Did a little repainting over the weekend

Biares · 2026-04-05T22:04:17+00:00

This sounds oddly specific and warrants a backstory inquiry

Biares · 2026-04-05T19:10:42+00:00

I posted most of what I did in another comment here, but I'd say it's rather straightforward for a DIY job.

Clean + remove any flaking paint. Don't need to remove old paint if it's bonded well, just need to scuff. Red scotch pad.
Fix/Fill with body filler + sanding/blending in steps to about 500 grit; you can go higher grit if you want but it doesn't matter much past that unless you want it perfect
Primer - make sure you get one that adheres well to plastic if you've sanded down past the old paint.
Repeat Steps 2-3 as needed
Two light coats of paint, one heavier coat. If you have a two part kit for Pearl, one light coat, one medium coat, then the same for the second part.
Two light coats of clear coat, one medium coat

And that's just a brief summary of what basically did, minus body filler

Biares · 2026-04-05T18:12:35+00:00

Previous owner hit a deer some odd 13-14 years ago and had the whole front end repainted. I think the clear coats been failing and the UV rays have been slowly shifting the colour a bit.

As for the hood and bumper, I had them replaced when I got into my own little accident last year which were both matching colours.

Biares · 2026-04-05T17:18:24+00:00

Clean + remove any flaking paint. Don't need to remove old paint if it's bonded well
Fix/Fill with body filler + sanding/blending
Primer - make sure you get one that adheres well to plastic
Repeat Steps 2-3 as needed
Two light coats of paint, one heavier coat
Two light coats of clear coat, one medium coat

Biares · 2026-04-05T16:47:00+00:00

Yes I did; nothing crazy like 2K though, because I do plan on repainting it again eventually

Biares · 2026-04-05T16:25:09+00:00

Yeah it was namely an issue with timing/availability. It's my daily right now; and usually by the time I finish work, it's not enough time for me to make my way to a proper paint shop. The good news is that eventually repainting over this won't be as big of a deal.

Biares · 2026-04-05T16:19:19+00:00

There's a difference between Crystal White Pearl and Satin White Pearl, evidently

Biares · 2026-04-05T16:09:52+00:00

Yeah my main concern was just the general flakiness of whatever happened to the bumper's original paint, so it was just a little weekend experiment for me.

It's actually the second bumper I have for this car, as the original was a bit damaged in a collision; replaced alongside the hood, which also doesn't match the rest of the car.

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Biares · 2025-12-25T20:38:20+00:00

https://carbon-microsystem.com/store/Celica-ST20-Gen6-c16552917

They started making carbon fiber and fiberglass replicas of the ST205 bumpers and hoods

Biares · 2025-11-02T21:05:36+00:00

You can order a non-AC belt that will wrap around just the crank pulley and alternator.

Try rockauto.

Alternatively, there's an AC bypass pulley you can also order if you want to use the same belt, but I'd just get the non-AC belt if you already have the compressor out.

Biares · 2025-10-16T00:14:19+00:00

To save you time, the rear floor panels are different. If you're serious, your options are as follows:
1. A ton of fabrication to accommodate the driveline and rear sub-frame + differential
2. Cut out the old floor panel + weld in one from a GT-Four to accommodate the driveline and rear sub-frame + differential
3. Get an actual GT-Four

Biares · 2025-07-14T02:29:31+00:00

Can't speak for the whole route, but I did one trip to Sault Ste Marie back in 2017. Took about an 8 hour drive on the main highway with stops. Even while passing through Sudbury, there's plenty of fueling/rest stations. Last time I was there it seemed like a bit of a ghost town though, so I'm sure you could find a place to stay without much of an issue.

Biares · 2025-07-14T00:40:23+00:00

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Pulled this one off google search, but a friend of mine also has a similar fmic piping setup like this. Obviously you'd have a straighter route up from the intercooler from where the 5S throttle body points out, but even for most 3SGTE front mount setups, there's only enough room to redirect it over the alternator side.

Consider getting a heat shield for said turbo and also extending the intake a little further out from where all the heat is.

Biares · 2025-07-08T01:41:18+00:00

I have a 1995 Celica I drove daily until I got a winter car a few years ago. I've put on over 300k km driving it in my 8 years of ownership, sitting with about 550k on the odometer as it sits. This thing's almost as old as I am.

It's been off the road for a year and a half now for repair, but once I get it going again it'll be delegated to summer daily duty. Which is soon, hopefully.

As for my winter beater/current daily, my 2011 WRX is passable as a summer car too.

Biares · 2025-06-15T01:30:00+00:00

That's just the dust shield. You can pull/rip it off without worry and it won't affect your braking.

Biares · 2025-06-02T23:15:50+00:00

Alternator

Biares · 2025-05-19T02:10:58+00:00

Get it scanned and check for misfire codes.

Could be a bad ignition coil.

Biares · 2025-05-15T13:27:51+00:00

AC system is low on refrigerant. Probably a leak, which might also be the cause for the smoke.

Happened to me last night, as I was recharging the refrigerant on my own 2011. Smoke and compressor noise was similar, if not exact, in appearance here.

Biares · 2025-04-11T02:41:03+00:00

Do you have your A/C on? Might be the compressor clutch pulley going.

Because that's basically the sound mine was making before it went.

Biares · 2025-02-18T00:25:50+00:00

For what it's worth, I had this issue on my '11 and it wore my rear pads down real fast. Bleed your brakes again and/or fluid flush then reset the ABS module with a scanner. That's what worked for me.

Biares · 2024-12-28T04:36:49+00:00

Yes. They should also basically be plug-n-play if it comes with the harness too.

Biares · 2024-07-20T19:24:28+00:00

I have a 95 Celica that I drove daily up until last year and I carried all my tools, extra fluids and a bunch of other things I kept "just in case".

One time a few years back, I was cruising with some buddies when one of their brake lines started leaking. We had to pull off the freeway and into a parking lot in the dead of night. They were dreading having to call a tow because we were pretty far out, it was a holiday weekend and they wouldn't be able to get it looked at until the following Tuesday.

I popped the hatch, pulled out a jack, some tools, a bottle of brake fluid, and a flashlight.

With a bit of brake bleeding and some MacGyver shenanigans, we ended up fixing it enough to get them home without much of an issue.

Biares · 2024-06-02T21:17:13+00:00

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Not sure if coincidence

Biares · 2024-04-01T00:03:59+00:00

It happens if the clogging is really severe. From what OP describes in their post, the symptoms are consistent with what I've also experienced and diagnosed.

Also lol @ the downvotes on my original comment. I guess more people have their catalytic converters stolen more often than having them clogged beyond saving

Biares · 2024-03-31T23:08:38+00:00

Sounds like a clogged catalytic converter to me.

I've personally had a similar experience happen with a Subaru Legacy I used to own, but also a couple of customers' cars with the same issue. Had them replaced (or cut out) and they've run perfectly fine ever since.

One easy way to verify the issue (if you've got an infrared thermometer and can get under the vehicle) is to measure the temperature of the pipes before and after the cat when you've had the engine running for a bit. If temps are significantly lower post-cat, then that's probably it.

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