DaveG's Pearl White Plus project - Discussion

Comments here please

Well done Dave, wee need a catch up soon clearly! Looks like a cracking car and in such a rare UK colour it can only ever gain value.

Agreed - well done.

Love hearing about long term owners and owners that do things 'properly'.

Looking forward to the updates and seeing progress to get her back up to full health.

Sounds like another set of Brembos need overhauling in order to get rid of that squeal. Did you have to file down the new pads to get them in?

Joe (CC) put them in, he didn't mention anything, just said the squeal was as bad with that set (used Mintex) as the old set (not sure what brand/type). Yes, an overhaul may be needed.

Having now seen this in the metal it looks fantastic!

Well the Plus was at Piazza Italia on Easter Monday, but not before the rear exhaust silencer fell off. When I bought it I knew it was hanging by a thread, and that thread finally broke.

Having fitted a stainless system to the Porto 20vt quite some time ago, I've not kept up with availability of stainless cat-back systems, so I don't know what's out there? Blueflame seem to have stopped selling them, not sure what else is out there? I'm happy to lose the centre box, but prefer to retain the OE-look slash-cut tailpipe.

I've started pulling the dash apart to fix the non-functioning heater. Or rather, it functions at full heat all the time. The blower &/or switch was also playing up. The 30A fuse in the engine compartment was intact but looked to have melted in the past, but the connections at the resistor were OK, as were the connections at the fan. Fan speeds 0 and 1-4 now work, and Auto comes on a minute or so after the ignition is turned on (is that normal?) The flap control cable looks to be working OK, and I took the heater temp control apart and cleaned it up (it looked OK) but the interior temp sensor fan does not work, I tried to feed it +12V/earth direct but nothing, looks like I need a new one, hopefully that's the last piece of the puzzle? What does the heater temp control actually control?

A quick update, 2 months on...

I've fitted a Toyosports stainless cat back system, but the pipework is a slightly larger diameter than the pipe leaving the cat, so I will look for a "lap joint" or torctite fitting to get it gas tight and stop it rotating as is the case with the simple U clamps. So whilst it was cheap at £130 it will need a bit more spent on decent clamps.

I've fitted a replacement temp sensor fan, and fixed the heater flap, or rather it seems to have fixed itself, perhaps simply removing the actuator and allowing the flap to drop shut again has fixed it?

I found the centre switch panel console almost impossible to replace with the radio frame and radio attached, I don't remember having that much trouble with it on the Porto, but I was swearing like a trooper...But I did at least fit the same Kenwood KIV-700 head unit that I also have in the Porto, to replace that awful Clarion OE units. I had bought a replacement KIV-700 from eBay after I thought the one in the Porto was faulty, but it turned out to be a bad earth.

So I had some good music and the heater flap stayed shut all over the FCSS weekend, where I felt obliged to turn up in the Plus to keep the "Dutchies" happy after their disappointment in me bringing the Porto along to Assen.

After the weekend I fixed the sloppy gear change. I removed the insulation around the base of the gear stick, expecting to find a broken housing, but found instead that the 3 bolts holding it in place were all loose, perhaps the housing had been replaced previously and the bolts not tightened enough? Unfortunately, to access the nuts on the other side means removing the cat and dropping the frame holding the handbrake and gear lever (and heat shields) down below the car. I left the downpipe in place but removed the centre part of the exhaust, so when the frame was dropped it was resting on the end of the downpipe, but there was enough room to get to the nuts and tighten the bolts. The gear change is much better now of course, but I still might put on the exchange short shift I bought.

I also fitted the new OE drilled front brake discs and found some more minor horrors: one of the brake pipes to the caliper looks to have been replaced, all 4 disk hold-down bolts were already snapped off, and one of the calipers now has a stripped thread

But the brake squealing seems to have stopped, yay!

Unfortunately I forgot to collect the tank straps from Joe over the weekend so that job will have to wait.

And the car along with the Pearl White colour was much admired over the FCSS weekend Dave

Where did you get the short shifter from Dave? I have a 'soggy stick' and would consider sorting that at the same time as doing the shifter.

I got an exchange short shift from Joe at FCSS (but not fitted it yet) after considering the MTech one

These are for the later 6 speed box however.

Also fits the late 5sp as they share the same mechanism.

Yes, of course, that's what I meant to say, ahem

Try this Dave

Howto pdf

Thanks Simon, although even with the pictures I can't tell much if any difference between the before and after pictures of the "tabs". It seems the clockspring has already been replaced before unless the small piece of thin card with instructions through which the clockspring cable passes was never installed when new.

Yes the "jaws" are fiddly to rebuild.

It's worth taking out the stalk unit to see how it works. I'd be very surprised if anything were amiss with the inside, but the weak link is certainly the wear of the self-cancelling mechanism.

I'd bet that the central white nylon cylinder is quite loose in the socket causing enough play to take it away from the jaws as they approach the stepped profile.

Remove it from the other side by inserting 3 narrow screwdrivers or nailfiles to release the clips, then simply push down in the 4th slot and it will fall out. Try an O ring (or two) pushed on to the shaft to make it sit more firmly when reassembled, but not too tight it compromises free movement.

Filing the jaws slightly to get rid of the rounded tip may help too.

There are more extensive micro-mods too involving the spring area behind the jaws but it does mean dismantling the whole unit.