herbiemercman

Hi Chris, You are experienced, honest and technical, many thanks for your input. I will see my NA/T man, who has IMHO your qualifications, and try to see what the most cost effective way forward is, as i would have a 400 miles journey to get a clutch change, also a £350 metallic clutch i do not want ? I also want to point out that Josh42 is a great supporter of this club. herbiemercman.

Just changed the pink crap for the 4life concentrate after carrying out a good flushing. The removal of the 14mm block drain plug is very difficult with the NA/T pressure relief valve and down pipe in the way. We followed the advice from other members to have one person guiding the person under the car to loosen the plug, it is a big version of the bleed air cocks you find on central heating radiators. takes ages for all the 6 litres to drain out as the drain holes on the radiator base and the block are only 6mm in diameter. Filling the system through the radiator cap is so slow and it only took 2 litres before it filled, so had to remove the top hose fro the thermostat housing and put the other 4 litres in that way. Started the engine on tick over and observed the air bubbles venting through the top of the radiator, the heater was on full call for heat but still air locked, so just released the pipe on top of the engine going to the heater element and added half a liter of coolant, it then glugged and the heater sprung into life. The plastic expansion bottle in front of the radiator, following me replacing the radiator pressure cap, started to accept a small amount of coolant. I only managed to get 6 litres in, so not sure what the total capacity is ? IMHO the type and quality of the coolant and the engine oil is key to best performance and you do not need to keep changing it.

Great info Josh, many thanks, not sure why Chris Wilson and my NA/T man say that only the metallic faced clutches, mine is copper, will handle the torque ? However i will progress your comments as you have actually tried and tested this type of clutch you outline and boy do i need a different clutch, it's not just the driving nightmare but just as important the stress this is putting on my gear train etc. The clutch i have was £350 so it is not like he was trying to save money ? also he told me categorically that other types of clutches have all slipped and he had to replace them with the metallic copper ones. ? The adventure goes on, the good news is i just took a fast blast up the road and this car is seriously fast, sort of unlimited power, i have not touched base on the accellerator as i would need to find some where i could do that safely.

Hi sidewaysdan, The thing i like best about driving is being able to change gears , in to bends and out of them, also when overtaking, it's sort of what a true sports car is all about, IMHO, BUT i never realised until post NA/T that a agressive clutch just destroys the operation, i almost do not want to change gear or stop and have to take off again. For this reason i am respecting my NA/T mans experience with variouse clutches, but also looking at what other members are using, like Josh42, who claims to be running a fibre stock feeling clutch, "RPS Max Street Disc", and no probs at 450 lbs/ ft, torque. I also like to look after my machinery and the jerking, grabbing competition clutch will eventually break some thing. The "bottom line" is, if there are no useable clutches for post NA/T cars, then i will learn to live with it. __________________ 1382270_1633803143546499_5684257809600108663_n.jpg (73.2 KB) 1382270_1633803143546499_5684257809600108663_n.jpg (73.2 KB) _______ __________________

I have just done some research into "4life" which is the same spec as "Forlife" from Toyota, apparently this stuff lasts up to ten years, it is specially formulated to heat up quickly, prevents any galvanic corrosion, ali rads etc, minus 40 deg. C, non foaming, non sludging, it is red, bit like "Ribena". I had this stuff in my car for 19 years,double the predicted life expectantcy so it does "What it says on the tin", it just went a darker red. Draining the supra completely with the NA/T manifold, downpipe etc makes the removal of the block drain off plug very difficult to get at, so it's 4life for me, such that i only do the job once. The blue stuff you add to water, "Bluecol", and the Vauxhall pink stuff only gives protection for 2 years or so and does not have the same level of corrosion protection which 4life gives.

Hi Guys, Just had a conversation with my NA/T man, he has been on holiday, so that was why no contact. He has ordered my two gauges and when he gets them he will mail them to me. The clutch competition stage 4 copper based is the only one that will not start slipping with time and use, he has had to have some cars back to change good quality fibre clutches which had started slipping. Chris Wilson also supports the clutch technicalities. So the story goes on, i think i will get there eventually and meanwhile i will try to find a technique for managing my bitch of a clutch. I will also pm Josh42 to see what clutch he is running in his NA/T, not sure what Chris and my NA/T man will believe this as they are convinced that a softer fibre clutch will not take the torque ?

Hi Guys, Your comments have made me take a broader view of things, i think i got a bit brassed off and started negative thoughts, i was on the wrong side of quite a few pints and earlier, before the pints i had a drive to a friends house, the clutch seemed worse than ever and oil at 120 deg.C , so i got a cob on, spit my dummy out. Anyway it's another day, and apart from no communication for a week from my NA/T man he has been fair and honest, i will try to contact him today. Hi bignum, Good point about the oil temp high, hope the gauge is faulty? Hi Scooter, I wanted my own car as it is mint and low mileage from new, the NA/T route was just right, power wise it still is, but the clutch is a joke. Hi tooquicktostop, That link made me laugh i was on a high when i wrote that.lol. Hi Chris, I know, "I told you so". lol. Thanks for clutch info, Josh42 on here said he has a street clutch fibre similar to stock comfort and it handles 450 bhp. ? Hi sidewaysdan, Your comments are reassuring and you have over 12 months experience with the NA/T man's kit. Are auto or manual ? Hi, bigsupes, Yes he may have been and poss still is on hols. Hi j-jza80, You can understand i am just keeping my postings "Technical", i get good info in return and also this must help other members etc. Hi Josh42, Many thanks for clutch info, do you have any further info, manufacturer etc.

Hi Dudes, I am an engineer and have worked on boat engines, merc engines, and porsche 911 engines, i did not do any in depth research on the supra mk4 NA/T conversion, i just thought a drive in drive out from a reputable punter was the way to go, and post NA/T this may still be true ? BUT POST MY CONVERSION I HAVE HAD THE FOLLOWING PROBLEMS : Very hot oil, 135 deg,C, but this may be the poor quality gauges fitted, my NA/T man was on the case, but no results for 7 days ? new quality gauges were supposed to be posted ? My clutch is a competition one and un-useable on normal road driving, very agressive and will destroy the gearbox etc, not the type i ordered. When i collected the car they said it would bed in, it was shaking the car and drive train, a joke. I have the red warning triangle for brake problems, not present pre the NA/T, electrics or software, they disconnected the warning plug from the servo unit ? My pre NA components have not been returned, and i requested they be put in my car ? My brake servo and clutch unit are getting too hot, had to make my own baffles. May be my NA/T man will come up trumps, but no contact for 7 days? I may need to drive back down 200 miles and wait until all these things are sorted, to be honest, up to date, i have had a good response, but then nothing for 7 days ? May be a good reason for the situation, holiday, phone broken, e-mail not working, texting not working, etc. ? I got on well with the NA/T man so i am hoping things are ok ? It is just frustrating when you have shelled out nearly £3,000 you expect some response. This sum includes train fares due to delays in the conversion and having to put proper oil and coolant back in my car. I am not a happy bunny,BUT hope that some thing good happens in the near future.? So should i have gone DIY ? the tech info is available, the parts are available, and most of all you do not need to travel and you can make sure you use the right stuff and the right quality, also, you are on the job, if there are problems. ! ! ! What do you think ? herbiemercman.

Hi Guys, Just what i wanted to know, i will contact my NA/T man, he has done his best but not fitted the type of clutch i ordered. Struggling to contact him in past 6 days, but hopefully he will appear soon. He has to date not let me down.

Thanks guys, good info, i will do as you suggest. I am sure without the info this club provides, owning a supra where you are DIY, would be impossible.

yes my plug is just like your phto, but no little drain pipe on it, some other member said he had my type of plug as well ?

Hi Dudes, I love the performance of my recent NA/T, BUT not the clutch, it is a real bitch, makes first and second gear so jerky and very rough take offs from stand still, it must be hammering all the drive train and my composure as well, i nievely thought it might bed in and ease off, TBH i would put up with it, if i had to go back to the pre NA power output, but is there an alternative ? My NA/T man quoted me a F1 Gripforce clutch, but he fitted a Competition Stage4 six pack sprung clutch. This was an extra £250, but i will be asking would the the one i ordered be any better? eg: less agressive. I did not notice on my detailed invoice that i did not get the clutch i ordered, i am not bothered about the cost, it is the type of clutch i am concerned about, which compromises the overall conversion. May be most of the NA/T conversions have been on autos where this situation does not arise, i find it hard to see how some one can live with this clutch other than for a few laps on a race track, for domestic use it is a 100% no, no. Any comments will be appreciated as my NA/T man is hard to contact this past few days.

Hi Scooter, Just manged to view my drain off with a torch and a mirror on a stick, and it is a plug, no pipe, may be able to get it from below,it is on the offside of the engine block, just above the sump joint, and adjacent to the core plug, main problem is the down pipe and the turbo boost relief unit are in the way a bit. Is the plug brass, i hope so ?

Thankyou guys, Just as i thought i will have to take the block drain plug out,or losen it ? it will be a bitch to access on my NA/T with a new manifold, 3 inch down pipe and big fat insulation blanket on, i had 4 life water less in the system for 18 years, it was fine, no corrosion, quick heat up, ok to minus 20 deg.C.and no mucking about every two years with the water based crap.

Hi Dudes, I cannot find any threads on this, is it possible to drain ALL the coolant out from just the drain tap at the bottom of the radiator ? or do you need to remove a plug on the block, which i think is hard to get at ? and where is it located ? I have the pink water mixed coolant and i am replacing this with "4life", for this reason i believe i have to make sure i get all the pink stuff out completely. Also as an alternative could i just run the engine, with the heater on and radiator cap off, and just wait till the radiator drain tap stops running ? I cannot see the water pump getting damaged just on tick over for a couple of minutes ? Filling the system, do i just fill at the radiator cap and when full ,run the engine to let air escape with the cap off and expansion plastic bottle cap off ? Any help will be appreciated.

Hi rider, I fully agree, i have just 42,000 miles on from new,so this is why i want to avoid any overheating or reduction in lubrication. The mileage is 100% genuine as i bought the car new.

evinX and walkerstrider, Manny thanks for reply and reassurance, i think you are right, it's just that one can get paranoid in these days of so much fraud going on, it's made it difficult to trust people. One lady from the UK this week lost £75K on a bank transfer where the fraudster just changed one digit in the e-mail account address, the lady checked everything and just missed the suckle alteration. She lost the lot, the siber crime police told her that the perpatrators will have set up three different bank accounts and within 48 hours, the money withdrawn, and then they just vanish. Internet fraud is up by 30%. There won't be much fuss if my seat covers go tits up. lol.

For me it is negative, not taking sides, just an observation of filling my car up for 20 years.

Not real is it, i asked about the delivery date which was 10 days, and now it is 12 days, they said they have run out of black leather ! ! Not started proceedings yet with pay-pal etc but you can see that ordering stuff from non-approved suppliers is a risk, i just hope this does not go "all the way", my son in law is a top lawyer in LA, but hope it does not come to this. ? Other members backed up the authenticity of this supplier, hope they were right or just lucky when they ordered ? herbiemercman.

The Supra is the only car i have, and still own, that do not pull a noiticeable vac when you remove the filler cap, not really sure what the difference is in design charachteristics to most other cars and what the advantage if any, there is ?

Everybody on the club, or at least most members know where the expertise is and the value for money, this guy has been developing and converting dozens for the past ten years or more. Just completed my car and it is awesome. Some teething problems as i wanted some thing he had not done before due to my spec for the exhaust, but he is determined to sort it. Cannot say who the guy is as it's caused agro in recent postings about who is a registered trader and who is not. You need to search the postings to locate the NA/T man.

Good technical answer David, but seems a lot of pain and little gain to me.

Hi Craig85, You are an honest guy and thanks for that. I did think your front spoiler / bumper looked good, but on reflection and by looking more closely at my stock one, i think i will stick. Many thanks for your response, and good luck. Hope your wife keeps helping, is she allowed to drive the beast ? herbiemercman.

Hi Guys, More info and well grateful for it, i am an engineer and inherently a "belt and brasses" person, i have a tuna fishing boat in Stranraer marina, it is 40 ft long and i have had it 32 years, and i have lots of kit which are for "Back up", spare fuel tanks, switch over batteries, floatation suits, all required when we steam to the Isle of Man for the anual TT races. I just have to relax a bit and see where my NA/T man sends me ?, as i stated earlier, i have 100% trust in his experience and knowledge, this does not mean i am any less appreciative for people like scott, tricky, chris and bignum, this is a great club. I am grateful to you all. herbiemercman.

Hi Scott, This is the reply i got from my NA/T man when i asked the question about gauges required, i just settled for the boost and oil temp gauges due to his comments below: I can ask him how probable is it for the air flow to fuel mixture to go off ? especially if the car is mapped and locked in the correct setting with the ECU ? also what is the actual exhaust maximum temperature which has not to be exceeded ? Do most owners have a exh temp gauge ? or is this just the ones which race their cars, my NA/T man as you can see thinks i do not need to be bothered with this. I always go with his reccomendations but it is good to get other opinions and experiences. My NA/T's Comments Pre the Conversion: hi buddy. the ecu has a fcd built in a boost gauge is nice to have but not essential a afr again is good to have but not a must. the mapper will have a boost gauge band afr monitor to map the car after this you should not attempt to adjust the values set. any gauges are purely for monitering purposes only.