1992 GT-Four

Brad_91

New member
I just put mine on today. It was the trackforged group buy one, and it was really easy to install! they did a great job, and i certainly hear my turbo spooling more, as well as the added power :). Next on my list is changing my gauge cluster.. I'm thinking that my tach problem is something to do with the gauge itself.. :/

The tach moves but i can be redlining and it will only move up to ~1000rpm..
 

Boo_Guy

Member
Do you have a cat on your car still? Im thinking of selling the Berk downpipe and getting a 3" one with a cat in it for emissions.
 

Brad_91

New member
The only cat I COULD have is in the mid-pipe.. I bought the test pipe + the high flow cat section to swap in and out as needed.. So right now I do not have one at all. I'm scared for my emissions test this year though, hopefully the one high flow cat can get me through :S
 

Boo_Guy

Member
I bought one of those bolt-on ebay exhausts so Im not hacking it up to put a cat into it. Might just see how bad it does without any cat at all first. :lol:

Ive had highflows on other cars and passed with no problems, but they werent rich running turbos either :)
 

Brad_91

New member
So I'm thinking of getting some wheel spacers, at least for the back wheels, very soon. I haven't noticed any rubbing going on but I just looked at my suspension today and I see a bit of evidence that they are rubbing on hard bumps I'm guessing! I also have very little room in general, and it will look much better :).
What do you guys suggest? (the few who will read this :twisted: )
I have 17x8 +35 with 225/45/17.
I've read through some threads and heard the H&R 25mm will fit perfectly but I don't want to have to roll my fenders either unless i really have to.. How much space do I need in order to stop any rubbing (if there is an obvious answer..) ?

Thanks guys! I just don't want to go ordering some that won't solve my problems, however minor they are.
 

Brad_91

New member
Hey! Been a while since I've updated this thread. :p

I'm currently in the process of getting a rear swaybar from klue, and within the month I plan on getting myself a set of BC coilovers!

Anyone have anything to say about BC vs tein or any other brands in that price range? I'm just looking for a slight drop and a "sportier" ride for my spirited summer driving :)
This winter I decidedd to focus on handling rather than power to save my engine for now haha! Id hate to blow something and be stuck without the car for a while
 

Brad_91

New member
Little update.

I have had a whiteline adjustable swaybar delivered to my door but it has been brought to my attention that I should consider getting stronger end links to compliment the stiffer sway bar. So I am looking around for end link options before installing the sway bar. It sounds like a worthwhile upgrade from what I have read though :D
 

Brad_91

New member
Got my timing belt replaced this week! I don't think it had ever been done. I was planning on getting my sway bar installed as well but the shop ran out of time. I'm going to be going back in a couple of weeks to get my spark plugs done as well, and let the shop throw my swaybar on while it's there. Also going to be testing out a spare gauge cluster to see if I can get the tach to work properly! Finally got some money together to spend on the car :)
 

underscore

Well-known member
I can't believe I haven't seen this thread before, nice car! At 60k it likely hasn't ever had the belt done. If you don't mind ym asking, why are you paying a shop to do things like spark plugs and a rear swaybar?
 

Brad_91

New member
Thanks Underscore! :D
I was just going to let the shop slap the sway bar on while they were working on the cars timing belt, but they wanted 3 hours labor so I said no :p.
For the spark plugs I have been thinking about doing them myself as well but I simply don't have many tools/ experience and I'm both working and in school right now. I have a hard time finding people that know these cars well so when I found a shop happy to work on it I started planning maintenance work for them to do :).
I have not scheduled anything for spark plugs and my sway bar yet so I can still do them myself, but I also had issues with my end links when I originally tried to do it myself. :shrug: Anyone have tips on getting them off nicely or do you have to replace them if you take them off?

I had an extension at work into this winter so I'll be making a good chunk more than I was expecting.. AKA money for the Celica fund! :twisted:
 

Brad_91

New member
The car went away a couple of weeks ago. Another summer gone! I did not end up getting the spark plugs/wires replaced. I have been working lots more than I thought I would this year and plan on having this stable job all winter now, so spring is looking promising for the GT-Four! I will install the sway bar over winter/ spring, and I am lining up BC coilovers, possible strut bars, and the Cusco underbody brace through Klue. I'm hoping to have some serious handling improvements, and then I'll be looking into more power either late next year or the year after, depending on funds :)

I already have a turbo back exhaust, and a shitty manual boost controller. I'm looking for peoples opinions on what the best bolt-on, bang for buck performance parts will be? I am still technically a student, and have been saving a bit for a house so spending an extra $5k is out of the question in the short term, anyways. With~$2000 going into suspension next year, I would probably be looking to spend a max of another $1000-$1500 on some power in the next 2 years as well if I can..

I've been thinking a ct20B/ct27 and proper boost controller will be very beneficial.. Thoughts? Maybe a ROM tune from ATS would be very cost effective after? :shrug: Getting a proper cold air intake has sounded like a bit of work (battery relocation etc) so I've held off for now, but maybe I should start looking seriously into this?

On top of this, I have been looking into all possible preventative maintenance I can/should do now that the timing belt has been done. I've come to realize that there has been very little maintenance done to the car by the previous owner, and possibly ever! At close to 22 years old, I don't want to miss anything and have problems in the long term because of unnecessary negligence.
I did the timing belt this fall, and I still want to have the plugs/wires replaced (possibly by me if I'm feeling adventurous this winter!). Are there any other worthwhile maintenance jobs worth looking into? I've read about getting the valves serviced but mine don't seem to be an issue atm. They are not very loud or anything like that so I've been holding off, although I'm not positive what to expect if they are due for a tune-up..

I'll state again that I am by no means experienced when it comes to working on cars, and I am too nervous to work on this car because I love it so much, and want things done right. I've done little things to Honda Civics, and other rust buckets that I care very little about. The biggest job I have done to the Celica by myself was installing the mid-pipe and cat-back haha! I tend to gather as much info as I can, and then hand it off to the licensed mechanics most of the time so I can trust its been done with proper tools etc.

I look forward to gathering more info and hearing any tips and opinions on where I should go with my budget-oriented build :D

I have all winter to weigh my options, so feel free to chime in with your experiences and convince me to buy your parts! :twisted:
 

underscore

Well-known member
The stock intake is technically a cold air intake, but if you want to switch to a cone filter or build a straight intake you can buy a smaller battery and move the battery to where the airbox is, I've seen that done several times around here.
 

Brad_91

New member
True, I have read about the tubing bringing in cold air. You're right, I was thinking more of a big cone intake, possibly with that cold air piping still in place, keeping functionality of that part..

I have seen a few of the DIY threads on these intakes as well, but I haven't gotten around to really planning it out. I doubt people see any significant gains with this though? I've read that if done wrong, sucking in hot air would actually negatively affect performance. Would it be more about induction sound for most people?? Just curious :D
 

Corey

Active member
The straight air intake on my car made a very noticable improvement in performance. Then I removed the AFM - that was a massive improvement. Also, induction noise is very audible now at low RPM and neg boost. (stock turbo)

I highly recommend a straight intake. The OEM intake is convoluted and at one point, it is constricted down to a cross sectional area of ~2x1.5" as air is pulled in from behind the headlight. There is also a large, useless resonator box in the front left fender designed to reduce noise.

For my setup I decided to use a smaller battery and relocated it to the old airbox location like underscore described.
 

underscore

Well-known member
I just tossed on a Vibrant adapter and a cone filter, it can add a lot of induction noise, on my car particularly when I'm hanging right near neutral boost. I think the hot air issue is more prevalent on NA cars but don't quote me on that.
 

Brad_91

New member
Alright! That will be a definite buy over winter. It is a relatively cheap upgrade, and I see how it could make a big difference, especially with my exhaust being opened up now!

Corey, how did you get the AFM out? It's needed if you have the stock ECU right? I would love to get that AFM out as well haha

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=38654

That's how I'll keep it cheap!
 

underscore

Well-known member
TO ditch the AFM you need to swap to a standalone or Gen 3+ electronics. If your car is running well and you're not planning on a big build there's not much point in removing it.
 

Corey

Active member
I went with the Gen III EFI. I purchased the required parts from www.mr2oc.com

Sometimes the members there put together gen III kits from MR2 part outs. I'm running a gen III mr2 ecu in my car with 205 injectors.

Of all the money I've spent on my car, I think the 500-700$ I spent on this EFI upgrade was the best. My car always had AFM issues and it soon developed a starting issue. The moment I switched to Gen III EFI, all problems disappeared. Now running 17-18 lbs of boost on a stock turbo.

Cheers
 

Brad_91

New member
Good to know! If ever I have issues with mine I will know to just invest in the gen3 components as opposed to putting money into a new AFM..

I haven't had any problems as of yet!
 
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