Banjo

You can use the "same" spark plugs in waste spark systems, but the degrading/errosion of the spark plug centre terminal is different in each plug, as HT current goes from outside to centre pin of one spark plug, & centre to outside on the spark plug in the "mated" cylinder. It's the outside electrode that errodes fastest, when the HT current is reversed. Originally, when all the plugs were the same, you would swap "mated" cylinders plugs around at service to extend their life. Now there are special spark plugs pairs with one made with the outer electrode made of identical material to the centre pin. This is as good a description as you'll find regarding waste spark systems. http://en.wikipedia...._component_life Read the section on Effect on Component Life Cheers Banjo

The test stand is a no brainer. If you've ever done major work on an engine, fitted it back into the car, tried to start it & found you've stuffed up big-time somewhere internally, & have has to pull it all out again, to rectify; you'll appreciate the confidence that the engine runs well, before it's fitted to the car. I built the stand on a Saturday afternoon a few years back. Three or four 200mm x 50mm hardwood planks I got from the local nursery supplier. $ 20 worth of coach screws & bolts & nuts from Bunnings. Thats about it. All the other Corolla bits I had lying around. KE70 front cross member & radiator. The accelerator is a height adjuster off an old Rover lawn mower I scrouged from the tip. It allows you to set the revs at a constant setting with both hands free to tune. A quick coat of black fence paint & it does the job. Has some heavy duty castors on the side rails, so you can "park" it easily in the garage. Four blocks fit under the corners, when in use to prevent it moving around. Cheers Banjo

The idea had crossed my mind seriously. It should be possible to create a load equal to the 4K with a restricted agricultural type water pump & a couple of 44 gal drums as a resevoir. It would be nice to be able to fine tune the engine out of the car in a totally controlled enviroment. Only other thing I would need would be one of those large industrial fans in front of the radiator to produce the forced air you get through the radiator whilst driving. Cheers Banjo

There are a number of guys in Rollaclub that have waste spark ignition setups. One of the best executed ones I have come across is Brodies little project in S.A. a few years back. He's a perfectionist, and his mods are just beautiful. http://www.rollaclub...__ waste spark The waste spark system does simplify the ignition system considerably, with the best result being the removal of the need for the distributor cap, rotor button etc. You still have the option of using the distributor points or reluctor, to trigger an ignition module to fire the coils, but it does provide you the chance to get rid of the distributor altogether, if the ignition module has programable advance curve & MAP load retard facilities. The best opportunity offered is to trigger the ignition from the flywheel, rather than the camshaft driven distributor. This has massive advantages on older cars like most of our K series engines. The "slop" that is created in the drive between crankshaft & points in often underestimated. That "slop" in timing chain and distributor drive gear, results in an inconsistent firing point, and if you've ever used a timing light on the timing marks on the front timing chain cover & pulley, you've probably seen it jumping around up & down a few degrees. When you switch to crankshaft triggering, that mechanical induced instability into the triggering point is eliminated altogether. If you read Brodies build, you'll see he used a toothed trigger wheel fitted to the front of the crankshaft pulley. That is probably the most popular way of triggering. Most ignition modules accept toothed wheel sensors with a missing tooth indicating TDC no: 1 cyclinder as a reference point for the whole system. When I trigger off the crankshaft, the timing light indicates a rock steady timing mark at the crankshaft pulley. All other things aside, it changes the smoothness of the engine instantly, and the ability to be able to program advance curves lets you get the most out of the engine. Remember these engines were designed with performance to limit warranty claims & increase reliability. The number of KE series Corollas on the road still, is a testiment to that. The igniton system was one of the major ways of controlling/downgrading the performance of the engine. I am experimenting with another way of cranshaft triggering which is very simple. I trigger off the flywheel, using rare earth magnets embedded into small holes drilled vertically into the narrow rim of the flywheel between the ring gear & the clutch face. A Hall Effect sensor picks up the signals beautifully. I've even tried a linear Hall Effect sensor that can sense the difference between a South pole & a North pole, so that a common sensor can pick up all 1-4, & 2-3 triggering points. The system works well with a waste spark system, but is just as easily utilised with sequential firing each spark plug one at a time, which allows smaller coil on plug arrangement. If anyone is interested, I'll put up a few photos, as I have the 4K engine I'm experimenting with on an engine jig I built a few years ago. I take all my measurements at the flywheel, where I have a nice big degree wheel fitted. It's a great way to learn, and after I've perfected the ignition setup, I'll move onto incorporating an EFI setup, so I can incorporate all mods on the 5K I have awaiting. Cheers Banjo

Hi Guys, Interested to know from anyone out there who has a waste spark ignition system fitted on their 4K or 5K motors, what brand & model "waste spark" spark plugs they have found suitable. Cheers Banjo

Hi Charles, A multimeter is a good start to sorting electrical problems but an even better tool is a 12 volt 21W tail light bulb, with two pieces of wire soldered to it. Connect one side to the negative of the battery and the other end probe around. Place it first on the +ve terminal of the battery & then take mental note of the brightness of the bulb. Then place the probe on the common end of the fusible link & then on the three other individual ends of the fusible links. Good chance one of these has blown. You can also use your lamp tester to check earths. Connect one end of the test lamp leads to the +ve terminal, and probe around with the other end on common earth points like the chassis, the engine block, etc. Ensure the brightness of the lamp does not dim. This will indicate a connection, but also resistance in the circuit. The reason this is better than a multimeter, is that as well as checking continuity, it also detects resistance in wiring, fusible links, fuses etc. A multimeter is a high impedance load and shows continuity, even if there is resistance that may cause loads like lighting circuits to drop voltage due to corrosion, bad joints & the like. Hope that helps. If you work from the battery out on each circuit, systematically, using the wiring diagram, you should pick up your problem fairly quickly. Good luck ! Let us know how you go. Cheers Banjo

PM to me your address & I'll post the Gregory's manual today. Glad we could be of assistance. Cheers Banjo.

It's a bummer when those bolts freeze & break. I've done it before, hence my warning. OK, centre pop the broken bolt very carefully, as close to the centre as you can get. Drill the bolt right down through the centre, through into the water jacket if necessary, with a sharp 3 mm drill. Keep the drill straight. Then enlarge the hole with slightly bigger drills until you almost reach the bottom of the threads of the bolt. Squirt it with WD40 & then try to get ease it out with an "easy out". If that doesn't work, then drill it our to the bottom of the bolt threads & then somtimes you can get it out with a tap. If all else fails, then there is usually enough metal in the head to go up a bolt size. One of the reasons these bolts freeze, is that the threaded holes are not always blind, and sometimes go right through into the water jacket, allowing the water to corode the bolt tip & head together. Good luck. Cheers Banjo. P.S. If you're down Greenbank way sometime soon, I've got a Gregory's manual in G.C. you can have for $ 10.00.

Hi Charles, Sorry, I read your line " getting a proper circuit" as getting a proper connection. Anyway you know about the bridge on the auto console. Here is a wiring diagram for the KE30/KE35. The Corolla's wiring diagrams are pretty much all the same basically, although there are some subtle differences. I have a KE30, and here is a wiring diagram I have used for a couple of years, & found all the wire colours and connections are pretty true to what it actually is. Just for the record for any others following this thread, here is a wiring diagram showing the park / neutral switch. Right click on these above wiring diagrams one at a time & save them as a .jpg files. Print them out, and then join them together, and it will make it easier while working on the car. P.S. I printed 2 originally, and always keep one in the glove box. Trust this assists. Cheers Banjo

Hi Charles, Would the KE-30 have had a automatic transmission fitted to it before you just fitted the K40 4 speed gearbox ? If so there is a bridge required for the wires that went to the shift console. I'm sure I've seen it documented elsewhere on this website. Basically I think it is bridging out the wires that prevents an automatic being started unless it is in park. Anyway, let us know whether you previously had an auto, and we can then help you get it going. Cheers Banjo

Love to see this little guy in a Corolla when he's older. He's got all the right moves ! http://news.ninemsn....-up-to-mischief Cheers Banjo

Jeff & Rone are right. The plate is there for moulding of the aluminium head, so they can remove the "sand" or whatever they used to fill the water jacket areas during head manufacture. On most K motors, the plate is just a blanking plate. On some K series, one of the heater water lines is connected to this plate, as Rone states. Most K series users have had this problem at some time. Unfortunately, it's in a horrible position, & requires the head to come off. Be very careful taking the plate off, as it is very easy to strip the threads in the head, if bolts are frozen. You will often find when you remove the plate that you are met with a lump of "muck" up against the back of the plate. This often eats/corrodes through the plate, so the leak could well be through the centre of the plate, & not the gasket at all. If this is the case, you will have to replace the plate itself. This build up is because the water flows are not very good around the back of the head, as coolant flows in & out of the engine to the radiator through the front of the engine. Invariably the no: 4 cylinder runs hotter than all the rest, and it is not uncommon for no: 4 cylinder to be the first one to have a ring/wear or pistion problem. I've even heard of some racers using a lower heat range spark plug in no: 4 cylinder, because of this. A mod that is often carried out on race cars, is to feed the water from the rear of the head back to the radiator to assist in better water flow through the rear of the engine. Cheers Banjo

Well, I determined that the exact preload in the front coil springs is really a secondary issue, and that the real issue is ensuring that there is clearance between the lower spring perch on the strut, & the tyre & wheel you are using. I went and assembled an original KE70 strut & spring, and measured the free length & compressed length of the standard spring. The difference, or preload, in these two dimensions was exactly 90mm. I then temporarily fitted the lower KE70 perch in a position on the RA65 strut, so that it cleared the tyre OK. I then fitted the KE70 spring compressed, and low & behold, the preload compression was exactly 90 mm. This shouldn't have been any surprise, as the KE70 & Celica RA65 strut are exactly the same length. So just awaiting King Springs to deliver two new KE70 standard springs in the X5K coil sping material to finish it off. I'll post some pictures as soon as they are all together. Cheers Banjo

OK, I'm back from holidays, and back into this brake upgrade on my KE30, after the big wet here in Brisbane. Today I have the Celicia RA65 strut hanging upside down in my garage. It is fully assembled with KE70 standard springs, new RA65 gas shocks, KE70 top spring caps, and bottom KE70 spring perches, which I have carefully ground out, to fit the RA65 51mm dia. strut. I have not as yet welded the bottom spring perches to the strut itself. All I need now, is to determine how much preload or precommpession to put on the spring, to kept the spring captive, when a front wheel becomes air borne, and the wheel droop is at it's limit. It appears to me that somewhere around 10 - 20 mm would be about right. With a coil over, you just wind it up until you get it right. When you fit spring perches, you only get one go at it. Is there any rules of thumb for how much preload you need to put on the spring to keep it capitive ? I'm a bit confused, as the article at the following link on adjusting coilovers states you should have zero preload on the coil spring. http://www.meganraci...spring pre-load Would be interested to hear from others with experience in this area. Cheers Banjo

Hi Reed, That's exactly where I am looking. I believe that Industrial Bearing Suppliers are Ruland agents in Australia. I'm planning on giving them a ring tomorrow, and see whether they have the split models I have picked out as being suitable. The Ruland range is massive, so I can't assume they would not stock the lot. Cheers Banjo

Hi Guys, I accurately measured the section of the clutch cable where the C Clip is fitted. It has an outside dia. of 13.8 mm. The grooves are exactly 1.00 mm deep & 1.00 mm wide. A new C clip is exactly 1.00 mm thick. That would make the dia. of the bottom of the grooves for the C clip 11.8 mm. I'll now try and find a "clamping collar" like Hadyn's above that has the appropriate dimensions. Stay tuned !

Hi Haydn, That's perfect. Thanks for the tip. They are called locking or clamping collars, and are usually sold by bearing suppliers, or engineering or fastner suppliers. I Googled images of clamping collars, and there are lots of different varieties. Tomorrow I'll measure up the clutch cable with a vernier, & get some dimensions & a part number of a suitable one. A great idea would be to get one with an inside diameter, the same size as the clutch cable sheath dia. at the bottom of the goove, where the "C" clip sits. You could then machine the collar out slightly from either side, until it left a little section in the middle, that could sit down in the groove, and really locate it perfectly. Cheers Banjo

Can you still puchase those clutch adjuster circlips from Toyota ? I haven't tried, as I've always had a donor car close by or removed one when at the wreckers. A couple of new ones would be good as they would have clean edges, and I like the idea of using two with a spacer in between to give the extra hold required. Cheers Banjo

Oh dear ! No spigot bearing ! A very easy trap. I once accidentally fitted a new clutch plate which was 21 spline instead of 19, although the cardboard box was labelled 19 splines. What a horrible noise when the clutch was let out for the first time. Again, like you, it was back out with the gearbox again. I hate doing things twice ! Well now we all know ! Let is know how you go once you've fitted the new spigot bearing. They are so cheap at a "bearing shop" I make a rule of always changing mine, any time I have a gearbox or clutch out. Cheers Banjo

I've been tempted for a while to do a hydraulic clutch conversion on my KE30. However, my wife never complains of a heavy clutch pedal, and the cable arrangement is simple & generally reliable. I've found the only problem you have with the cable is it going "dry" on the big radius. Every couple of years I pull the cable out & hang the outer sheath vertically in the vice. I then move the inner cable up & down, & squirt some light engine oil down into the sheath, until it drips out the bottom. That way I know the whole cable is oiled. I once bought an Asian aftermarket cable for a KE, and it was terrible. It didn't have the Teflon lining over the inner cable like the Toyota OEM cable, and it bound on the large radius. Even generous lubrication did not help much. The design of making the clutch adjustment accessible in the enging bay was a great Toyota idea. Most cars require you get under neath ot put it on a hoist to adjust a threaded rod with lock nuts. However, the firewall adjustment of the KE series leaves a lot to be desired, as the little clip breaks, pops out, often never to be seen again. I guess most Rollas of that vintage have something like the following to replace the little C clip. The wire hose clamp seems a better idea that the band type as they resist slipping. I've found that I need two small band ones in series to take the forces involved. I've often thought of making a threaded tube, which could be attached to the outer sheath, with a couple of large adjusting lock nuts. I've not come across any aftermarket device or design on the net. I would be interested in hearing what others have improvised on RollaClub, or whether anyone has a good design alternative. Cheers Banjo

Hi Logan, My guess is it is related to fuel, and not to gearbocx mechanical, or an ignition problem. Did you do the conversion with the engine still in place ? If so you would have had to tilt the engine back down. There is an electrical wire on the carby of the far side. This wire is always powered when the ignition is on, and opens a solenoid in the carby to allow fuel to flow. It's purpose is to cut off fuel as soon as the ignition is switched off, so the engine cannot run on. However if there is an intermittent connection between carby and inner guard panel "green" connector, you can get a symptom, similar to what you are describing. This wire, being connected to the engine, vibrates, & if there is a bad connection, could easily be intermittent. I trust it is just that, because it's a very easy fix. Cheers Banjo

Hi John, Most definitely all KE30/35/55 front guards are completely interchangeable. The only difference you will ever find in these guards is that if they are imported spares from S.E. Asia or Japan, they may have holes in the top of the guards for mounting of "fender rear vision mirrors". Easily covered from the inside & filled. Also be wary of reproduction model panels which do not always fit well. There was a recent post on here under KEXX Corolla Discussion forum regarding these at . . . . http://www.rollaclub.com/board/topic/64044-ke30-reproduction-body-panels/ Cheers Banjo

Thanks Guys ! That was just the sort of info I was after. Cheers Banjo.

Hi Reed, Prices seem too good to be true, hence my queries ! I'll be in Sydney in 2 weeks, so may go & check them out if anyone one on Rollaclub has had experience with them.

Hi Guys, Came across these at a ebay store called RRR Auto Parts in Sydney. Their store link is http://stores.ebay.c...sid=p4340.l2563 Has anyone purchased or used these ? I'd be interested in quality & fit. Any feedback appreciated. I note that this store also stocks some KE70 & AE71 panels also. Cheers Banjo