Hiro

(At least, that was in regards to a 98 Vienta... am assuming there's not a lot of difference??) So, basically they were going to charge $60 labour... Are they as hard to replace on the Camry as they are on the Vienta? Is it worthwhile getting the platinums over cheaper ones? Cheers cosmic Changing spark plugs is easy, especially on the 4-cylinders (is it a 5SFE or 2AZ?). The Vienta will be 6-cylinder, and the rear bank probably harder to get to, so $60 labour ($10 per plug) isn't that unreasonable, yet it is something that you can do at home, as long as you have a spark-plug socket, extension bar and the appropriate ratchet handle. As to whether platinum plugs are worthwhile, that is usually up to personal preference. The extra cost balances out with the extended life, but most people I know tend to stick to standard plugs (at least on the slightly older Toyotas)

Damn, going to be down in Sydney for the Toymods Dyno Day on Sunday, looks like I'll miss this by about 12 hours

Personally, I think the hatch is a bit "meh", rear end looks too similar to the old one and the front is just a pumped Yaris. Sedan on the other hand is heaps better, best sedan since the AE102 (which was the best looking sedan since the KE55, and no I'm not biased :P)

the 7AFE was only released in the AE92 RV (late models), AE102 and AE112 (as far as Australia is concerned)

You going into regular Army or just the Reserves? I'm looking at joining Reserves this year for a bit more cash, no idea when it would be though (need to get a little more info methinks)

Toyota never released anything called the 7AGE. The 7AGE is a custom job involving a 4AGE head and 7AFE block. But yes, the A-series engine has been around for over 20 years now. The 7A is a 1.8L engine, the 4A is a 1.6L

Yep, we do indeed exist. 1997 and 1981 here.

Most 4AGE engines were released in a FWD format, either in the AE82 Twincam, AE92 SX/Levin, AE101 and AE111 Levin/Trueno, and in the AW11 MR2. The only RWD format 4AGE that was released in any substantial numbers (and not in Australia, by the way) was the AE86.

Calling the AU the worst Falcon ever is an insult to the EA. The main problems with the AU were a) Seating position B) Standard equipment on base models c) Looks d) Sales (relatively speaking), due to looks e) Resale (although this is a bonus for used cars, as they are cheap as chips but still fairly common), due to looks and sales And the AU III is the best of them all, so that kinda cancels out the bad stuff. The AU III XR8 had the 220kw V8 from the TE50 and TS50 Tickford models, the best Windsor around before the 5.6 strokers were created

And if you're not the original owner, chances are the code has been changed from the stock code anyway. Either way, dealer is the best way to go, although it'll probably cost you

The OLD Mini Cooper S was supercharged, the NEW Mini Cooper S is turbocharged. There have been Chilli versions of both, in each case it is purely a cosmetic upgrade, identical drivetrain. The H3 is hardly a military vehicle. It is just designed to look like one. The original H1 Hummer is essentially a road-going version of the AM General HMMWV (known as the Humvee) which is the current US military "jeep".

Or you could just get one made up by your local mechanic. Take out all the airbox piping, take a small amount of silicon hose (or re-use some of the intake) and run as straight as possible a piece of metal pipe to the hole in the guard which used to lead to the resonator, with appropriate bends at each end. Attach pod to the end of the pipe in the guard (former resonator) and enjoy induction noise. You'll have to put a bung or the like on the pipe for the air intake temperature sensor, which normally lives in the airbox, but that isn't too much trouble. I'm putting one of these into my 102 (which has a near identical engine bay, and engine, to the 112), most likely on the weekend, I can take some photos of it for you if you want

It'll depend on the suspension, if you have superlows or the like then you'll probably have to roll the rear guards to prevent scrubbing, but apart from that 205/40 R17 is no problem on a 101/102. The front wheel arch is positively huge.

And I'll bet you that basically everything between the wheels and the engine was custom-built. think that goes without saying but why would you need to go to such extremes on a car like that? Because some people like things to be unique Like the guy on Toymods who put a twin-turbo (and wants to add a supercharger) 1UZ into a ST185 GT4, converted to rear wheel drive. Or the other one who put a 1UZ and full Nissan GTR 4WD running gear into a TA22

And I'll bet you that basically everything between the wheels and the engine was custom-built.

i dont think the engine moves that much when idle...btw the car has been in an accident, i went to a mechanic before and he said he couldnt hear it, but i sure can... You'd be surprised at how much an engine can shake on startup and idle, especially if it's cold and not running smooth.

ST184 and ST204 Celicas used the 5SFE engine

Check to see if the engine moves much when idling, stuffed front engine mount sounds pretty safe bet at this stage.

If you mean the MA61 Supra mags that I've got on my KE55 in my sig, then yes, they will be fine. Basically all RWD Toyotas of that era had the same stud pattern and offset, from Celica to Corolla to Cressida to Corona. Main exceptions are KE10-20 Corollas, and MX8x onward Cressidas

What does the CD say for a 1997 AE102 Corolla then? I have the Gregorys sitting right in front of me and it clearly shows the handbrake mechanism actuating on the rear of the brake piston for disc models. Having a CD that covers over a decade of a model which is usually replaced every 4 years is a bad idea, as it usually won't go into specific detail about particular models. Good idea having another manual there too, although I've noted that the Haynes sometimes covers several models too, or different years. This is because Haynes isn't an Australian company, and thus doesn't necessarily reflect the same product as we got here in Australia (different trim levels etc).

Yeah, fixed. Too early in the morning for my brain to function properly

You sure it's not just showing the normal brake drum on the same page? Base model AE112s still had drums at the rear. Considering the number of similarities between the AE102 and AE112, especially in the driveline, I would be surprised if they changed to a separate drum for the parking brake on disc-brake models. Especially since the rear discs are the same on the 112 as they are on the 102. By the way, 1997-2006 covers several models, in Australia the AE102, AE112, ZZE122 and ZZE123 models all fit into that time period. Let me guess, you bought the CD off eBay?

Wow, my list pales in comparison to most here, although one of mine is probably faster than almost any other car here (up to a point) First car ever driven: 1996 Camry 4 cyl, manual- Parent's car, learnt to drive in it. First impressions were of a decent car, but when I go back and drive it now it just feels like a boat. First car ever owned: 1981 KE55 Corolla SE, manual - Bought it for my g/f to drive, but we're both on the rego. Incredibly slow, but incredibly loud Fastest car ever been a passenger in: ST162 Celica with ST184 3SGTE pushing around 22psi. In the dry, could munch FD RX7s for breakfast. In the wet, would struggle to beat a stock Falcadore. Serious traction issues Slowest car ever driven: 1981 KE55 (same car as before) - Very obvious reasons, still running the 4K so probably only 20-30kw atw. Still draws a lot of attention because of the noise though Fastest car ever driven: 2005 UN Racing Formula SAE race car - only 600cc from a Honda CBR600 F4i engine, and around 60HP (had a mandatory 20mm intake restrictor), but only weighed 300kg with driver and was geared to do about 140km/h in 6th. Would probably do 0-100km/h in the 3 to 4 second range (couldn't reach this in the competition due to track size). This, with your backside literally an inch off the ground (the brace at the bottom of the rollbar would often scrape over even minute bumps) Total list of cars driven and their relationship to me (all manual unless otherwise stated): SDV10R Camry - parent's car, learnt to drive AE102R Corolla - parent's car, but effectively mine 2004 Mazda2 - parent's car 2005 FSAE car - University's race car, I designed the combined axle/hubs and the suspension uprights, plus provision for a traction control system. 6-speed sequential gearbox with C02 paddle-shift Late '90s Ford Courier 4WD crewcab- Departmental work car when I was working at Liddell Power Station. Late '90s Holden Rodeo 2WD V6 singecab - Chemist's ute at Liddell, used whenever the Courier was somewhere else. Almost bald tyres and V6 meant that it was scary in the wet, and even scarier in the mush (coal dust and water are extremely slippery). Instant sideways action if ever I needed it AWD Magna - only auto I've ever driven, and even then only for a very short distance from the contractors shanty town back to the office at Liddell.

Not all cars with rear discs have a drum for the handbrake, I know for a fact that my '97 AE102 (pretty sure most other Corollas use this too) has a threaded rod which acts on the back of the piston to allow the handbrake to actuate the caliper. Self-adjusting too.

Most cars will do this, it's because the handbrake only operates the rear wheel brakes whilst the normal foot brake operates both front and rear (with a bias to the front). So if you park on a hill (even a slight one), the reduction in braking ability will cause the car to rock back onto the rear wheels, with appropriate weight transfer as well.