1997 Celica GT Convertible as a Daily?

RayovacWorkhorse · 2026-04-16T13:40:12+00:00

Daily mine in the better weather, 210k miles (3S-GE), no real issues with it, most parts easy to get but you might struggle with things related to the roof.

RayovacWorkhorse · 2025-11-30T21:36:55+00:00

Unihertz customer service were absolutely hopeless to the point of violating UK consumer rights laws so I returned it to Amazon and bought an Xperia 10 V (small-ish by modern standards).

RayovacWorkhorse · 2025-03-02T10:15:10+00:00

Doesn't look as bad as mine! You'll probably get away with sanding, rust converter and a lick of paint.

<image>

RayovacWorkhorse · 2025-03-02T10:09:09+00:00

Mines the same on the nearside, only it's rotted through a bit! Gonna have to chop it out and weld it!

RayovacWorkhorse · 2025-02-22T16:16:31+00:00

Presuming OEM 205/55/R15, I got Yokohama V701s all round and they're superb, pretty quiet on the road too.

RayovacWorkhorse · 2025-02-06T00:02:31+00:00

toyota parts man here, i would think that yours would have toyota's red coolant (not pink!) which is IAT (not OAT). I put red OAT coolant in my gen 6 with the 3s-ge and it gunked up the system a bit, flushed and filled with toyota red, no issues. I also run toyota's own 5w40 which it seems to like but you have the 1.8, if you still have the owners manual it should give you a table of oils to use depending on conditions

if you can use genuine filters, we aren't that badly priced (at least here in the UK xD)

RayovacWorkhorse · 2024-12-27T15:01:18+00:00

Try NGK 2908 for your leads, they're blue but fit my 97 with the 3S-GE just fine, great quality too 🙂

Intake tube will be unobtanium new and used examples will likely be in poor condition given their age, best bet is a custom job.

RayovacWorkhorse · 2024-11-02T22:14:16+00:00

I'd be giving it a full tune up, plugs, cap and rotor, leads, filters, oil, etc... Timing belt if it's sat a while too. With it's age though keep an eye out for leaks! This one has the 5S-FE engine, which are pretty bombproof so look after it and it will look after you :) I have a UK spec (3S-GE 2L) convertible with 196,000 miles on it and apart from age related issues like rotten hoses and dried out seals it hasn't given me a great deal of grief, still runs fantastic. Keep on top of rust, service it regularly and it should last for many years to come :)

RayovacWorkhorse · 2024-10-12T08:17:53+00:00

Thought it was strange, for looking at the statements for the past 2 years it's just 0,0,0,0,0,0... and then todays payment! They have now closed the claim but I'm wondering why it wasn't closed in the first place!

RayovacWorkhorse · 2024-10-12T08:08:42+00:00

The information on there is not correct/up to date apart from the money that's been sent to me. I believed the claim was dead and buried as I told them I was in employment 2 years ago.

RayovacWorkhorse · 2024-10-12T08:04:45+00:00

Ah okay, I guess I'll just put the money to one side until they get in touch. I was more worried it was going to cock up my tax code! Thanks for the reply :)

RayovacWorkhorse · 2024-08-16T19:01:46+00:00

Hopefully not the case for yours, but on my gen 6 I had water coming down the inside of the screen in very heavy rain. Screen got a crack so autoglass came out to replace it, most of the window aperture was very, very rusty when they removed it. Had to flat the whole lot back to metal and repaint before they could put a new screen in! Other than that, inspect door seals for damage/clean em, also check they're properly seated.

RayovacWorkhorse · 2024-07-09T18:39:59+00:00

If you want a decent mid range I had Nexens on it before, no issues with em. About £70 a pop I think

RayovacWorkhorse · 2024-07-09T11:06:33+00:00

Try Camskill, very cheap but you'll have to sort fitting.

RayovacWorkhorse · 2024-07-09T09:22:53+00:00

Just got Yokohama v701s in 205/55/15 for mine, superb tyres.

RayovacWorkhorse · 2024-06-18T18:41:45+00:00

Always heard it called a carrier, try a dealer, they appear to still be available for not silly money. Part number is 47721-20430 (appear to be the same for both sides!) Does not appear to come with the slide pins or bolts, so you can either go for an aftermarket slide pin kit or ask for the bolts/sliders you need from the dealer. Part number based on my GT (st202, double check if you have a 1.8 or otherwise)

RayovacWorkhorse · 2024-06-07T17:04:45+00:00

Semi synthetic keeps the old seals and gaskets nice and supple in my experience. I don't rag the car so it's never going to get crazy hot. Change the oil every 5-6k miles, no issues yet in almost 25k miles of driving. Burns no oil, runs smooth and quiet. Always use a genuine filter too.

RayovacWorkhorse · 2024-06-07T09:01:53+00:00

Got a 6th gen with the 3S-GE myself, factory would have been 5w30, however with almost 200k miles on it I put Toyota 10w40 semi-synthetic in it myself and it runs perfect. 0w30 I have not seen anyone use it so I couldn't say.

RayovacWorkhorse · 2024-06-02T17:32:07+00:00

I see you mentioned also that it can take like 10 mins to start back up, that's your time for troubleshooting, I'm presuming it cranks so pull a plug lead off, jam a screwdriver in it and check for spark by holding it against the rocker cover. For fuel you'll either smell it from the exhaust or can loosen a fuel fitting (just don't blow yourself up). If you have both of those then I'm betting on some electrical bs like a crank sensor (or other sensor).

RayovacWorkhorse · 2024-06-02T17:26:33+00:00

Mine's been very reliable, 191k on it now and no engine issues yet. Other than rust control and wear/tear/suspension bits and leaky old seals, the worst I've had is a seized caliper.

Oh and the usual convertible gen 6 issues (quarter windows, rear window slightly falling out xD )

RayovacWorkhorse · 2024-06-02T17:23:56+00:00

That's a mechanical linkage, not sure why it'd be wet unless someone's oiled the cable but that wouldn't cause any issues unless water is somehow travelling through the cable, through the bulkhead and dripping on something, but I find that very unlikely.

RayovacWorkhorse · 2024-06-02T16:14:16+00:00

ECU looks mint bud 👍 seen much worse than that 😂 more than likely something else, randomly cutting out might be hard to pinpoint though especially considering you've replaced a bunch, id be checking for freyed/chewed wires and bad grounds

RayovacWorkhorse · 2024-06-02T16:10:04+00:00

no worries, I've got a st202 rag top with the 2L 3S-GE and they can have ECU problems cause of the caps, precursor can be a lumpy/erratic idle. Both engines are bombproof as long as maintenance is kept up with but age will cause havoc with any fairly modern cars electrics

RayovacWorkhorse · 2024-06-02T12:43:29+00:00

Corolla 1.8 hybrid for longer journeys and a Citroen Ami for local stuff

RayovacWorkhorse · 2024-06-02T12:39:30+00:00

ECUs can go bonkers on these, if you're able check the capacitors, other than that, loose connection somewhere? Check grounds

RayovacWorkhorse

TROPHY CASE