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Registered:
August 2003
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Noob questions: 4A-C Sprinter
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Sat, 14 August 2004 16:23
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1. Do they come with a pre-air cleaner & dust cup? (Shown in the manual but I think mines missing - bad?)
2. The coolant is very dirty...I know where the radiator-drain plug is (please don't clap) but not sure where the engine-drain plug is. It might be next to the oil filter but the space seems too small to collect the coolant. (The manual says to take both plugs out when replacing fluid)
3. The air-con is not working and the compressor is missing a belt. What belt do I need and what else should I do to get it working? Will this get the rear-window heating to work too?
4. Manual recommends 1.7kPa tire pressure but it looks just a slightly flat compared to other cars - is this a good pressure? I have the pen-guage and the gauge on a foot pump and they both show different readings (I feel like the pen is more trustworthy)
5. I read somewhere that these cars have rear drum brakes - how can I tell? I saw shiny disks at the front when I took off the front wheels which makes me think its has front-disk brakes instead! Are disc brakes better? What do you think of upgrading to 4 wheel disc brakes?
6. What tires do you recommend for a mixture of everyday use and performance? Wheel size? (Mines current 185/70 Firestone F-355, I think, on std 13")
7. Is unleaded good enough?
8. There is a gut wrenching(!) grinding whenever I try to downshift to 1st gear (no matter how I try to engine-match), which is why I don't, unless it is travelling really slowly. Is this normal?
9. Would the chassis of this 20 y.o car be strong enough to be a track car (that is after future upgrades) or do I have to sand the surfaces the whole car to metal to find out?
10. After answering all my questions, do you need therapy?
Thanks.
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Location:
Adelaide
Registered:
August 2003
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Location:
Melbourne
Registered:
August 2003
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Re: Noob questions: 4A-C Sprinter
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Sun, 15 August 2004 06:44
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3. The air-con is not working and the compressor is missing a belt. What belt do I need and what else should I do to get it working? Will this get the rear-window heating to work too?
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You can buy that belt from most auto parts places, ie. Repco or Bursons, just tell them you need the A/C compressor belt for AE86 Corolla. No, this won't fix the rear window demister if it's not working now.
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Manual recommends 1.7kPa tire pressure but it looks just a slightly flat compared to other cars - is this a good pressure? I have the pen-guage and the gauge on a foot pump and they both show different readings (I feel like the pen is more trustworthy)
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I'd recommend ~32-36psi. 32psi=~220kPa. Are you sure it's 1.7kPa? at 1.7kPa the rim should be rolling on the ground.
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8. There is a gut wrenching(!) grinding whenever I try to downshift to 1st gear (no matter how I try to engine-match), which is why I don't, unless it is travelling really slowly. Is this normal?
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Yes, it's normal. First is a very short ratio, you generally can't synchro into first over about 15kph. Anything faster than this and you'll get acceptable response in second anyway.
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9. Would the chassis of this 20 y.o car be strong enough to be a track car (that is after future upgrades) or do I have to sand the surfaces the whole car to metal to find out?
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Um, no, you don't need to sand it because all you'll find is sheet metal, which you know you'll find anyway. For track applications (involving repeated applications of singificant forces) structural rigidity is a good thing. This can be acheived by stitch welding the chassis together, fitting structural braces, or welding in a roll cage. The improvements are all relative, though; if you're just starting out, you'll have heaps of fun in your stock AE86.
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I read somewhere that these cars have rear drum brakes - how can I tell? I saw shiny disks at the front when I took off the front wheels which makes me think its has front-disk brakes instead! Are disc brakes better? What do you think of upgrading to 4 wheel disc brakes?
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Further to what Satoshi has said, note that because your car has front discs doesn't mean it can't also have rear drums.
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Location:
Adelaide
Registered:
August 2003
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Re: Noob questions: 4A-C Sprinter
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Sun, 15 August 2004 09:17
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letmedrift: i got a noob question to ask u..WHY THIS NICK?? why not Iamawannabedrifter or soontobedriftking 
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Location:
Melbourne
Registered:
August 2003
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Re: Noob questions: 4A-C Sprinter
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Sun, 15 August 2004 09:44
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Hey, maybe Satoshi's alias should be '3l33t hachi roku drift king'? Is that your car in your avatar? Or are you posing too?
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Location:
cambo
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Noob questions: 4A-C Sprinter
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Sun, 15 August 2004 10:12
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i dont wanna sound slack but maybe you should get your car checked out by a mechanic first, get them to work on it till you understand more because the questions you ask are beyond basic, and if you try to do anything to your car yourself your likely to wreck it rather than improve it.
its good your taking an interest in the maintenance of your car, but please dont work on it yet!
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Location:
Adelaide
Registered:
August 2003
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Re: Noob questions: 4A-C Sprinter
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Sun, 15 August 2004 12:01
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| SeptemberSquallIndustries wrote on Sun, 15 August 2004 19:14 |
Hey, maybe Satoshi's alias should be '3l33t hachi roku drift king'? Is that your car in your avatar? Or are you posing too?
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yeah that's my car but i know ppl wouldnt believe me...but anyway who cares if that's mine or not...doesnt bother me.. 
but i know that's not your car 
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Location:
Melbourne
Registered:
August 2003
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Re: Noob questions: 4A-C Sprinter
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Sun, 15 August 2004 12:04
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| Satoshi wrote on Sun, 15 August 2004 22:01 |
| SeptemberSquallIndustries wrote on Sun, 15 August 2004 19:14 |
Hey, maybe Satoshi's alias should be '3l33t hachi roku drift king'? Is that your car in your avatar? Or are you posing too?
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yeah that's my car but i know ppl wouldnt believe me...but anyway who cares if that's mine or not...doesnt bother me..
but i know that's not your car
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I'm just saying give the guy a break, he'll have a tough enough time from everybody as it is.
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Location:
Adelaide
Registered:
May 2003
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Re: Noob questions: 4A-C Sprinter
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Sun, 15 August 2004 12:30
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everyone was a noob at some stage, just different levels of common sense
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Registered:
August 2003
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Re: Noob questions: 4A-C Sprinter
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Sun, 15 August 2004 12:40
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Gee, Satoshi your kindness was well appreciated!!! 
As for my nickname, I now realise its pretty much asking-for-it. It was only meant to be funny...guess it ain't 
SSI, I hope the belt is easy to install. It does say 1.7...I'll pump it up next time and see how that goes.
Hey Evo, thanks for your concern (of my Sprinter ) but i'm not planning any major performance mods anytime soon as its a pretty good everyday-car and I wanna do as much as I can myself to save $$$. I think this cheapo car will provide good hands on experience - something I wouldn't really think of doing on my old man's Cressida.
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Location:
Adelaide
Registered:
July 2004
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Re: Noob questions: 4A-C Sprinter
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Sun, 15 August 2004 13:26
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Remember to never forget the saying you get what you pay for. If you plan on this being you budget bash around cr tha's what it'll be so don't get discouraged when the car feels underpowered when compared to the 4AGE sprinters etc. If it's a budget basher then enjoy that fact, drum brakes - good, they lock easier! it also means that anything you break won't be expensive to replace, and if you plan on drifting you WILL break things. Ask anyone here...
Just keep your wits about you and read as much as you can, and get as much hands on with the knowledge you acquire from reading up on tech articles etc.
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Location:
Adelaide
Registered:
July 2004
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Re: Noob questions: 4A-C Sprinter
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Sun, 15 August 2004 13:28
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Oh and whatever you do don't think you can be the next Takumi because you'd be in for a nasty suprise
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Location:
Adelaide
Registered:
August 2003
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Re: Noob questions: 4A-C Sprinter
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Sun, 15 August 2004 15:42
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letmedrift: i'm not having a go at u..but if u interpret it wrongly...my apologies...
your question no.10 had me thinking that u were one of 'those' typical guys who will post in the forum like "i just got back from playing initial d arcade game...and i wanna buy a jdm ae86 under $3000...i cant wait to drift already" ...
but yeh....my apologies again..
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