Count Knobula. A new MK3 owner.

Count Knobula

New Member
Jan 31, 2007
144
0
0
Atlanta
Hello. I'm a brand new (to me) Supra owner. I have an 89 turbo targa.

I was hoping to find a place like this to discuss my car and look for help as it will be an ongoing project.

The car came from a garage who bought it at auction. Before that it had a couple of owners and it's clear at least one of them was a negligent four-letter-word. It has now reached a loving home.

It's had a LOT of work done just to get it working, including new muffler, most of the turbo replaced, new transmission (in '04 before I owned it), blow off valve (a freebie from a mechanic friend) and other things however it certainly isn't at it's best.

The (growing) list...........

Cold starting is a real problem.
A small leak in the front join of the roof and door.
Need a replacement turbo hose on the cold side of the turbo. Current hose is a "bandaid" ribbed and bent in the appropriate way, but I need a better one, pronto.
Hood and trunk hydraulics are kaput.
Speakers for the audio system (still works! woo!) are, as expected, degraded.
A couple of "dings" in the bodywork :-(

Once these problems have been addressed I'm looking at getting it resprayed black (its currently white, yuck).

I fell in love with the old supra body style when I first played gran turismo. It was the first car I bought and raced it the most.

I hope this is an OK first post. Any advice on where to get anything for what I need would be appreciated.

I'm not too smart in terms of cars (I'm a computer guy by trade) but I'm learning. I have the haynes manual and I intend on treating this car right.
 

johnathan1

Supra =
Aug 19, 2005
5,056
1
36
35
Downey, California, United States
Haha, that's interesting that you referred to GT...that's where I noticed the MK3 for the first time, and totally fell in love with it. :)

And don't use the Haynes or Chilton's manuals, they are TERRIBLE...you should use the online TSRM (Toyota Service & Repair Manual), or you can buy a hard copy of it at the Dealer.

Cold start problem could be many things, but you could try cleaning your CSI (cold start injector), and check the time-switch, and all wiring.

To fix your leak, you'll need new targa seals. (dealer only)

For the turbo inlet hose (accordian hose), you'll have to get a new one from the dealer, should be around $50...

You can get new hood and hatch shocks at AutoZone for about $40.

And yea...welcome to SupraMania! ;)
 

Count Knobula

New Member
Jan 31, 2007
144
0
0
Atlanta
johnathan1 said:
Haha, that's interesting that you referred to GT...that's
Cold start problem could be many things, but you could try cleaning your CSI (cold start injector), and check the time-switch, and all wiring.

To fix your leak, you'll need new targa seals. (dealer only)

For the turbo inlet hose (accordian hose), you'll have to get a new one from the dealer, should be around $50...

You can get new hood and hatch shocks at AutoZone for about $40.

And yea...welcome to SupraMania! ;)

Well it turns out that the cold start injector is not connected right now. The throttle body was replaced a few months back and not everything was reconnected. There's a chance this will fix that problem. I mean, back in July when I first spotted the car (before I bought it from the garage) it started with no problems........... you never know, cross your fingers. I'm working on it tomorrow with my mechanic.

How much will the targa seals be? When you say a dealer could that be any dealer?

For now I'm sticking with the bandaid intercooler hose (and being careful) as it's holding up well. I'm gonna get a hardpipe in a few months.

The hydraulics will be tackled soon.
 

buckshotglass

I love all your sounds.
I like it.
Try
, they might show up on the page.
 

Count Knobula

New Member
Jan 31, 2007
144
0
0
Atlanta
buckshotglass said:
Welcome. A+ just for using the shift key.:icon_bigg
Post some pics of the car!
Did I use the shift key too much?

Also, I'm getting a light in my dash that theres a problem with my rear lights. One of my brake lights is weaker than the other, would that give me that warning? I assume it's a loose connection perhaps?
 

Count Knobula

New Member
Jan 31, 2007
144
0
0
Atlanta
buckshotglass said:
I like it.
Try
, they might show up on the page.
Oh they'll show up alright, it's just theyre at a rather large res. and I wouldn't want to mess up anyone's windows. Besides, there are much better looking supras out there right now.
 

trydrew

Suprafied
Nov 4, 2005
1,038
0
36
Earth
Count Knobula said:
Oh they'll show up alright, it's just theyre at a rather large res. and I wouldn't want to mess up anyone's windows. Besides, there are much better looking supras out there right now.

You really shouldn't be afraid to show your car. Besides, I like it and there are much worse looking Supras out there right now. lol Seriously though, besides the grill, i dont see anything wrong with it. Also, is that pearl white?

Your brake light problem sounds like a bad ground or connection somewhere in the system. Open your hatch, and pull the little panels out and pop your light cluster out to have a look. And just for kicks, lift up your carpet, wood, and spare tire to look for any H2O or rust.
 

Count Knobula

New Member
Jan 31, 2007
144
0
0
Atlanta
Yes it's pearl white. Does that make a difference?

The light cluster will be inspected tomorrow right after the cold start injector has been handled.
 

trydrew

Suprafied
Nov 4, 2005
1,038
0
36
Earth
Count Knobula said:
Yes it's pearl white. Does that make a difference?

Nope, just a cool color. And expensive I guess if you want it repainted the same. Black is always cool though.