86.5 7MGE Problems

[cre]

Leave the mechanical fan and forget the electric... for some ungodly reason it seems no one ever manages to install them properly and I'm sick of all the "my fans caught fire and my wire harness is f@#%ed" sob stories... besides, there are virtually no gains to be had from it. The more electrical drain you put on the alternator the harder the alternator become to move... you lose what you gain.

If you feel you need something which imposes less resistance the best solution is a flexible fan... they're lightweight and they flatten out the faster they move causing a drastic decrease in resistance while maintaining a *reliable* source of airflow.

[86.5 7MGE]

Originally Posted by cre

You don't get WET oil on spark plugs unless it's coming from outside the engine... in the 7M's case, valve cover seals and the three galley cover bolts are the only place it'll come from.

The oil inside the plenum is a side effect of a functional PCV system. Excessive amounts may point to a problem with blowby due to worn rings, a leak down test would tell you what shape the rings are in.



Automatic radiators had a small oil cooler for the transmission fluid. http://www.cygnusx1.net/Supra/Librar...spx?F=1603&P=3



Pitting around water jackets is the result of the wrong type of coolant being used... it's due to a dielectric reaction. Thoroughly fluch your cooling system and switch to Toyota's red coolant to prevent further damage. Supposedly, the newer green coolant formulas are better at preventing this type of corrosion, but if you're already seen signs of damage I'd switch coolant soon.

NOTE: You MUST thoroughly flush the coolant system out before changing from one type of coolant to another. Failure to do so could result in emulsification.

Yea, I have been finding myself replacing my plugs like every 4 to 6 months because I can feel a restriction in my plugs and usually they are fouled out. I have replaced my No 3 trash gasket with some O Ring washers so maybe they are not holding up like I thought they would I'll recheck them to make sure didn't feel any oil leaking from them the last time I checked two days ago. This guy that worked at a parts store told me that I might want to switch from using synthetic oil to high mileage or regular oil and that should fix my plugs being covered in oil problem. The way he described it as it is so thin that it's blowing right past my rings in my pistons. He said that should fix it, just a guess of course cause that was supposedly his problem with his 88 corvette.

[cre]

I'm going to be disgustingly blunt here... if you don't like it, I'll apologize in advance... I'm sorry.

The parts store guy is a F@#$ing idiot and you really need to find a mentor to help you out while you learn your way around the engine bay.


There is NO WAY a running engine will get WET oil on the plugs much less soak the THREADS which happen to be outside of the combustion chamber! NONE! The parts guy is an idiot and you've got leaking valve covers or the bolts which hold down the No3 gasket.

Wet oil around the plug wires can cause shorts to ground and a heavy miss... the fact that replacing them makes it feel better for a while is because each time you pull them you're dumping all the oil that was surrounding them into the cylinder and thus eliminating the real problem for a little while.

A plug which has seen burning oil is black, but it's dry.

[86.5 7MGE]

Originally Posted by cre

I'm going to be disgustingly blunt here... if you don't like it, I'll apologize in advance... I'm sorry.

The parts store guy is a F@#$ing idiot and you really need to find a mentor to help you out while you learn your way around the engine bay.


There is NO WAY a running engine will get WET oil on the plugs much less soak the THREADS which happen to be outside of the combustion chamber! NONE! The parts guy is an idiot and you've got leaking valve covers or the bolts which hold down the No3 gasket.

Wet oil around the plug wires can cause shorts to ground and a heavy miss... the fact that replacing them makes it feel better for a while is because each time you pull them you're dumping all the oil that was surrounding them into the cylinder and thus eliminating the real problem for a little while.

A plug which has seen burning oil is black, but it's dry.

No worries CRE, you seem like you know way more about the Supra then them and I'm not calling you wrong on this, because what you said makes more since than anything any of these parts guys has been telling me. I still consider myself quite new to the Supra, it's become a headache at times, but I still love the Supra it's an awesome machine. Hey, since your in Denver also would you care to be my mentor?

[cre]

I'm not up for mentoring... I haven't the patience for it. I may be persuaded into coming over and having a look and helping you figure out where to start though. PM me your email address or phone number.

If you haven't already, order new valve cover gaskets. They're not that expensive and I'm positive that's where your oil is coming from (it's VERY common). Even if the gaskets are still soft they compress over the years and will fail to seal no matter how hard the covers are tightened (NEVER over tighten the valve cover bolts! The covers warp easily enough and then you're screwed.). The valve covers are supposed to be tightened at 22 INCH lbs... NOT ft.lbs. If you don't have a torque wrench capable of such fine measurement then use a screwdriver and only tighten them hand tight. Some people like to switch out the phillips head screws for bolts; that's fine, but you still need to make sure you're not over tightening them.

[86.5 7MGE]

Ok sounds great I'll PM you right now. I replaced my value cover gaskets in Oct last yr that's one of the first things I did to the car is a tune up to include replacing the value cover gaskets. I think that when I went to replace my No 3 gaskets I used the wrong gaskets all together so I'm going to redo them with the part number I got from IHATEHACKS thread just in case so there will be no more second guessing on it.

[cre]

Originally Posted by 86.5 7MGE

Ok sounds great I'll PM you right now. I replaced my value cover gaskets in Oct last yr that's one of the first things I did to the car is a tune up to include replacing the value cover gaskets. I think that when I went to replace my No 3 gaskets I used the wrong gaskets all together so I'm going to redo them with the part number I got from IHATEHACKS thread just in case so there will be no more second guessing on it.

Personally, if you've still got the No3 gasket I'd use it. Just clean off the dried up rubber around there the big bolts go through so it's bare metal and then put some RTV on both sides and reinstall. Those plugs don't really see any pressure worth mentioning so if you don't want to keep the gasket then you could just put RTV on the plugs and be done with it. I'd keep the gasket though, it still serves to keep larger debris out.

I do understand why IHATEHACKS didn't replace it with a new gasket though.. they're damned expensive. The thing is that they're supposed to seal along the sides too. I keep thinking that sometime I'm going to build a template and cast a silicone piece to laminate to the old gasket.. I could do that for half of what Toyota wants for it and get the same seal and... COLORS!!!!

[86.5 7MGE]

No I threw that thing away to the trash when I put in some plastic gaskets from Napa but they weren't as snug as I would have liked them to be.

[cre]

Originally Posted by 86.5 7MGE

No I threw that thing away to the trash when I put in some plastic gaskets from Napa but they weren't as snug as I would have liked them to be.

Tisk, tisk... well, if they're not sealing they'll leak a bit and it will also cause a vacuum leak. Double them up if need be. Me, I'd toss them, take one of the plugs to A & A Tradin' Post on Broadway and buy a few nice fat O-rings which fit the plug just firmly enough.

[86.5 7MGE]

Ok, here's the update I was down for about two weeks or so because of several problems that happened at once and waiting for parts from the Toyota Stealership. First my timing was out bad where it wouldn't start, had to wait for a connector from my wiring harness that was broken, and on top of that my starter went out. I proceeded by replacing the plugs, rotor, and cap. So I had to take off the throttle body and the intake manifold to reach the starter. I swapped out the starter and the positive terminal cable. On top of that I changed out some more hoses that were old and had heat damage; replaced the factory hose clamps with some better ones. Also, had to replace the intake manifold gaskets, because they became damaged upon removal. Then I put it all back together and connected the coolant lines together that ran from the throttle body and adjusted the timing with some great advice from CRE, by the way thanks for the help and for stopping by Now she sounds GREAT and runs better than before!!!