which worked well. I even was using it for detecting the teeth on the flywheel at one stage, so the ECU could always know exactly where the crankshaft was. I've experimented with all kinds of triggering over the years, as I have found that K series engines, in standard format, have a lot more to give, if they are timed & tuned properly, with a more accurate & aggressive advance curve. The Japanese, were very conservative with their designs 40+ years ago, and didn't need or want lots of initial warranty claims, so basically over designed the engines, & detuned them. This is borne out by the fact that "worked" K series engines can produce at least 3 x their original HP, with the same bottom end. This is why K series engines are so reliable. Anyway, after all this experimenting, I'm now ready to do a full distributorless sequential firing ignition system with COPs, off an 1NZFE Toyota engine, and a full sequential EFI injection, based around the 7K inlet manifold. Cheers Banjo

Here's a test bed I knocked up in a day recently, to mount my 5K engine on, to do some COPs mods/experiments. I was going to sit it on the engine test bed / frame I made years ago, but it's got a 4K EFI engine conversion on it at present, & I didn't want to really undo all the plumbing etc. I recently purchased an olde ride-on lawnmower, which I only wanted for the good Briggs & Stratton engine therein. I was intending to dump the mower frame, but thought, maybe I could attach the 5K to it. It would also allow me, to wheel the whole thing around, as I only have 2 car bays in my shed, & our 2 cars should be parked there each night. Anyway, it fitted perfectly, and is so easy to work on, as everything is accessible & it is all at working height. Thought I'd throw it up, as someone else on here might want to build a simple test frame. Here is a few more shots of it, if anyone's interested. https://1drv.ms/f/s!AhTw-QJW1b_6iCOx7jZvpWJvbGuU My wife came home from shopping & thought I had gone stark raving mad. She really thought I was fitting a Rolla motor to a lawnmower, as her first question was . . . "Where are you going to sit ?" Cheers Banjo

Wow that's a good site Pete ! Will book mark that. Never ceases to amaze me why manufacturers change the dimensions of automotive glass by just a mm or so, between models of the same series . The olde FJ Landcruiser with the simple flat windscreen glass, was a classic case. I've seen them fall out, because a slightly smaller windscreen was fitted, because the right one wasn't quickly available. Cheers Banjo

Hi Jake, As the alternator you changed the "brushes" on, has no internal regulator, whatever is causing the alternator to not charge the battery, could be the alternator, the external regulator, a fuse, or a fan belt, or maybe even wiring coming loose. Like last time, first you've go to check everything visually, & then work your way through each item/component that is part of the "charging circuit". If nothing is visually obvious, then, I'd take the alternator off again, & make sure the brushes aren't the culprit again. Cheers Banjo

Hi Madelaine, From your posts regarding your car back in July, in the Electrical Section, you thought you had a starter issue. I gather the new starter you purchased removed that issue, & the KE30 now starts OK, but won't start or run, unless you manually fill the carby bowl with fuel. You said previously, that the fuel pump was working, as it was delivering fuel to the carby inlet. (presumably when you disconnected the inlet pipe) If that is still the case, then the cause could well be, that the fuel can't enter the carby, because the very very fine fuel filter in the inlet to the carby is blocked. This filter is not visible, & many don't even know that it is there. You have to take the top/lid off the carby. Remove the float, & needle carefully, making sure not to lose the tiny spring. Then take a spanner, & remove the brass seat assembly. Once this is out, you can then see the filter, which looks like a very small sewing thimble in shape, attached to the brass seat assembly. Clean this thoroughly with carby & throttle cleaner, until it is perfectly clean, & offers no resistance when you blow through it. Cheers Banjo

No, I didn't enter. I'm just an avid spectator ! It's just a great atmosphere, & so well run. Everyone mingles, & you can walk through all the pits & talk to everyone about their pride & joys. Just have a look at the comments on their Facebook page. Everyone says I'm coming back next year. http://www.leyburnmotorsprints.com.au/ https://www.facebook.com/leyburnsprints/ The only things that "bang your doors" are the hay bales, if you drift too wide, or get up on two wheels. This year funds were being raised for the local school. $ 5.00 per ticket. Two draws with the winners getting a quick lap as a passenger of the circuit. The drivers really turn it on, and to see the faces of the winners, when they alight at the finish line is a sight to behold. A mixture of fear & joy that they are still alive ! This video was taken a few years ago. Think Mike was frightening a quick lap winner. Lots of competitors had their Go Pros on. Recommend the weekend to anyone ! Cheers Banjo

The "block drain" LittleRedSpirit is referring to above, is a long hexagon tube type fitting, on K series motors, screwed directly into the block, just below the water pump, at the very front of the engine. It has a bolt head at the end, which acts like a tap. My experience is that on many K series engines, you undo the bolt head, and little or no coolant comes out. If that is the case, it is usually easier to unscrew the whole long tubular fitting out of the block. This is almost the lowest point inside the block water jackets, so lots of scale & crud build up, down behind there. By unscrewing the whole assembly, you provide a bigger hole & opening, for the scale & rubbish to get flushed out. Cheers Banjo

New thermostat possibly required. Could be jammed open. Cheers Banjo

Did my annual pilgrimage to Leyburn at the weekend in my KE30. What a great weekend as always ! Beautiful weather on Sunday, & this event just gets better & better, & never disappoints. The track record was broken for the first time in quite a few years, & there was 209 entries, each getting in between 6-8 runs, over the 2 days. Shannons Show & Shine saw some beautiful exhibits. The racing got very fierce on Sunday afternoon, as the opportunities to lower one's times reduced. A few KE20 Rollas there. https://1drv.ms/f/s!AhTw-QJW1b_6h3-6fgN1V6Z6Yr86 A few pics here, if you'd like to take a look. Cheers Banjo

Hi Luke, Welcome aboard ! Good question. Really depends on the state of the inside of the engine. When these engines get old, they can have a lot of buildup in the water jackets. which really needs to be removed, for best thermal efficiency in removing heat. However, because the K series engines have a cast iron block & an aluminium head, they can suffer from electrolysis between dissimilar metals, so coolant leaks are not uncommon, to both the inside & outside of the engine. As well as that, as the aluminium gets old, it changes its composition, & breaks down, & corrodes more easily. A good automotive coolant, will help prevent this, but is not much good on an engine that already has got lots of crud & corrosion inside the water jackets. You could put a good cooling system flushing additive to the water, run it as per the instructions, then remove top & bottom hoses & thermostat, and wash all the loosened crud out of the engine. However, I've seen the results of this previously, with Welsh plugs all of a sudden becoming very thin & leaking, as all the crud on the back of them is really sealing as well. I recently stripped a 5K engine, I acquired, and in the strip down process removed all the Welsh plugs. On two of them, a light tap on the centre with a screwdriver, resulted in the screwdriver going right through. That's how thin they were. When old engines are reconditioned professionally, they usually have all Welsh plugs removed, & the whole block acid washed, then new "brass" Welsh plugs fitted, instead of the original pressed steel ones. The K series engines also have poor coolant circulation, at the rear of engine around no: 4 cylinder. This is primarily about the design of the engine, as coolant enters & leaves from the front of the engine. With less flow at the rear, crud builds up, and the results are not good in the long run. If a piston or rings are going to give you issues, it will quite often be number 4 cylinder. I've had a 3K & a 5K over the years, both have issues with no: 4 piston & rings. So it's up to you, & sometimes it is better to "let sleeping dogs lie", unless you want to take the risk of having to take the engine out and change welsh plugs, or maybe a head gasket. Others on here may have other suggestions, but mine would be to . . . . Remove top & bottom radiator hoses & flush the engine out with a hose, without adding a flushing agent before hand. Replace the thermostat & radiator cap. Refit hoses, if they are in good condition. Add a good automotive coolant. These actions will probably help, but are unlikely to result in any unwanted immediate leaks ! Cheers Banjo

One of the other reasons, I went away from using a modified distributor optical sensor, is the issue of oil fumes coming up the distributor shaft, which can put a film over the optical sensor, & eventually impede its performance, which could lead to miss firing. However, if anyone is considering having a go at modifying a K series Bosch dizzy, there are a number of Hall Effect modules for various dizzies, that could be used, in lieu of an optical sensors. Tridon supply a complete range which can be viewed at the following link. http://www.tridon.com.au/products/Tridon/35/482/ignition/2009/crank-and-cam-angle-sensors#1 Cheers Banjo