Banjo

I just answered my own question, when I searched on RollaClub. It was Brodie in S.A. who used Honda CBR bike COPs on his K series engine. Yes most of the COPs, are long for spark plugs that are right down deep inside the tubes. The K series plugs just pop their heads out of the tubes, so to speak. The triggering is all worked out. I have two rare earth magnets 10mm dia. x 25mm long mounted in the flywheel, using two manufacturing jig holes that exist exactly 180 deg apart. I just bored the jig holes out to the appropriate diameter. The north poles face the back of the flywheel, & the Hall Effect pickup sensor is mounted in the plate between block & bell housing, right down at the bottom RHS of the engine, directly below the oil filter. The Home trigger, which only tells the ECU that the next pulse from the flywheel sensor is for No: 1 S.P. is mounted through the timing chain cover, with the magnet mounted into a hole drilled though the camshaft sprocket cast spoke. Have had that bit installed for some time, currently just driving the tacho, & all works well & is very reliable. Magnets are so strong, you can get away with a good size gap between magnet & sensor. Just need to get these COPs sorted & then I can take it for a good long run to Leyburn for the Sprints in a couple of weeks. http://www.leyburnmotorsprints.com.au/ Cheers Banjo

Got myself an olde Haltech E6K ECU which I'm going to hook up to the 5K engine I have on the engine test frame at present. I am just going to use the E6K for ignition control only. It has enough outputs to do direct sequential firing of the four spark plugs, so though I might put some COPs (coil over plug) on the 5K, doing away with the dizzy altogether. What brand of COP has anyone found suitable to use directly as is, or adapt to be useful on a K Series motor. It's all about mounting them. I think someone on RollaClub used a Honda one once successfully, but I can't remember who it was, or what model COP they used. Maybe a motor bike one ? Any suggestions appreciated. Cheers Banjo

Hi Jake, RHS directly behind the headlight is where mine was also. If you are going to mount the replacement one in the same position, (good idea), then hopefully the cable supplied with the new external regulator will be long enough to go down under the radiator, zip tied to the existing cable, to the alternator. We'll await you advice & photos, once you have the new regulator. What was the output "Amps" rating of the replacement Chinese alternator you have purchased ? Cheers Banjo

Hi Jake, Hopefully, the new regulator will come complete with a lead & 3 pin plug, to connect to the socket on the rear of your replacement alternator. The existing lead with the 2 pin can be done away with, including your old external regulator. It will depend on where your current external regulator is mounted in the engine bay, & whether the lead they supply with the new external regulator is long enough to reach the same mounting point of the existing regulator. I did this conversion a year or so ago, when I put a HiLux 85A alternator with internal regulator, to replace the original 3K 35-40A Denso alternator with external regulator, so will be able to guide you through this. Once you get your new regulator, post a picture of it, along with a picture of your existing regulator, & where it is mounted. We can then nut it out fairly easily, as any wiring changes will all be at the regulator only. Cheers Banjo

Hi Jake, Appears both your original & replacement alternator are both external regulator types. The terminology is slightly different with terminal markings, from the Bosch to the Chinese replacement one. Somewhere in your engine bay, is the original regulator, which should be best replaced with a new one, to suit the replacement alternator you have purchased. The common problems with these old alternators is that the brushes wear out, and reach the limits of the springs, pressing them against the slip rings. Check out the typical alternator terminal identification listings at this website. http://jasoceania.co.nz/sites/default/files/default_images/alternator Terminal identification guide.pdf D+ on your old alternator is the dash charging warning light. E on the replacement alternator is also the warning light. F or DF is the field winding, which goes to the regulator. B+ is the battery, which is the big terminal on your replacement alternator. Just make sure the new alternator will mount & line up, before committing to buying the regulator. The new matching regulator should have a lead on it that just plugs straight into the 3 terminal socket on the replacement alternator. Let us know how you go. Cheers Banjo

Early Corollas had alternators with an external voltage regulator, with the regulator box on the engine bay wall. Later Corollas had alternators, with the regulator built into the alternator itself. It sounds like your existing alternator may have an internal regulator, & the replacement one, you've bought has an external regulator. If you can take a picture of the terminal ends of the two alternators, we can probably work out what has happened. The early voltage regulators used a cycling relay, whereas the internal alternator regulators are solid state. Put some pics up, & we'll go from there. Cheers Banjo

How long ago did the EFI conversion get done ? Did you do it, or was it done by others ? Did this "power issue" occur directly after the EFI conversion, or was there a long period where it ran perfectly with EFI, without this "power" issue, & then it just appeared out of the blue. What fuel delivery system was there before you fitted the Walbro electric in-tank pump ? Why was there a need to change to the Walbro ? Did this "power issue" only occur straight after you did the Walbro in tank pump conversion ? Sometimes the back ground to these problems, can point you in the right direction, to what is the cause, & where to look. Cheers Banjo

180 deg is correct. To fire all four (4) cylinders, the crankshaft has to rotate twice. 1 complete rotation is 360 deg. 2 rotations = 720 deg. The rotation distance between each top dead centre (TDC is 720/4 which is 180 deg. Remember, we are turning the crankshaft here over by hand; not the distributor, which does only turn at half the crankshaft revolutions. So yes, there is 90 deg between the dizzy rotor positions for TDC at each firing, but that is doubled to turn the crankshaft. Cheers Banjo

Spot on ! I've always used a simple way make sure you get the tappet settings right first time, even after a few beers. ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Mark the top edge of your distributor body with four (4) little "Whiteout" marks, that line up with the spark plug cap towers, where the leads come out. Take note of which one is spark plug no: 1, (which is usually the one nearest No: 2 spark plug) Whip off the distributor cap, so you can see the dizzy rotor clearly. Remove spark plugs if you want to make it easy to rotate engine, but not mandatory. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ Rotate engine crankshaft to TDC No: 1 cylinder, by lining up the dizzy rotor with No: 1 Spark Plug "Whiteout" mark on dizzy. Both No: 1 cylinder valve tappets should be loose/ slack ; with gaps. Adjust both No: 1 valves settings. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ Rotate engine crankshaft clockwise, 180 deg until dizzy rotor lines up with next "Whiteout" mark on dizzy body which is cylinder No: 3 (Firing order 1, 3, 4, 2) Both No: 3 cylinder valve tappets should be loose/ slack ; with gaps, which is very close to TDC. Adjust both both No: 3 valves settings. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Rotate engine crankshaft clockwise, 180 deg until dizzy rotor lines up with next "Whiteout" mark on dizzy body which is cylinder No: 4 Both No: 4 cylinder valve tappets should be loose/ slack ; with gaps. Adjust both both No: 4 valves settings. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Rotate engine crankshaft clockwise, 180 deg until dizzy rotor lines up with last of the four (4) "Whiteout" marks on dizzy body, which is cylinder No: 2 Both No: 2 cylinder valve tappets should be loose/ slack ; with gaps. Adjust both both No: 2 valves settings. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Done ! Cheers Banjo

Hi Graeme, Sooting up is pretty par for the course in older cars, as the rings wear, & a little more oil gets past the rings, onto the cylinder walls, & then gets burnt in the combustion process. Unless it was heavy, I wouldn't worry too much. Having cut up a few old exhaust systems, you will find the soot always cogregates in the muffler at the back end of the exhaust system. Up closer to the engine, where the exhaust pipe is much hotter, you will rarely find soot on the inside of the pipe. As you get to the back end of the system, where it is a mite cooler, the soot gets cooler & slows up & gets trapped in the muffler. Hence; blocked mufflers ! Cheers Banjo

Hi Marius, I think you are onto it. I'm still betting it is the HT leads. Let us know how you go, once you've replaced them. Better still, if you can get the correct new dizzy cap, that would be better. Tracking on the inside of the cap, is not uncommon, & really the only way to fix that permanently, is to fit a new cap. Cheers Banjo

Hi Ken, Welcome aboard. Sad to hear of your misfortune. Floods are always devastating, but when items go under that are irreplaceable, it's even more distressing. I applaud your efforts to get your 2 door KE30 back on the road. I have an affinity with you, as I also have a 2 door KE30, and know how I'd feel if something like what you have experienced, happened to mine. We'll do anything we can to assist you with your efforts. Bear in mind that you are not confined to just the 3K engine, as a replacement. The 4K would probably be a better option, or even a 5K, which are fairly rare these days. Tell us a bit more about your car. Manual or Auto ? Was it fully submerged, & for how long ? Have all the electrics been under water. How did the gearbox & diff fare under water ? I fear you are probably going to need a few more bits than just the engine. At what stage are you at with the rebuild at present ? Sorry about all the questions, but I'm sure there are a few Rollaclub members in Brissy & surrounds, that would love to assist if we can. Cheers Banjo

Hi Marius, OK, so this happened as soon as you changed the points, & you didn't touch or adjust anything else ? Did you remove the dizzy to fit the points, or did you change the points with the dizzy still in the engine ? Are the new points exactly the same as the one you took out ? Did you clean the protective coating off the points faces themselves, which some manufactures apply ? The points gap setting can change the timing slightly, if it is out, but you advised you set it correctly, & the timing light indicated advance OK. Are you by any chance living at altitude ? Corolla 3K engines are very sensitive to timing changes at altitude. I'm going to take a guess here. When you removed the dizzy cap to fit the new points, did you lay the dizzy cap with leads still attached to one side, of back over the rocker cover? If so, it is possible, that you have a cracked or broken an HT cable to one plug. Have a look under the bonnet at night in the dark, with the engine running, & see if you can see any "corona light shows". Another possibility is the small carbon spring mounted connector for the HT in the inside centre top of the dizzy cap. It didn't happen to fall out, did it ?. The little springs have also been known to break. Let us know what you find. Cheers Banjo

Hi Graeme, I forgot to mention in my reply to your post, that the reason there is water or moisture in the exhaust system in the first place, is that water is a natural byproduct of the combustion process, that goes on inside the engine. Cheers Banjo

Hi Graeme, Nothing unusual about that in old cars in cold weather, like we are experiencing her in S.E. Qld. at present. I gather you are Buccan, near Chamber Fat etc. (I live at Greenbank) The last two mornings have been the coldest two mornings in the past 2 years. What happens I think, is that as the hot moist air inside the "exhaust system" cools overnight, after a run; that moisture condenses to water, & mixes & dissolves with the carbon in the exhaust system. Start it up on a cold morning; give it a couple of short burst of revs to clear the cobwebs, and instead of cobwebs, you get a black sootie water vapour. This is there all the time, but not in the initial volume you cop, when you first start your car, and blow it out. With the car warm after a run, let it idle, and briefly hold a clean white rag over the end of the exhaust pipe & you'll see what I mean. Sounds like you better get your girl to open the Rolladoor, before starting it up these mornings. Look on the good side; your girl could have backed the car into the garage, then you'd have a Gyprock wall speckled with black soot, which is not as easy to clean as a rolladoor ! P.S. Glad to see I'm not the only one to lay old carpet on the garage floor. Cheers Banjo.

Hi Marius, Just quickly checking your previous post on Rollaclub, I was reminded that a few years ago, you were contemplating reconditioning your engine, or maybe fitting another second had motor. Did you take either of those actions, or is your existing engine, still pretty much as it was back several years ago ? Cheers Banjo

Hi Marius, The symptoms you describe are pretty common, and there can be a lot of things that can cause this. Basically, you have to go through each area step by step, & ensure everything in each area is correct & working. The real problem, where it could be a fuel, or an electrical issue, or maybe both, is that a fault in one area, can create a symptom that appears to be caused by the other area. eg: a worn or erratic advance bob weights in the bowels of your distributor, could make the revs jump all over the place, but it could be interpreted as a inconsistent fuel delivery. There are some other areas outside the straight fuel & ignition issues that can cause erratic behaviour. There are mechanical components, that can cause any number of different symptoms, where the engine runs roughly. A good mechanic, faced with an problem engine performance, will systematically go through each area. eg: I've seen K motors with a stuffed timing chain tensioner, that ran reasonably at revs with load, but would not idle for the "love of money". Basic Tests you can do: Mechanical: 1. Remove all spark plugs & do a compression test, & see how close to each cylinders readings are to each other. This will determine whether rings & or valve seating are OK. 2. Remove rocker cover & ensure tappet settings are OK. 3. Check oil pressure with proper guage. Fuel: 1. Check fuel pump delivery & fuel tank breathing etc. 2. Completely dissemble carby & clean & reassemble, and adjust float level setting (very important). 3. Check the very fine filter in the inlet fuel line to the carby. (remove needle & unscrew brass seat fitting). 4. Check the accelerator pump action. 5. Check the action of the electric solenoid on the carby, which cuts out fuel flow immediately ignition is shut down. 6. Change Fit new fuel filter. (even a filter that was replaced recently, might have suffered a bad batch of fuel) 7. If you haven't paid attention to your fuel tank for a long time, then remove, drain & clean it. (Altezzaclub will endorse this suggestion) 8. Check all the little rubber hoses & valves etc. attached to the carby for pollution control. 9. Check & clean the PCV (positive crankcase ventilation) valve on the top of the rocker cover. 10. Fit new air filter. Electrical / Ignition: 1. Ensure alternator is working OK, and terminal voltage at battery is OK whilst running. 2. Check spark plugs or renew. 3. Check dizzy cap for HV break down. 4. Check H.T. leads for breakdown. (best done at night in the dark)5. Check points & settings or renew. 6. Check or replace condensor. 7. Dissemble dizzy, & check the advance bob weights & springs. 8. Check the vacuum advance unit as part of the dizzy. 9. Check starting resistor attached to the coil if fitted. 10. Disconnect anything non standard, connected to the ignition system, like tachos etc. So there is a few tips, and others might like to add some other pointers, I have omitted. These suggestions are random in the listing order; however, if you go through things systematically, the result will be you must find the issue, and will solve your issue. I hope that assists in solving your problem, & let us know what you find. Cheers Banjo

Was working on a fellow Rollaclub members KE20 at the weekend, with a windscreen wiper issue, where the wipers were tracking everywhere, except where they were suppose to go. What a bugga of a thing to work on, unless you are a midget, with everything hidden up in behind the dash cluster, unlike the later KE3X series, where the wiper motor & associated rods are all accessible from under the bonnet. Anyway the wiper pivot bushes were very dry & worn. The knurled metal pivot points onto which the wiper arms attach, were very corroded, to the point where there was almost no evidence of the fine splines on the tapered pivots. Question: Does anyone know if it is possible to get new KE20 wiper pivot assemblies ? Has anyone come across any out of the Thai or other SE Asian aftermarket area ? I'v a had a quick look on the net, and can't see anything first up. Is it possible to adapt pivots from a later or other make of car or model Rolla, that could do the job ? Glad to receive any suggestions, from anyone whose been through this painful exercise previously. Cheers Banjo

Wow Neil, Absolutely beautiful ! What I find. Where are all these granny spec. Rollas coming from ? I had one exactly the same, but it went to Rolla Heaven, after severe cancer in the rear upper quarters, which is always an issue, when the car is pillarless. I have a KE30 the same colour, but faded a little more than yours. Looking at your third pic of the missing pinstrip, it doesn't appear that the paintwork where the missing strip is, is any darker or better condition than the exposed general paintwork. I agree with Big G. Don't rip the stripe off. The stripe is tapered, so I'd get a pro to infill the missing bit, with some black strip cut to suit. I presume your Rolla is stock standard, & has a 4K-C engine in it ? Is it an auto or manual. I put a 5K in mine with a 5 speed KE70 gearbox, & it was the best touring / cruising Rolla I've owned. Very envious, as no doubt a few others on this forum will be. Rollas in that condition are getting harder & harder to find. Cheers Banjo

Hi Tim, Good you've lots of feedback ! Is your fuel gauge U/S, or very inaccurate ? Is that why you are zeroing in on the 7-8 volt regulator, on the back of the dash ? I think I posted something on here a short time back, when I replaced my regulator on a KE30. There were basically two types of regulator. Solid state & vibrating contacts with heated contact. Both horrible things ! Looking forward to the pics. What do you know of the history of this car ? Does it have relatively low klms ? It really is iconic looking, of the late 1970s with the white walls. I'll bet it is a head turner, when you are driving it around. Cheers Banjo

Hi Tim, Lovely little Rolla you have scored there, that looks like it has been well preserved. You haven't said where you are located. I've tried to zoom into your pic, but the resolution is too poor to work out whether it is LHD or RHD, what the number plate is, or what is written on the sign board in the background. Are you in Australia ? Lots of things can get changed on a car in nearly 38 years, but there are ways of telling, by carefully reading the plates attached to the rear engine firewall. If it was assembled & built in Australia, it will have a plate saying just that. The 4K-C engine was the most common around that period. There were Rollas built around that time that could accept either round or square headlights. I had a KE55 coupe with honeycomb grill & square headlights, but the attachment & mounting points were still there in the body for round headlights, although they were not shared by the square headlight mounting requirements. Tell us where you are located, & post some more pics, of interior & engine bay in particular, & we should be able to narrow it down. P.S. Does it appear that the car has ever been resprayed, or possibly had a front end panels fitted at some time, as a result of an accident or rust ? Has the body got any rust in it. Look forward to more info & pics. Cheers Banjo

OK, lets work backwards. My guess is that you have never had this engine turn over, as you said you had to buy a new starter motor, & since that time you have not been able to get the engine to crank. 1. Take out the 4 off spark plugs & see if you can turn the engine over by hand, with a spanner on the crankshaft pulley. 2. If it turns relatively easily, then squirt some engine oil down all four spark plug holes & turn it over by hand about 10 off revolutions. 3. Do not put the spark plugs back in. 4. Pull the single wire off the starter motor engaging solenoid, and replace it with a single wire long enough to reach the battery positive terminal. This is usually a spade terminal. 5. Make sure the spanner on the crankshaft pulley has been removed. Touch the wire to the battery positive terminal. If all good the starter should engage & spin, as there will be no compression with the spark plugs removed. 6. Squirt some more engine oil down the spark plug holes, & continue to spin the engine with the starter, until the engine spins very freely, as a result of the oil being spread on the cylinder walls. Now you know the starter spins the engine, you've got to find the starter relay (kick panel ?), & check that it has power to it, and energises when the ignition key is turned to start position. Once you got that far, put the plugs back in, & try starting it, as you indicated previously, that you had + 12Volts to the dizzy breaker points, when open. Good luck ! Cheers Banjo.

Hi Omar, This is like one of those serials on the TV, which goes on & on. I just want to jump to the episode where the car starts, & everyone is happy. OK, so the switch appears to have four (4) wires coming out of it. My guess is the two (2) individual wires will be for the reversing lights, & the connector socket will be for the start circuit. This should be pretty easy to test. If you short the two individual wires on the loom, where those switch wires plugged into, the reversing lights should come on, when the ignition is on. Likewise, if you short the corresponding two wires in the plug on the loom, you should be able to start the car ! Like Altezzaclub suggests; I'd be giving that switch a really good clean, & see what you find. You might find its just full of road crud, and when it is all cleaned up inside, it might just work, so you don't have to go looking for a replacement one. Good luck ! Cheers Banjo

Hi Omar, My guess is, you've probably got a 2T-C 1.6L engine in your car, with a 4 speed auto. I tried to find a 4 speed auto gearbox pic on the net that might show this elusive neutral switch, but couldn't find one. Does the engine under your bonnet, look a bit like this ? Cheers Banjo

Hi Omar, Glad you've found it. Is it the circled switch, lurking back there in the dark, with what looks like 2 wires on it. You have obviously got a complete different engine & auto box, in your KE55 USA, to what we have here in Australia. Can you please take a photo under the bonnet, of the engine, so we can identify it. Lets know how you go. I won't be surprised if you find the switch is U/S. That s not a good place to have an electrical component, with all the under floor rubbish all over it. Cheers Banjo