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Yeah I'm suspect on that being the case, had it happen in a number of holden geminis that ive owned. Might just leave it for new owner to tackle, Radiator is being treated currently, seems to be holding up well now! I'm going to get my mechie to do timing and then up for sale we go! Just need to add together my total spendings and determine a price. :bash: (and now discovered highbeams don't work,I'll fix that too!)

Sorry guys thought i updated the thread. After double checking everything i had new starter motor fitted, the old one came out *in 2 pieces* Issue sorted, still getting mildly warm if u keep it up around 100kph, think radiator now needs a treatment to clear away any gunky bits that have formed in the gills So ive now Replaced headgasket Adjusted tappets Installed new points Repaired blinks Repaired starter motor Sorted out why I'm losing dash lights, and parker lights is simply a loose connection(yet to solve fully) Now to do this radiator so the car runs sweet and cool. Also just discovered my heater lines are cut and blocked off. so soon will be sourcing new heater hoses. And still need a CD player installed. So far spent in excess of $700 on various repairs and parts and labour. Almost there!!! :bash:

Ah well, $135 fitted and this starter was as good as new. This guy has starters for damn near every make and model sitting in his garage, quite a sight. O.T - My car now starts off its key, the old starter was in 2 pieces when he pulled it out, problem solved, but omg..

After hunting around several auto dismantlers/wreckers... ive become aware that sourc'ing parts for my rolla via conventional methods just wasn't working. Simply no wrecker had a starter motor for a KE55, one even had the cheek to laugh at me. So ive sourced a private auto eletrician who rebuilds them in his spare time, the guy has them lined along his garage walls every for every car. I'm being charged $105 for the new starter, in fully rebuilt and showroom condition ( perfect, shiny :dance: ) and he offered to fit it for an extra $30. By no means am i bragging about the price, but if anyone else has issues like me in sourcing parts, i can supply a number for this starter-motor rebuilder on request. Now, I'm off to spend $135 and pray to god my car starts off the key afterwards. if not my car is sitting in an auto electricians garage, hehe!! win win.

Runs like a dream when i jump start it, tho admittedly havent put a timing light over it yet, yet it runs smooth as silk when its up and pumping. Ill begin testing the earths as u described tomorrow slapper, i believe its high time i chucked a full sickie from work, this is cause for it. I'm quite positive the battery clamps arent the issue, they are in great condition, its either starter motor or the earthing, my mechie is quite sure its the starter, tho I'm still hesitant about ripping the motor half down and then finding out that wasnt the issue! Will keep you guys posted Raining atm, so hoping sun comes out tomorrow.

Cancel the pics, i convinced my local mechie to spare 15mins of his time for, legend even lets me book up on an account:) Once i source the issue here ill get back to you guys with the solution, that is naturally IF he can find the issue. Once again thankyou to all who take thier time out to help a fellow rolla owner. I'm going to fix this rolla up if it kills me, then sell it to one of u blokes, and probably get stuff all for it :cool: CARS!

Can u explain that too me differently? The negative terminal on battery earths out to the chassis if thats what ur saying.. not sure if thats a good or bad thing, might flash u guys a few pics, i managed to shift my work hours to tonight to keep toying with the rolla Ill be back shortly with lots of pics to let u guys mull over *edit* I'm attaching the negative lead to the negative terminal on battery when i jump start from another car with jumper leads + to +, - to - .. i think thats what ur asking? -and the terminals are in excellent condition

Its a KE55 Corolla, I'm baffled, and now on the way to work :\ might have to drop her at the mechanics tomorrow for a checkup :cool: i don't have the know-how to do any wiring issues.

Yep with jumper leads if kicks over and starts, i jumped it from GF's laser and away we go, which baffles me even more, sorry for not including that in original post accessories are all working. (has no stereo as of yet) dash lights are up, parkers are up, headlights are up. everything except car f**king starting lol Which should mean starter motor is OK? .. I'm majorly confused

Ok changed headgasket, all went well, thought battery died in the process somehow. Turns out this isnt the issue, fully charged the battery with same effect, figured just to be safe ill try battery from GF's laser. same result, turns very slowly asif a dead battery "ner... ner...ner....ner.." My battery starts my gf's car, and her battery obviously starts her car. So the battery isnt the issue. What on gods green earth, causes a rolla to behave like this. I'm bewildered, and my mechanic mate is now back in QLD, any ideas? longshots? hopeful's? all accepted info is welcomed in my struggle to defeat the Rolla's personality. So to clarify: Corolla will not start with fully charged battery, acts like battery has 5% charge and turns once every 2 seconds. :cool: :hmm: ;) HELP!

Besides being a gutless little 1.3L engine it runs quite well now, still need to sort out this battery issue :\

Yeah cheers myles, we done it what we believed to be correct and it sounded like a subaru with the power of a lawnmower Re-checked it all after 30mins of debating what the hell went wrong, and it now turns over perfectly. Somewhere along this learning curve today my battery decided it wanted to give up the ghost and die, alternator doesnt seem to want to charge it, not sure if its my doing.. but car runs alot better now, new headgasket and points, does a world of good The previous gasket was leaking from water galleries and allowing water to pass into cylinders 1 & 4, guessed asmuch as it was using water far too much, seems to be fixed now:) Some pics of todays activities, just engine shots..

New question, motor is all back together but its running a bit rough, popping along, and splurting a bit... cancel that, my mate has just discovered that the dizzy cap, has been put on backwards.. since BEFORE i bought it.. wtf. i need to know how to do that valve clearances, and whats the sequance, sorry to be a pest guys

Out of curiousity, whats the difference between a 4K and a 4K-C motor? i took some pics of the block and the head after removal, it seems some water jackets on block arent on the head, maybe its off a different rolla engine, ill post the pics up this evening, my poor laptop is getting oil'd and greased, as i type :yes:

lol cheers, all done now, just re-assembling now:)

Quick question, is there a cooling system drain plug on the block somewhere on these motors? i can't workout which one if there is :yes:

Very much so, was wondering if those pushrods were going to be any trouble, sounds easy! theres 2 of us doing it, shouldnt be a prob, thanks again :P

Thanks for the heads up, i think its a protorque? $20 special! hahah. moving right along... My mate has done at least 20 headgaskets on various cars, just no k motors, thanks again for that mate:)

I'm just about to change the headgasket on my KE55 corolla 4door tomorrow, we have the torque settings and the sequence settings, but see'ing as you guys are the experts, any tricks to these, is it harder then normal motor, does it run pushrods? lol. potentially silly questions maybe, but any heads up on what to do/what not to do is helpful, never changed one on a rolla before, Cheers in advance!

Yeah ive peeked under the car this morning, rather impressed by the way it handles, but all looks to be stock? this car however has a genuine 162xxx km on the odometer, so maybe its just been well taken care of over the years. Thinking maybe i need to find a lowered set of springs for the front.

Picked it up from boost, was worried it wasnt going to make home even tho i was babying it, an hour under the hood after i got it home and it goes well again, still re-gasketing most of the topend so i can cruise with peace of mind. No it lives on the mid north coast, my mates roadtripping down for the weekend from the goldcoast and going over it. If you are chasing more pics, just say what u want too see and ill snap a few happily. Also not sure what KE55 corolla suspension is like usually? but this thing rides like its on rails at speed on corners, will duck my head under it and see what suspension it has tomorrow

Yep that sorted her out, gave her a good whack from front and behind, put my seatbelt on, looked up and guages were working, go the rolla! *edit for above reply* - I'm not really willing to put any modifcation into a car i have no intention of keeping, I'm just fixing up the bits previous owner didnt bother repairing, then she's up for sale, cheers for the info regardless. -Regards, Kyle.

Ah well, might try giving it a faith *whack* on the dash, see what happens. more just want the temp guage, being an older car i don't know how she holds up on stinking hot days. never fun cooking a car, been there, done that. Cheers!

Well after its had its lil issues worked out, one of you boys can buy it for a nice engine transplant!

I recently purchased a 1980mdl KE55 Corolla in excellent condition, but as always, it has a few minor bugs The fuel and temp guages have just *stopped* working, not sure if its a common fault? I'm checking senders in the engine bay for the temp, but havent seen anything missing so far, and was working when i purchased the car. Thinking maybe its the cluster itself? any known faults or workarounds for this would be helpful, thanks in advance guys.