Picked up my 1st Toyota, 90' All Trac

[TurboATM]

I came across this thing on craigs list, and saw it was right down the road from me...so i went to take a peak...then realized it was awd (shocking to me, never knew Camrys came in All Trac trim!) And dropped $500 for her!!

107k, super super clean for being a 1990...The owner says he believes the timing belt went. The battery is 100% dead so i cant attempt to start or anything...I did pull back the timing cover enough to see that the belt is still on the cam, but dont know if its missing teeth or anything. Im a full blooded DSM'r and know NOTHING about Toyotas, other than ive always had a weak spot for GT4s since 1st seeing them playing Grand Tourismo on PS1, lol


Enough blabbering, pics!











...What does this button do? And the little Emergency lever on the other side..? lol









And is this button to lock/unlock the center diff?





I look forward to having this thing running! Hope this site isnt as...harsh...as the DSM sites can get, lol

['88 All-Trac]

We're quite laid back here at tn! With the auto trans, just leave the center diff to auto lock. It will automatically lock the center diff if wheelspin is detected.

Charlie (white90dx) here on tn did a 3sgte swap with his Camry All-Trac, giving him what is for all intents and purposes a GT4. I'm going to be doing a 3sge swap with mine come spring if funds allow and I have maybe sourced a twin-entry ct26 with manifold meaning I can also do a 3sgte, albeit differently.

Post up more pics! How are the rear quarter panels? Are they free of the rot these are so known for?

[TurboATM]

there is BARELY any rust on this entire thing...its super clean. I noticed...i have the 91 style lights everyone wants, on a 90?

...so when it is on "Auto lock" and the light is on, its controlling it on its own...when its off, what does it do? Just stay open?



I dont have the car in my shop yet, still siting at the sellers house...or else id have ALOT more pics. He stated the timing belt may of broke,which is why is suddenly died, but the belt is still on the cam gear. Im hoping its something as simple as the fuel pump just died...either way, i got a great deal!

[white90dx]

On the Auto Camry Alltrac, the auto lock button should be left in the pressed position (light on) at all times. If not, the center diff just remains open, even with wheel spin, etc. For the manual trans, you should only press the button when you need to lock the center diff (this won't apply to you, its for other readers).

Late '90 Camrys go the '91 style tail lights and the tri-oval emblem. A true '91 has the updated lower front valence.

The ECT power/normal switch just changes the shift points on the transmission, nothing else. Drive it how you like it...

The belt release lever is a legal requirement from that time - notice the crappy auto belts? Instead of putting a manual release on each shoulder belt (like Honda), they put a central release lever to unlock the belt-locking mechanism in case of an accident.

Let us know what you find once you get it back to your place and put in a new battery...

-Charlie

PS. Welcome to owning the slowest Camry ever made (literally).

[TurboATM]

Yea, i know about the belts, older Eclipses/Talons had them...they can be brutal when you open the door and try and look back to park, lol


Im pretty impressed with this car so far, so many buttons and electronic controls, its super clean...it will be a fun car. (but a BIG change going from a Turbo DSM)

[camrygt4]

Originally Posted by TurboATM

Yea, i know about the belts, older Eclipses/Talons had them...they can be brutal when you open the door and try and look back to park, lol


Im pretty impressed with this car so far, so many buttons and electronic controls, its super clean...it will be a fun car. (but a BIG change going from a Turbo DSM)

Yea get ready for the slowest car known to man
I went from a 400 whp Supra to an 88 Alltrac Camry

[TurboATM]

Ha, damn...well will it at least be fun in the snow? ive seen a few All Trac snow drifting vids on youtube, lol.

I looked up book value on this thing last night...2000-2500! Ha, do people really pay that for em??! I can get AWD Turbo DSMs all day for that!

[white90dx]

Originally Posted by TurboATM

Ha, damn...well will it at least be fun in the snow? ive seen a few All Trac snow drifting vids on youtube, lol.

I looked up book value on this thing last night...2000-2500! Ha, do people really pay that for em??! I can get AWD Turbo DSMs all day for that!

My turbo AWD fun so far has come from my Subaru. The Alltrac similar in the snow, only it is lacking power in stock form... It takes a little e-brake work to get the rear end to slide - though now with all the work I've done it is quite tail happy on packed snow/ice (rear LSD, coilovers, swaybars).

I hope you don't mind me putting a PM out here on the 'public' side - I just thought I would answer this here so people can search for it, etc.

Originally Posted by TurboATM

Hey man, I see your the guy to talk to around here on Camry swaps...Im new here, just got a 90' All Trac. i just have a few questions on some of the basic Camry/Celica topics, so I understand a little better when im searching around the site!

Im just looking to do a little bit better research...ive come across a few topics, but dont really understand which codes are which cars, motors, etc. Also, there isnt alot on Trans swap options for the All Trac. Knowing what to search, what to look for, etc helps a ton

Main things im looking into is Trans swaps, and possibly a 3sge/3sgte swap. I havent found alot on trans swaps for the all trac, most everyone around here has fwd. I know its alot of work, and what ive come across seems to lead nowhere, or loaded with alot i dont quite understand quite yet.

Also, im having trouble with understanding which celicas are best/most widely used in the swaps.

Again, im not looking for all the answers, just a little light down the right path to searching and reading! It feels weird stepping into another world after being in the DSM for so long, i feel like the new kid in class lol

The Camry Alltrac and the Celica Alltrac share a significant number of parts, chassis mounting points, etc.

Celica Alltrac generations:
ST165 - '87-'89 - generally avoid these parts... old, worn out, old tech, etc.
ST185 - '90-'93 - pretty good stuff, lots of weak points fixed
ST205 - '94-'99 - never imported to North America, great stuff, sometimes hard to find repair/maintenance parts (this is what I have)
Wikipedia link (mostly correct, some fun reading): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Celica_GT-Four

First, the trans: The stock Camry Alltrac 5-speed is the same as the early JDM Celica Alltrac transmission. Any generation Celica Alltrac trans will bolt directly to a Camry Alltrac - there are no other options. The newer, the better, including strong gears, better synchros, etc. When swapping from auto to manual, all of the chassis mounted parts can come from a FWD Camry and the mounting points, etc. are generally there (though you do have to drill the firewall in a few places).

You won't find a whole lot of info out there on motor swaps for the Alltrac Camry... I only know of about 5 total that have been done. Heck, I haven't even started my 3s-gte in the Alltrac chassis (I had it running FWD in another Camry for a few years). All around, newer is better. Avoid the ST165 stuff, like I said above. The ST185 stuff isn't much more expensive and its much more reliable, powerful, etc...

-Charlie

PS. I paid a lot for my Alltrac a few years back... But its hard to argue with the condition:







Or its capabilities:


(3 people, 5 snowboards, 2 pairs of skis, luggage for 5 people, 700 miles round trip... It was all the overload gear from the Evo X that was the other car in the caravan)

['88 All-Trac]

I paid $1400 for mine after the guy poured nearly $2k in maintenance into it. Has the rear fender rot, sadly... But I'm not afraid to hack up a junkyard Camry to get what I need!

I'm going to be doing a 3SGE swap come spring with mine, as I'll be able to start using the '91 as a DD again (no more snow, boo!) so I'll do a quickie writeup on that- and I've found a twin-entry CT26 and manifold in the LA region that I might pick up as well, but I'm not sure what to do about fuel and timing in that case... But it'd be a nifty Gen 2.5 swap. (I say 2.5 because of the higher compression ratio of the 3SGE- I'll shoot for maybe 200whp.)

You might join alltrac.net- there is a lot of invaluable information to be learned there.

[TurboATM]

I Thanks for the info man! Over on the DSM sites, you ask any question, its "SEARCH SEARCH SEARCH!!" lol.

I can get mine looking as good as yours, mainly i just need the bumpers/roof painted and a good detail and its good to go...who knows, maybe ill put it up for sale on here if i could get that much! =P


Im really hoping its only a fuel pump issue...timing belt/fuel pump are the only 2 things i can think of to make it "suddenly stop running." My DSM is also down right now, and when it comes to picking which one to "build" its gonna be the DSM...lol

heres a few pics of her!





^^The Firebird is a built Boosted LS1 ^_^




^^Broken =[


My BABY!!!

[white90dx]

Well, I would generally have that 'SEARCH, SEARCH, SEARCH!!!" attitude, except that the questions haven't really been answered before.

Funny thing is that a few years ago, there were only one or two guys on here with Alltrac Camrys... now it seems like half the guys have them.

Celica Alltracs are one of the few Toyotas that spend more time being fixed than driving... If you do a 3s-gte swap, you will end up in the same boat, probably A normal FWD Camry is normally dead reliable - my family has clocked over 550k miles on various Camrys and have only been left on the side of the road twice... both for delayed maintenance (one water pump, one timing belt).

-Charlie

[camrygt4]

Paid $250 for my Alltrac, than over the last 6 years have put nearly $20,000 in to it. Every time I think I'm done I get another idea.

['88 All-Trac]

Sure, a few years ago you may have only had a few but I'd been searching one for just over a year when I finally found mine... And it was my reason for joining TN!

I come from more of a Suzuki background, so I have almost none of that SEARCH, SEARCH, SEARCH! mentality. Easier to get as much information out there as possible to prevent questions along the lines of "HOW I STEER CAR?!"

[TurboATM]

Yea, i know how "Down Time" is with the DSMs...lol

Im REALLY hoping its the fuel pump, if not the timing belt. I dont want to dump alot into this, my DSM needs ALOT at the moment.

[white90dx]

Originally Posted by TurboATM

Yea, i know how "Down Time" is with the DSMs...lol

Im REALLY hoping its the fuel pump, if not the timing belt. I dont want to dump alot into this, my DSM needs ALOT at the moment.

Well, if it is the timing belt, you can get one at the auto parts store for like $20... Its a non-interferance engine, so it should be all good.

Fuel pump is more difficult and requires dropping the tank.

-Charlie