Banjo

Dave is spot on there. Quite common, & to be expected, when the rubber seals in the valve/tap are old & hard. Don't settle for a second hand one, as it will probably not last long. See if you can get a new one for the KE, but if not, there are plenty of aftermarket mechanically actuated ones, that are universal. Shouldn't set you back much more than $ 20, if these ebay listings are any guide. http://www.ebay.com....valve&_osacat=0 Cheers Banjo

Your predicament is not unknown. It's been mentioned on here previously. Here is a previous post with a few ideas & P/Ns, from about 3 years ago. http://www.rollaclub...7-in-australia/ Cheers Banjo

When you are mixing heads & blocks, which may or may not have been skimmed or decked respectively, the best way is to measure the length required. It's not hard, but is important. If the head bolt is too long, it will bottom out in the threaded hole in the block, with all sorts of problems. If the bolt is too short, then not all the thread in the hole is used, with also possible ramifications of thread failure. Clean the block threaded holes to make sure there is no rubbish in there. A tap helps. Measure the precise depth of the hole & note. Lay the head on its side & put a head bolt through the head, not forgetting to fit the hardened thick washer, under the bolt head. Put an old head gasket up against the head, & measure the length of thread sticking out beyond the head gasket, & note length. This length should be approximately the depth of the block hole, previously measured, less the thickness of 2-3 threads of the head bolt. I've always used this technique without problems. It would be advantageous to use new bolts. The bolts you have are probably 30-40 years old & you never know how many times they have been tensioned. Head bolts stretch, each time they are tensioned, which is why manuals always suggest replacing them. Hope this assists. Cheers Banjo

Hi Phil, That was very helpful, thank you. I read your post twice, & then went Wow ! I've always known basically how a a speedo works, but never taken a great deal of interest, but after reading your post, I grabbed the KE speedo, and took it off to the workshop and held it in the vice. I then put a pencil in my variable speed hand drill, & with the drill in reverse, drove the speedo with the tapered part of the pencil pressing up against the driven part of the speedo, where the cable fits. You can clearly see how it works, with the mild steel drum, pulling the magnet section fitted to the needle, until the hair spring reaction balances out, & you get a relatively stable reading. http://www.howacarwo...eedometer-works However, it was obvious, that any minor adjustment you do to the eccentric magnet position, to correct the speedo readings klm/hr, has no effect on the odometer & trip meter, as these mechanical plastic geared driven chains, are directly driven by the input shaft & cable, and not affected by any adjustment you make to the klm/hr reading. My need to correct the speedo is because I have changed diff ratio & wheel & tyre sizes. Mine is out about 8-10% approximately. My conclusion is, if I stayed with a mechanical speedo, and had it adjusted some how, as you describe, that my klms travelled & trip meter totals will still be out by 8-10%. To many people, this may not matter. However, there are many girls & guys on this forum, who like me, probably quickly check the trip meter & zero it, each time we fill the tank up with petrol, to see what sort of mileage we are getting. Each of us have a figure for our car for say city or country driving, for a full tank. If it then changes suddenly, it is a good indication that something is wrong, or my wife has been driving it & hammering it ! Ha Ha. :lol: :lol: Correct me if I'm wrong, but in the case of the electronic speedo, I believe the odometer & trip meter are are LCD displays, & would therefore coincide with the speedo reading if the calculation was done, over time between the two readings. I think I will stick with my decision to go electronic pulse speedo. I've sorted out the sensor; just need to find an electronic speedo mechanism that will fit the KE30 dash cluster. Anyone in Brisbane got a AE101 electronic dash cluster or speedo bit, that I can borrow or buy, to try it for size ? Thanks Phil, great insight ! Cheers Banjo

Fiddy job me thinks ! I just had a look at a KE speedo, and I can imagine after each adjustment, you would have to completely reassemble it, to test its accuracy. How many times did you pull it to bits & put it back together, before you were happy with the result ? Cheers Banjo

Thanks Sean ! All helps. I note that 3K head ID no 19, does appear in the Wiki, but not 39. It definitely is 39; it is not a "typo". We might have to whip the head off & take a look see. Cheers Banjo

OK, finally got it sorted. Found a website that shows how to test a Toyota SVS speed sensor off the car, with a wring diagram. The pin numbers on the AE101 sensor socket are as follows . . . Here are the testing connections. Pin 1 goes to +12V Pin 2 goes to Gnd Pin 3 is the output voltage pulses. I hooked it all up on the bench, and at first it did not produce any pulses. I then realised it was probably an open collector output, so I hooked a 10K ohm resistor between O/P (pin3), and +12V, and it worked fine. I then marked the shaft with a bit of white-out, & turned the spindle by hand, several times, and confirmed that the SVS speed sensor produces four (4) pulses per revolution. Trust that helps some else who may want to do this mod on their KE Corolla. When I find an electronic pulse input speedo dial from another car, that will neatly fit my KE30 dash, I'll post my findings here. If anyone knows of one that is a close fit, please post here. The KE30 speedo dash face is 90mm in dia. I guess, I will also have to insert a Jaycar speedo correction box in between the SVS sensor & the electronic speedo. http://www.jaycar.co...-manualMain.pdf Then goodbye speedo cable. That will make it a little bit cleaner under the bonnet. Cheers Banjo

I've just got around to cutting up the AE101 SVS speed sensor I bought on ebay, so that it fits the KE70 5 speed gearbox speedo drive. I'm now ready to test it, but can't find anywhere on the net, what the connections are for this unit. They will be 12V, GND, & O/P, but don't know which is which. No markings on the plastic socket. Can anyone help ? Cheers Banjo

Anyone know what engine, a K series head with ID number 39 (in casting between spark plugs 3 & 4), was fitted to ? No 39 is not listed in the Wiki. It is currently fitted to a 4K engine, I was looking at this afternoon, which has a few issues, one of which appears to be very high compression (about 180 - 190 PSI per cylinder). I'm suspecting it might be a 3K head on a 4K block. The engine runs on badly & is "dieseling". The engine is also fitted with a 3K dizzy. It has what looks like a carby without a fuel cut-off solenoid, so I suspect it might also be off a 3K. Don't know the history of the engine mods, so it's a bit hard to make a call, without stripping it down & working through all of it. Thanks ! Cheers Banjo

OK. Managed to find some in OZ. It is marketed here under the name ARDROX 2526, and comes out of Bayswater in Vic. Same formula as Tergostrip. Have been contacted by the Chemetall Qld rep here in Brisbane, and I have a 5 litre can being delivered to me in the next few days. I'll let you know how it goes. Cheers Banjo

Hi Oliver, Hmmm ! Rings a bell. Once had something very similar occur years ago, and turned out, it was as Dave suggested above. A perforated diapham in the fuel pump, was allowing fuel through to the lower side of the pump & into the sump. Unlike the press metal can fuel pumps on some Rollas, yours is the diecast model, that can be dissembled easily. Not a very hard job to take the fuel pump off & dissemble & check. I'd be doing that before anything else, as the drop in fuel economy was sudden, if I read your post correctly. Cheers Banjo

Thanks mate ! TERGOSTRIP seems to be the go, but when I Google it, it appears to originate in N.Z., like a lot of nice people I know. Is it commercially available & on sale in OZ ? I'd love to get hold of some & give it a try. Cheers Banjo

Hi Guys, The paint on my KE30 is in pretty good condition, & has cut & polished up well, except for the bonnet & boot lid, which are starting to "crazy crack" in areas. 40 odd years of sun baked paint, & very, very hard. Yesterday afternoon, I decided to try a test patch on the bonnet to see how hard it would be to strip it back to bare metal. Some "Diggers" paint stripper I had on the shelf from Bunnings, took ages to remove one layer, and only bubbled on edges of flutes in the bonnet, where the paint was thinner. I then used a 80 grit orbital sanding disk to break the surface of the paint to let the stripper do its thing, and this certainly sped things up a bit. However there were spots where I had to use the sanding disk right to the bare metal, which obviously creates small scratches, that any good self etching/filler/primer will fix. I decided, that gently breaking the paint surface to let the stripper work effectively is the way to go, but I do want to find the most quick & aggressive stripper available commercially, so that I can get all the paint off quickly, and devote most the time I have available, to preparing the paint free surface. What brands of auto paint strippers have you used & found very effective. I've noticed that paint stripper prices can vary widely, with some twice the price of another, but I've found in the past that a higher price for a product, does not necessarily mean it is better at doing a particular job. Any thoughts or suggestions welcomed. Cheers Banjo.

Hi Sean, No issues as spring mount centres are the same. Must use appropriate tail shaft, as the flanges are different on JAP & BW diffs. If you get hold of a BW diff, makes sure it has the larger 9 inch brake drums. The JAP ones were only 8 inch dia. Cheers Banjo

Hi Rob, I completely wired my KE30 from the firewall forward, and it is no use trying to use the existing headlight & horn wiring & circuit. Strip it all out, & just use the headlight & horn feeds from the steering stork to drive 30A auto relays which can switch the battery via fuse to headlights, & then ground. Plenty of wiring diagrams on rollaclub, with suitable circuits. As for fusible link replacement. Just use an inline Max Fuse holder like this off ebay, from $ 10 - $ 20 ea. Make sure you choose one with nice thick leads. The cheaper ones usually have fair minimal leads. I'd come down to Armidale & give you a hand, except, it's so damn cold down there at this time of the year. Cheers Banjo

Just picked up a brand new aftermarket AE101 SVS speed sensor, from HK, with free postage for $ 10.00 ! Cheap way of getting hold of the sensor bits, so I can adapt to the K series GB speedo drive, as Rob described above. I'll give it a try, & let you know how I get on. Cheers Banjo

Thanks Ian, I'll measure up my brother in laws AE101 dash speedo dial tonight, & let you know if I need your sensor. Cheers Banjo

Thanks Rob, That adaption of the AE101 electronic speed sensor is a work of art. I will get hold of an AE101 and maybe have a go at it. Maybe the AE101 speedo will even fit inside the KE30 dash ? P.S. Actually, I brother in law has an AE101, and is overseas for 6 weeks at present, so might drop in tonight & check it all out, seeing he isn't using it. Good bye speedo cable. Cheers Banjo

Quick look in the garage before heading to work, I removed the speedo drive from 2 off 5 speed gearboxes, & found they were different. The first one was out of a 5 speed box that was fitted to a KE55 coupe. It had 20 teeth on the speedo drive output shaft, & peering in the hole to the ring gear on the GB output shaft it appeared to have 5 grooves. The second one was out of a KE70 5 speed box. It had 22 teeth on the speedo drive shaft, & 5 grooves on the ring gear on the GB output shaft. I am assuming the speedo ring gear on the output shaft are identical, as when I swap the speedo output drive shafts between boxes, they slip in OK, & turn OK. So one gives a ratio of x 4 of the tail shaft rotation whilst the other provides a ratio of 4.4. Haven't located the one out a 4 speed box, or the the one out of the 2 speed auto transmission. However, looking down the hole into the 2 speed transmission, it appears to have a 5 groove drive ring gear also. I'll do the calcs & see if they are of any assistance in getting the speedo reading closer to true speed. Cheers Banjo

Yes Rob, I was planning on using the GPS unit to calibrate the speedo & get a true reference speed. Saw the guys on Mighty Car Mods using the Jaycar unit to do this on an electronic speedo. If it all gets too hard, I might just build a pulse pick up sensor, running off the diff input flange, with a little rare earth magnet & a Hall Effect sensor. Feed that into the Jaycar unit, then just find an electronic circular speedo, the exact same diameter as the KE30s, so it can slot in, & look original. Might even be able to swap the speedo dial face, so it looks totally original. Anyone know of a electronic speedo, from any modern car, that is the same diameter, (94mm) as the KE's ? Cheers Banjo

I noticed on the Toymods website, when researching this tonight, that the T & W series gearboxes had different ratios of the gear drive for the speedo cable. http://www.toymods.o...the-factory-way This is a very good read, for anyone wanting numbers. http://home.clear.net.nz/pages/phil.bradshaw/transmission.htm#Speedo%20Drives Was wondering whether anyone has checked this out on the auto, & 4 & 5 speed KE gearboxes ? Is it possible that the cable drive gears on the T & W series gearboxes may also fit the K series gearboxes ? I've got a 2 speed auto transmission, in the shed, along with a 4spd & 5 speed boxes, so will compare them tomorrow. Too cooooold to head out there at 10:15 pm on a cold Winter Queensland night ! Cheers Banjo

Hi Guys, I've had some 14" Delta mags on my KE30 2 door for a while now, and the speedo obviously reads bit slow. The KE30 started out life as a 2 speed auto, with a 3K engine & a 4.3 ratio JAP diff. Over the years I've fitted a 4KU, and a KE70 5 speed gear box. I've also done up a BW rear end diff from my olde KE550 coupe, which went to Toyota heaven, due to cancer. That diff has a 4.11 ratio. I've just had the 4 x Delta 14" mags all straightened up by FMR down at Ashmore on the Gold Coast. By tomorrow night, I'll have a new set of Pirelli Cinturato P1s on it, and figured I should then get the speedo corrected. What have others done on here to achieve a corrected speedo reading ? I notice on ebay there are mechanical corrector boxes. There are also pulse generators that fit to the gearbox, instead of the cable, but that will require replacing the speedo itself with an electronic one. Any one done either type of conversion, with success ? Cheers Banjo

Aren't the Corona front coil springs a lot wider than the KE70 ones ? The KE70 spring O/A dia. is the smallest of all the Corollas, off memory. Does the KE70 spring seat well in the lower spring perch of the Corona strut ? i'd be doing aa trial fit on the car first, to make sure there is enough clearance from the KE70 strut tower walls, under all conditions. Cheers Banjo

I've got a early HiLux Bosch 85A alternator, on my 4K, which I bought reconditioned on ebay. It was a direct swap, with only a washer or two required on the long mounting bolt to get the pulley to line up perfectly with the crankshaft & water pump pulleys. I'll see if I can get a model number off it tomorrow, & post it on here for you. Best thing I ever did for my KE30 electrics, for night time driving. Cheers Banjo

Hi Naim, Parrot is spot on, and you'll be glad to learn that Toyota fitted hardened valve seats way back then. A good tune on the new fuel will be all you need. Change the fuel filter if it hasn't been done in a while. Take out the spark plugs, and replace, or give them a good clean, and gap setting. (0.8mm) Take note of the colour of the insulator & tip of the spark plug, directly after a good long run.. It will tell you whether the car is running rich or lean, or just right. The most important setting is the timing & advance mechanism. If you've got a couple of hours, and have the inclination, then remove the distributor & remove the breaker mounting plate & check the advance bob weight pivots & springs. A place that rarely gets serviced, but can have a great effect upon performance, if everything down there is dry & not free moving. Don't forget to check the vacuum advance bellows, by removing rubber tube from carby, & sucking, to ensuring the breaker plate moves. All simple things, but can make a big difference. Cheers Banjo