[LACRESSIDAGUY]

how's it going. I'm new to the forum and looking forward to recieving advice and direction. Tonight i purchased a 1990 Cressida, pearl white, with light grey cloth interior. The exterior is in good condition as is the interior other then some sun fading. A couple of issues I know about with the Cressida are the following: I figure i would ask here before I take it to the mechanics.

The parking brake light remains lit up on the dash even with the parking brake disengaged.

The previous owner told me it needed a U joint replacement which is causing some minor vibrations on fast take offs.

I noticed the temp light starting rising after about 20 minutes of driving in stop n go traffic, but once I maintained a steady speed it immediately dropped back down to the middle. I drove about 60 miles on the open highway and the temp needle remained in the middle.

Other then these 3 items I notice nothing else wrong. I plan to change the spark plugs and wires myself.

Thanks for the feedback!

 

[Supra469]

Hello Mark,

Welcome to the forums and the world of Cressidas.

There is one main problem with all Toyota 7M series motors and that is the head gasket is going to blow on you (BHG), it's just a matter of "when". That said, you should probably have a compression test preformed to tell you the status of your head gasket. When you start the car do you hear a 'gurgling' like right behind the dashboard?

Depending on the condition of your head gasket, it's probably a good idea to perform some maintenance on your cooling system. I just finished performing a coolant flush, added new Toyota (red) coolant, and replaced ALL the cooling system hoses & a new thermostat.

You should look into maintenance of your cooling system.

 

[LACRESSIDAGUY]

thanks Supra469. I am taking the Cressida to my mechanic on Saturday. There are a couple of items that need attention right away.
1) I think its called the differential bearings, he showed the area/part. Its where the driveshaft meets 1/2 way, and it showed me how's worn and loose which is causing the driveshaft to vibrate on fast take off's. He said this will be about $185 P&L

2) I need front brake calipers. The right side is leaking.

3) I am leaking engine coolant/water from the left side of the engine near the spark plug distributor cap area. The overheating I was seeing the other day has gone away, but its apparent that there is water leaking from somewhere, but its no where near the radiator or hoses. He is going to check this out as well.

So with this written, I am not sure what the damage $$$ will be but i am hopeful it will not be too much.

I plan to change the plugs, and wires myself tomorrow, as well as an oil change.

 

[zero_gravity]

sounds like this guy is being really honest with you, thats always good

for that bearing...i think you're referring to one of the pillow block bearings on the propeller shaft...the differential is the pod on the rear axle that handles wheel ratios around corners and that kind of fun stuff. with a differential bearing gone you wouldn't get vibrations so much as you'd get a really annoying high pitched wine that makes you want to stab your ears out with a screwdriver. also $185 wouldn't even buy you the parts needed for new differential bearings.

that caliper could be just a bad piston seal or brake line, that could be very cheap! especially if you want to tackle it yourself.

get that leaking checked out....when aluminum heads (such as the 7M's) overheat they tend to warp or in more extreme cases crack. either one will blow the head gasket and if a cracked head is bad enough it needs to be replace, thats big bucks.

around the distributor only thing i can think of is the water pump and thermostat housing. could just be a gasket there going, thats not a big deal. you can even get silicone to fix that that will hold.

i second the compression test, if you were near by i'd do it for you lol. take note of what the plugs look like when you change them. if they're badly fouled or wet you've got HG problems.

best of luck!

P.S. before i forget, check out www.1sttoyotaparts.com for your parts. they're a dealer and sell OEM toyota parts but man their prices are excellent! the only tack on 20% for their markup!! shipping is very reasonable too. i get them to ship parts up here to canada and i usually pay less than half the price of a stealership here even with shipping.

 

[LACRESSIDAGUY]

thanks zero-gravity! I feel like an idiot! I should know what a differential is. The part i am referring too, I believe is referred as the drive shaft. Okay, don't laugh. Its the long pole looking part that is connected to the front end (transmission I think), and extends/connects to the differential. At the 1/2 point (1/2 from front to rear), it connects to a part that the mechanic referred to as the bearings, which is the part that he states is vibrating underneath the car on the takes offs. You can actually hear and feel the vibration on the center arm rest. Little by little I will learn

 

[stepho]

It's called the drive shaft centre bearing.
If you can get the part then it isn't all that had to replace at home with the usual hand tools.

Be real careful with brakes - your life depends on it.

- Stepho