A Few Questions about 87

[Ne0z31]

Okay, have a few Q's about my 87 Supra N/A Auto...

First off... is it common for Supra's to Valve tick and is there a reason this seems to happen, my friend 87 Turbo also ticks...

2nd. My Coolant (birdcage) light comes on when I turn sharply... any ideas?

3rd. Sometimes it seems like my steering wheel locks up for a second when i make an aggressive turn, or sometimes when im not...

Thats all for now

[mike787]

Hi Ne0z31:

re: "2nd. My Coolant (birdcage) light comes on when I turn sharply... any ideas?"

Reason is that your coolant fluid level is too low, try filling it up to the high mark!

[Jeeves]

1) No. We don't have lifters so valve tick (often associated with Lifters (aka lifter tick)) is rather unheard of. I know I've never heard it.

2) You have low coolant. If you fill it and it comes on again later, this is often an early warning sign of a blown head gasket. Ocacsionally it's a leaky hose, but they call it the BHG Warning light for a reason.

3) There is a small screen in the bottom of the power steering reservoir. You must take it out, and clean it. Be prepared to refill your power steering fluid. This fixes about 90% of the issues people have with the power steering in Mk3's.

[o_0]

3. -------------> Rackauans Pins are bad (I can't spell all that good ,sorry)

[Ne0z31]

A friend of mine told me it could have been because of the Coolant Resivior not being full enough, the car has a real new engine in it, one of the cleanest stock supra engine's i've seen, at least in minnesota...

What else could the ticking be, its not rod-knock, that has an entirely different kind of ticking, its the same ticking my friend's 3000gt makes but only at 2500-3900 rpm's then it goes away

[bgrieger]

What sounds like lifter tick is a combination of either a) incorrect shim sizing or wear, and b) we have really loud injectors. Injectors are quite common as a source of ticking noises.

[Jeeves]

3000GT's have hydraulic lifters and are well know for their lifter tick noises. As I said, we don't have lifters, so refer to bgrieger's post.

A friend of mine told me it could have been because of the Coolant Resivior not being full enough, the car has a real new engine in it, one of the cleanest stock supra engine's i've seen, at least in minnesota...

That's where the fluid sensor is. In the coolant overflow reservoir. You can fill it to the full line, but if the light comes on again (or more frequently) you're losing somewhere.

As for cleanliness, that doesn't mean it can't have a BHG. I've seen new (JDM) motors with less than 1000 miles on them, in gorgeous (visibly) condition with a blown head gasket. If it doesn't have a metal head gasket (and the proper machining to match) then I wouldn't rule it out.

o_0, Did you mean Rack and Pinion and if so, wtf do you mean?

[Ne0z31]

i just noticed an ungodly ammount of negative camber on the front right, so im asuming that might be my steering issue, i will alsop clean the power steering fluid filter as well because in the mornings it feels like a car w/o power steering for a 1/8 mile stretch...

sorry bout all the questions, its my first supra

[supranerd1987]

ya my 87 supra just started to tick(or a knocking sound)...when its at 2000rpms crusing it ticks but when its under pressure it stops then comes back and also a little bit when it idles... any idea or part i can replace to stop it from ticking?? and also is it bad to run it like this? thanks

[Jeeves]

It depends. Does the ticking get louder as you rev it? If it does, then it's got a 9 in 10 chance that it's rod knock. And that my friend, is the sound of imminent death.

[Ne0z31]

with mine its the same exact sound, it doesnt get louder, it actually goes away the more you rev it up, its just at lower rpms... otherwise the car runs perfect now...

[Jeeves]

hmm.

[supranerd1987]

well just took the ol sliver stalion out for a test drive and....its getting louder acually really loud and i think im going to cry so how much do you think its going to cost to replace it?or fix?

[Ne0z31]

is it turbo or n/a? i've seen 7M's for sale for cheap, one reason i got this car

[Jeeves]

This is an example of rodknock. Quicktime, 7mb file Found Here.


7M Rodknock Results Pictures <-- What happens if you keep driving.


The #1 cause of rod knock in the 7M is a low oil level. Keep the engine full of oil, and you'll almost never have a problem. Some I've seen go for various other reasons, and I've only seen one go that had the oil at full and didn't have leaking issues.

It is often cheaper to buy a new motor than to recover one from rod knock. At the same time, people report being able to drive them for some time before they actually pop. Switching to thicker oils can sometimes help. But if you've got R.N. The motor IS doomed.