First Car - 95 Seca RV

[RVSeca95]

Hey Just bought my first car, a 1995 Seca RV on the weekend, for $2500.

I pretty much have no idea about engines, but eager to learn. Are there any other AE102 owners(or anyone else) that have any maintenance tips, or P-plate legal modifications that are actually worth doing to improve performance (apart from polishing, already done that) and or life.

It's a 5spd M, Got just under 270,000 on the clock, new battery. Acceleration is quite good Clutch and gears feel great, although around 3000 rpm it makes a slight raspy/shutter when you shift gears. I'm happy how it is and it drives pretty well but if theres anything worth while doing...

Any Advice, Life lessons or abuse more than welcome.

Thanks. :)

[eviltwin]

Great money for alot of car there and being an RV has the 1.8 litre 7AFE motor which is the best combination in that model corolla. Advice from me is start by learning where your oil dipstick is and always keep an eye on the level , read your user manual and learn to check all the basics first. Always let her warm up before you apply any large ammounts of revs and remember to keep her clean and tidy.

As far as modifications go pending what your interested in a set of lowered springs and a cat back exhaust will make the car a heap of fun! They go really well for what they are and making a little noise is always nice. To begin learning about all the aspects of the car buy yourself some basic tools and start by learning what all the different parts of your engine are called so you can identify them and always ask us here if your not sure of something.

Hope this helps!

[RVSeca95]

Thanks twin,

Yeah big help, been checking the oil I found that one pretty quickly, It burn's through it pretty quickly (I was told by the previous owner) no leaks though which I good news for my driveway. Have been reading up on the 7A-FE but in no real depth probably will spend the holidays getting it checked out and learning as much as I can.

Thanks for the mod suggestions.

[Hiro]

Nice work scoring an RV, and a manual one at that (I'm assuming it's manual as I can't see a transmission dipstick). The RVs were the top spec for the hatches, so you should have pretty decent kit to begin with (power windows, central locking, air-con etc) plus they had the same sports seats as the AE101 FXGTs and Levins, which are miles better than the pov-spec ones.

Things to look out for, the aforementioned checking of the oil is definitely something to keep an eye on. All A-series engines, 7AFE included, like to burn a bit of oil as they get older, especially if they weren't looked after or run-in properly. It's worthwhile topping it up regularly (making sure not to overfill) or doing oil and filter changes every 5,000km. As for other things to look out for, rust isn't really an issue on these cars, they seem to hold up much better than the AE92s etc, Toyota really stepped up the build-quality when they moved to the Altona plant and started making the 10x series. For the same reason the body should be in good shape, with few rattles/clunks etc, although it's a good bet that the standard suspension is well and truly shagged by now (if it hasn't already been changed), so check things like shocks, springs, bushes, ball-joints and swaybar endlinks and replace anything that is getting worn.

On the mod side of things, the F-head A-series engines are a bit of an orphan child compared to the 4AGEs, so there's not much off-the-shelf in Aus as far as bolt-in upgrades. Things like better shocks and lowered springs are a good start (the RVs supposedly got slightly sportier suspension than the rest of the pack but were still fairly pedestrian) to improve handling, along with the 3-point strut brace from an AE101 Levin (you have to drill holes in the firewall though). Engine upgrades are basically limited to exhaust and a cold-air intake unless you want to get custom cams and headwork (which would probably need an aftermarket computer or piggyback anyway). Exhaust and intake on their own will probably net you ~5kw at the wheels depending on how healthy your engine is and the size/quality of the exhaust, which is a nice little boost, and if your handling is sorted then it ends up being quite a nice car for twisty mountain roads, just don't expect it to be sizing up V8s at the traffic lights :P

Biggest piece of advice I can give is to get the Gregorys manual for it, it's the best $50 you can ever spend for your car and is very, very handy to have around when you give the DIY a try for the first time.

[tasbud]

good to see another RV seaca on here they are a great little car

[RVSeca95]

Nice work scoring an RV, and a manual one at that (I'm assuming it's manual as I can't see a transmission dipstick). The RVs were the top spec for the hatches, so you should have pretty decent kit to begin with (power windows, central locking, air-con etc) plus they had the same sports seats as the AE101 FXGTs and Levins, which are miles better than the pov-spec ones.

Things to look out for, the aforementioned checking of the oil is definitely something to keep an eye on. All A-series engines, 7AFE included, like to burn a bit of oil as they get older, especially if they weren't looked after or run-in properly. It's worthwhile topping it up regularly (making sure not to overfill) or doing oil and filter changes every 5,000km. As for other things to look out for, rust isn't really an issue on these cars, they seem to hold up much better than the AE92s etc, Toyota really stepped up the build-quality when they moved to the Altona plant and started making the 10x series. For the same reason the body should be in good shape, with few rattles/clunks etc, although it's a good bet that the standard suspension is well and truly shagged by now (if it hasn't already been changed), so check things like shocks, springs, bushes, ball-joints and swaybar endlinks and replace anything that is getting worn.

On the mod side of things, the F-head A-series engines are a bit of an orphan child compared to the 4AGEs, so there's not much off-the-shelf in Aus as far as bolt-in upgrades. Things like better shocks and lowered springs are a good start (the RVs supposedly got slightly sportier suspension than the rest of the pack but were still fairly pedestrian) to improve handling, along with the 3-point strut brace from an AE101 Levin (you have to drill holes in the firewall though). Engine upgrades are basically limited to exhaust and a cold-air intake unless you want to get custom cams and headwork (which would probably need an aftermarket computer or piggyback anyway). Exhaust and intake on their own will probably net you ~5kw at the wheels depending on how healthy your engine is and the size/quality of the exhaust, which is a nice little boost, and if your handling is sorted then it ends up being quite a nice car for twisty mountain roads, just don't expect it to be sizing up V8s at the traffic lights :P

Biggest piece of advice I can give is to get the Gregorys manual for it, it's the best $50 you can ever spend for your car and is very, very handy to have around when you give the DIY a try for the first time.

Thanks Hiro, Got some great idea's out of that, It is a manual. I've tried looking for a clear answer on whether Cold air intakes are legal for P-Plate drivers, and I couldn't get a clear answer. Does anyone know? Do they have to be installed by a mechanic or is DIY okay for legality?

Definitely be getting my hands on that manual.

Thanks again.

[Delvance]

I'm pretty sure recent changes in p plater laws state that any power enhancing mods are illegal regardless of being engineered or not... but in saying that, there are stealth/legal mods that you can do..

Matter of fact... i'm slowly doing 'em to my car now (not a p plater but i'm sort of doing a project tight**** for my daily corolla). I'm not doing all of the below however that's a list that would keep most very busy.

So i reckon the below will be able to be done while having 0 problems with the law and pink slips etc.

Performance

-high flow drop in panel filter eg K&N ~$80

-Manually remove all the muffling inside the air box and the plastic lines that suppress noise, Free

-There may a small resonator tee'd off the intake pipe just before the throttle body.. remove and seal, Free

-With the ae1xx xafe engine's, part of your intake for the airbox has a large resonator tee'd off from it. The resonator is located behind the front bumper passenger side. Get to the resonator and cut it open. Remove all the plastic lining that suppresses noise once again etc and make sure air gets to where this resonator is. This will be your stealth gimpo CAI. Free

-Get some new spark plugs installed, line the open part of the spark plug to the direction the air and fuel is flowing from, ~$20

-Get a set of performance replacement spark leads in black colour, ~$100

-Have a look under the car and take measurements of the cat converter, the mid muffler and end muffler and take note of piping size. Now goto the wreckers and look at cars that flow decent power from factory (think sporty models or big engine cars such as sportivo corolla or v6 commodores). Find components that are roughly the same size etc that are suitable. Having the cat, mid and end muffler replaced from a car that flows more power from factory will give you a gimpo exhaust system - without the added noise (as you don't want anyone to know the car has mods!), ~120 parts. Then take it all to a good exhaust shop and get them to fit it on and ask for a factory look (or even spray the exhaust with galv), $150

-Use 98 octane fuel (it actually works out cheaper per km most times anyways as it allows the car to be more efficient), and rotate the dizzy to advance ignition timing. Best get a performance workshop to do this though. Will pick up a bit of power, ~$150. There is also a simple electrical mod you can do to make a budget air/fuel controller on the car. Details here

http://www.4age.net/tech/efimod.htm Will suit when the workshop is setting the ignition advance.

-Remove spare from boot (it's a full size spare i think) and tools etc along with false flooring. Replace with a can of emergency tire repair. ~$18

Handling

-Get a good set of tires first. On a budget go for kumho ku31, falken fk452. Bit more dough then try bridgestone adrenalins. If you're dead serious about handling, get some s compounds falken rt615, kuhho ku36, advan ad-08 or r compounds (street legal track semi slicks). Bridgestone re11s, toyo r888 etc (tires first because they will help speed off the mark, stopping distance and handling). ~$400-1500

-Matched set of springs/shocks e.g. bilstein/eibach. ~$800-1400

-Set of swaybars from whiteline ~$600

-All bushes replaced ~$600

-Front and rear strut braces ~$400

-Remove more weight if wanted, Free

Braking

-Flush system and use dot 4 liquid at least, ~$60

-Get slotted rotors front and rear, ~$500

-Street/track pads front and rear, ~$220

All of the above prices are approximates and most include labour. If you can do a bit of DIY you'll save heaps, source second hand parts or bargain on top of DIY and the whole exercise wouldn't cost too much and you'd be getting towards a handling monster with a little pep.

Best part is once you're off your Ps, you can ditch the 7afe and drop in a 20valve 4age, 4agze, or build a 7age. Alternatively sell the car stock and sell the mods on forums/ebay to get some money back.

Enjoy and GL, they are a great first time car.

Fwiw, i learnt driving sportily in an ae101 corolla with a 4afe (1.6L) in auto form. It had intake/exhaust/piggyback/head work, matched springs/shocks/front strut bar, all poly bushing and good tires for the time. Was extremely fun through the bends :)

[Delvance]

Should've mentioned...

Some of the mods listed may be a bit exxy for a younger first time driver.

These mods may be skipped/done at a later stage

-Replace all bushings (but do replace any torn/buggered ones)

-Install front/rear slotted rotors

-Rear strut brace (can get away with a front one only)

That would bring the total cost to very low especially if you go second parts here and there and do alot of DIY :)

Edit - as far as i know the ae101 and ae112 corolla 7afe engines are exactly the same but the ecu tuning is different. The ae112 corolla is about a second faster to 100 than the ae101. Maybe check with a toyota expert as to whether you can plug in an ae112 corolla ecu into yours. If you can, just find a wrecked ae112 corolla and get the ecu. Shouldn't be more than a few hundred at most!

Oh and as part of maintenance, when the clutch wears out. Install a sports clutch and lightweight flywheel..

Edited September 27, 2010 by Delvance