john Beckwith

Back again...... I took the fan out on Sunday and found two bits of twig and a litlle leaf in it. There was no need to strip down any further (even though I did try....;¬) - put the thing back in and all is quiet....... Preparation - remove kick board in front of ECU and remove sill cover by passenger left foot. Trim can be removed by depressing centre pin. Once these two items have been removed remove the power connctor (I found this a real bitch but a proper pair of loopy pliers does the trick) - then get on your back in the passenger footwell and remove the three retaining screws with a flat head screwdriver - (leave the cross-heads in place). Then it is just a matter of maneouvering the fan past the various looms on the way out. You'll find it a piece of cake Alex - and peace and quiet restored. cheers, johnb

Thanks for the feedback chaps. I am sorry to say Syed that you were definitely getting the sales spiel there...... I have been using the fan pretty consistently and it only starts squealing when it has warmed up. I had a go this evening at removing the front of the plastic casing and spraying in some WD40 a la Matt's suggestion, but after a test drive it is clear that it may need a little more persuasion than that. I will go for Mark's suggestion at the weekend when I have a bit more light and time. Anything I need to know Mark? Will report back when I have interogated the unit at the weekend. Cheers, Johnb.

Thanks for the reply Matt. I will endeavour to have a look see tonight - but as you say, I am a bit scared about taking the thing apart - I'll probably have to take everything out again!! I'll hopefully have some funds available soon to come and see you over at the shop - still working on it....... All the best, Johnb.

Hi there - Has anyone ever had problems with their heater fan / fan motor making a squealing noise. It sounds to me like either it needs a new motor or some kind of bearings have gone. At the moment the noise is intermittent - but definitely the blow air fan. Any help would be much appreciated. Cheers, Johnb.

Talking about filling up the tank. When I picked up my NA from what was LifeStyle "JapSave" in Dorking they had "prepared" the car and glued an insert into the neck of the tank to enforce unleaded pumps. Unfortunately, it was such a tight fit that there was a pressure build up within the tank as I fuelled, and yes you guessed it - it spewed fuel all over my leg! Oh - how I laughed..... The neck has now been removed, very carefully to avoid bloody mastic from entering the fuel tank. So nice that such care is taken in the presentation of the vehicle. The following week the rear number plate fell off its stick back tape, and a few weeks later the front plate fell off. These and many more tweaks left me with such a warm feeling - how suprised I was to see that their move to South London never completed. Arrrggghhh garages - dont you just love em...... Sorry I'm off ranting again. Johnb.

Steve, Sounds like you have a right anoying one there. If it helps, I have contacted Pete in the past and he is very helpful - more importantly he knows the electrics better than any garage you will find. Even if it costs you a couple of hundred quid to get it all sorted it is darn good peace of mind + you know it has been done properly by somebody who gives a **** - If you play it carefully you can bill it back to your original garage.... Tell them that you have done the research - found a specialist and got a quote, and more than likely they will accept it because they wont have an iota - get Pete to do you a full report and you are sorted. Document everything mind you....... Best of luck! Johnb.

Thanks for the replies fellas. Mycroft you are to be honoured, in my younger days I put 18 speakers in an Austin Maxi - it was pure hifi with three way 8 ohm Xovers and 100watts front and back. If I had the time I would love to do a full job on the Soop. 1400 watts though - I personally would have stood outside the car to turn it on with an IR remote - wow that is a lot of power. Did you have to uprate the generator to keep the battery topped up? I valeted the car this morning and polished up the stock alloys. Took the car off the drive and put the back end out on the first bend (what with the soaking tyres on the dry tarmac) - wow it felt good to be back in the seat!! I look forward to Bolney. Johnb.

Sorry, cant see further than the end of my nose somtimes - only 7 pages of info on this forum. I'll add to the gatherings thread. Cheers, Johnb

Matt, Excuse my ignorance, I have heard Bolney being mentioned a few times. Where can I get details? JOhnb.

Thanks to all the Supra Stars the sup is now back on the road and looking as good as new (inside anyways ;¬) Your electrical diagnosis halted my over-zealous dismantlement (if thats a word) of the steering column etc. Nice to know I am not the only one to connect left side and connect right side and totally forget the hazard plug dangling at the back - though it still set me back at least two hours. As a summary, working blind, apart from Martin F's guidance, the heater matrix replacement job has taken about 15-20 hours and the car has been off the road for four weeks - arrghh The matrix is totally non-standard and would have been a three week wait plus 280 quid bill from Toyota. I got a company to reseal the unit with some gunk that is used in formula one and was charged £25 + Vat - the same technilogy can be used on main radiators also. If I had known how bad a job it would have been I dont think I would have started it, however looking at how long it took me and what was involved, I dont think I would have thrown it at a Toyota dealer either. At least I know that the job has been done well. Thanks again for all your help - it is great to now see all that rust which has been accumulating over the four weeks removed from the brake discs. Have a good weekend all. Johnb (smiling again)

Thanks very much chaps - I will check through tomorrow morning and report back. Have a good evening. Johnb.

Hi, I have just undertaken a major job on the Supra, i.e. taking out the heating matrix and reconditioning it. I have replaced the unit and it works just fine. All my electrics are fine apart from the following two problems: The indicators do not function in either direction (they are dead to the world) The main beam only works when the lights are on - whereas it should also work when the lights are not on - i.e. for signalling people to pull out. I checked the fuse for the signalling (indicators) and it is fine. I imagine that there is a power line that enters the steering column control area that feeds both the indicators and the flashing of main beam however I have no electrical diagrams. (this is only a wild guess) I would be most grateful if someone could look at the electrical diagrams and let me know how to diagnose this problem. Many thanks, Johnb.

Is there any problem with lowering the steering column. There are four bolts which connect it to the main brace within the dash. To remove the main brace it is necessary to lower the steering column. Will this put undue stress on the column itself, or is there a balljoint connection that allows movement? Any comments would be gratefully received..... Johnb.

Hi there, Some of you guys may remember my rantings from last week (apologies for losing my cool), I was kinda losing it with regards to getting to the heater matrix. Well the news update is that I have removed the whole of the upper dash and the steering wheel, leaving very little in front of me - with a huge pile of plastic behind me in the back seats. I have now uncovered the fact that the two part black plastic box that contains the heater matrix is obviously put together as a whole and then bolted into the front of the car as a unit during production. All this unfortunately means that it has to come out as one and hence the aircon unit needs to be removed also! Why they couldnt make the box in two parts, allowing the heater unit to be removed without the aircon I dont know!! Has anyone got any experience of removing the aircon unit? I know that when you do there is a requirement to get it re-pressurised etc. but at the moment it seems I have little option? If anyone wants any pointers about removing the upper dash then I am the man, however I would suggest that unless it is really necessary then I would advise against it. I look forward to any responses. Cheers, Johnb.

Phil, Thanks for the reply, The front cover gives access to the Aircon unit, but without removing the aircon unit(which I do not want to touch) there is no way of getting to the heater unit which I can see is just to the right of it. I have attempted to get in from the bottom of the split plastic unit. There are a great number of servos in there and a few rods operating air duct openings. I fear now that the intended entry must be from the top, which means taking the whole of the upper part of the dash off - which is a real bitch! It took about four hours to get to the stage I am at now - what with all the vent gubbins - and I really want to get a decent plan together before taking things any further. There's alot to remember regarding the rebuild already!! Thanks for taking the time Phil, there must be somebody else out there who has the manual you are missing.... Unfortunately, all this bother means the Supra will be off the road for at least another week. There is a Jap garage in town - I will pop down there tomorrow after work to see if they have a manual as it seems I am not going to get much joy from this group - I am sure if I was adding a turbo I would get a bit more response!! Later, Johnb.

Status Update. I have got to what I think is the final hurdle. I have stripped out all the ventilation equipment and can gain access to the aircon unit and the two-part moulding that contains the heater unit. I have removed all the screws from the lower portion of this part however I still cannot get in! If anyone has a manual can they please give me some advice. Thanks in advance, Johnb.

Thanks for the replies. The reason for not putting in my full email address is that I do not want any more spam than I am getting right now. substitute firstname and lastname with my Username and hey presto my email address....... As mentioned before the heater is leaking fluid. When looking behind the dash the heater and cooling unit is bigger than expected and access to it is a nightmare. I need more understanding as to what I am looking at plus a method of removal so that I can get my hands on the area that deals with the fluid. Eventually my goal is obviously to fix the leak!! Any help would be much appreciated. Kind Regs, Johnb.

I have my car in bits and would have thought somebody would be able to give me some guidance regarding the heater unit in the Supra? I may look to improve the performance of my Supra in the near future - but right now I really need to get it on the road. Can somebody please send me a scan of the technical pages regarding the heater unit as mine is leaking antifreeze and causing me grief. My email address is [email protected]. Many thanks, Johnb.

OK folks, after last nights help from Phil and Martin I have found a leak from the heater matrix in the far right corner of the passenger footwell. I have stripped the dash, stereo area, and both glove compartments to show the beast that is the heater unit. I guess the aircon unit sits beside it. Now I haven't really got a scoobie as to how to remove and assess the heater problem. If anyone has extracts from the manual or past experience I would be very grateful. Yours in anticipation, Johnb.

Not sure really, I am not in the practice of smelling the stuff! Originally I thought I was smelling the Cat after going through a big puddle - but what with the screen and constant smell (after running for a couple of mins when the heat comes in) I have pu it down to the heater. I have an NA - any idea how to locate the correct hoses from under the bonnet? Something has also started rattling in there........ Thanks for your help, Johnb

It's not a shoe wetting moment just yet - the expansin tank is still at a reasonable level. Is the only way in through the dash? Johnb.

I have been trying to have a look at the site to find out about the cooling / heating system. I have a nasty smell in the cockpit and the screens are misting up - I am thinking there may be a leak of fluid near the heater unit. If anyone has some pages regarding this area of the technical book I would be much obliged. Kind Regards, Johnb.