1990 Gt-Four

[aych]

Hello Celica owners,

I'm planning on buying a 1990 Gt-Four JDM. Was wondering if anyone had opinions on the handling/power and reliability of the car. I am also thinking of getting a 1993 if the cost isn't too different. Can you guys advice on a good price it "should" be (88,000km) and any suggestions?

thanks!

[ST185]

Depending on what car have you have driven before, the stock GT4 may feel slow. But with a few mods (exhaust, boost controller, better IC) it can get fast pretty quick. Reliability also depends on how it has been treated so far. If the car is in tiptop shape and you don't mod it too much, it can be a great daily driver. Once you start modding, make sure you know what you are doing. There are some difference between 1990 and 1993, mostly cosmetics (minus the ECU, shorter shifter, and other small things) Just pick one that is in better condition.

Great places to learn more about this car are alltrac.net forum and celicatech forum.

[aych]

well, I'm driving a 88 camry le, so i think any celica will feel fast. from what I know, it will be as fast / faster than a prelude, maybe comparable to the prelude with V-tech? It seems to be in good shape comming from japan, and 4wd's really aren't drifted. I dont believe I will mod =P broke as a student, but I wanted something more preppy. but thanks for your info.

btw. I heard turbos were expensive to maintain? is that true? are there turbo hints I need to follow?

[ST185]

I see you signed up on at.net.
Any way, alltrac/GT4 are not that much expensive to maintain.
I used mine during the college years.
Once you make sure everything is in tiptop shape, basic oil change and schedule maintenance are what you only need to keep it running.

To check the turbo shaftplay, you will need to take the intake pipe off.
Then, wiggle the compressor "up and down" and "in and out".
If it's good, it should not move much at all. (I'm talking less than millimeter here)

Things on this car you should check are
- Turbo shaft play
- Oil in coolant and coolant in oil and (milky stuff under oil cap)
- Oil in the intake track. Some is OK but not too much.
- Car should not smoke, especially between shifting and when boosting
- Idle at ~800 rpm when warm.
- Shift smooth, no grinding (grinding = bad synchro)
- Clunking between shifting indicates rear differential cushion is on the way out.
- Clutch slippage (changing clutch is a pain)
- Check if there is any error code
http://alltrac.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1111
- Do compression check if possible.
- Any Leak

[aych]

wow, thats a ton of information. i understand most of it, except for:

turboshaft: is this compressor shaft? inside the air intake, so.. TB?
not sure where is the intake trac
and clutch slippage.. we'll i'll just drive it up a hill or something I guess?
I wont be able to check compression, I have no idea where to even begin.

So I take it the problems with oil in coolant and vice versa is due to turbo-ing?
I really hope this turns out to be a good reliable car =)

[ST185]

If the turbo seal is bad, you could see a lot of oil in the intake track between turbo and air filter and/or you car will smoke pretty bad.



Here is where you check the turbo shaft play.
You will need to remove the intake pipe



Wiggle it left-right, up-down and push and pull it.
It should fill tight and no movement.
Also, check if you can see any oil.



For the clutch, try launching the car at 5000 rpm and slip the clutch and see how it grabs.
Mixing of oil and coolant is a sign of blown head gasket and cracked block.
It can be caused by knock due to overboost.
Non-turbo car could have that too (blown HG).

[jlspec]

The Celica Turbo All-Trac/GT-FOUR can be comparable to a Prelude VTEC, but moding it will exceed it easily. It's a great performance car and reliability is good but it all depends on how the car was taken car of before. Also note that the Celica will be more luxurious compare to other sport compact car in it's class. I've own Supra Turbos, Integra, Honda Accord, and my brother owns a 1995 Prelude Vtec, my cousin owns 1993 Civic Si, my friend owns Integra GSR, Eclipse Turbo, and etc. so I'm comparing it those cars and the alltrac is a much better car then those. When it comes to power money talks but I can tell you that the alltrac can easily be modded for high power.

[aych]

yeah, modding will definetly come later, i do love the sunroof and power features though, I'm used to my camry LE (88) so thats partly why I am looking at it. Does anyone have experiences with cold starts (-25 C), parking outdoors etc? I'm getting excited! I dont think there will be problems of overboosting etc, the car is completely stock.

[Rick89GTS]

Driveability for the AllTrac isn't very good in cold weather; it likes to be warned up or you'll get some juddering. Give it a minute or two to warm up and don't use it if you need a quick getaway!

PS - good to see some of the AllTrac.net guys on here; it'll bring some expertise.

[aych]

Oh, I definitely let the car warm up, let it rev up by itself till 1600 or so, and all the way back down to 1200 before I even move it, then normal temperatures before i go above 3k rpms. haha pretty gentle, or do i need to be even more gentle with the all-trac

[jlspec]

In the cold I guess any old car would have some issues. I found that my All-Trac is pretty good in the cold. It starts up perfectly and runs great when cold. Its just I can't really boost that high when cold but then again it would be dumb of me to even try it. I just warm it up like I would any car before I drive. You'll find that finding a well maintain All-Trac is not easy but when you do you'll love it. My stock 90 All-Trac does the 1/8 mile in 9.5 seconds which I think is pretty good for a 18 year old car.

[aych]

well, theres no racetracks around here, so i doubt i'll be racing the all-trac much. Its a JDM import with 88000kms, so I'm hoping its a decently maintained vehicle.