All-Trac Wagon Network

Engine problems in '88 AE95R

hancock_47 — Tue, 7 Feb 2012 04:31:31

Hi guys i guess ill be the first to try out this new repair section i have some major problem occour with my 1988 corolla full time 4x4 AE95 ill be posting a link to the video with a description of the problem and things i have tried. I brok down about 40 min ago coming home from St marys NSW Aust It was instant loss of acceleration,engine cranks but will not start just winds over and over ill have more details soon Cheers guys i hope i can fix the old girl 330,000km..

cooling fan - on when car is cold

bhitt99 — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 11:16:28

I hope it is just the thermostat but I have a 90 all trac wagon and the cooling fan just started staying on when the car was cold.  Just started happening 2 days ago.  It was icy windshield weather when i woke up and the fan kicked on on start up.  but later on it turned off.  I would think it is the thermostat but am no master mechanic so any other possibilities that may lead to this conclusion would be much appreciated.
Also, the temp gage used to always stay pretty much in the center...now in colder months just last year it started going less than 1/4...i live in a mountainous region and if i coast down a big hill my temp can go pretty low.  so maybe this is also a sign of my thermostat going out.
and if it is a thermostat how difficult is it to replace for someone who has modest tools and has fixed a good bit like brakes and shocks - distributor?

thank you.

mpg

bluefever — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 11:04:16

tried a quick search and only found a for sale ad,i'm wondering what the average highway mpg people are getting on their all-trac wagons???

Clutch master cylinder leaking. Replace/repair?

datsa — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 08:48:49

So, for the past few months (!), I've noticed harder shifting, and sometimes with my foot on the clutch pedal,
I cannot shift.  I thought maybe the clutch fluid level was too low, so I filled that up.  Then one day, I was checking some fuses in the jumper box below the driver's side firewall, when I saw liquid on the asphalt sheet.  I traced the liquid to the clutch master cylinder piston; it had been noticeably looser, but the liquid told me that the gasket was leaking.

Unfortunately, I was not in a position, time-wise or space-wise (my garage is full) to take it apart. Also, it appears that I have to remove the brake booster system to remove one of the bolts holding on the clutch master cylinder.
So now I am wondering, does anyone know if it is possible to fix the clutch master cylinder in situ, i.e. in place?  If just the gasket is worn, then that would cause the leak, and I can do this right there?

Otherwise, I would have to replace the entire unit; not a big deal, but it would require time that I do not have right now.  But perhaps replacement would be better because other things may be wrong with the clutch master cylinder, such as the spring, piston, etc.  I can get a new unit from eBay for < $20.00 at the cheapest (AISIN brand so it should match what I have).

The evil corroded ignition wire!

Rogue — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 19:29:57

So I finally found the problem for why my wagon hasn't been running (for almost two weeks now)!  The symptoms were pretty simple: engine would not start.  No seriously   The engine wouldn't crank over, starter did not even try to turn, and fuel pump wouldn't prime.  Dash lights would also go crazy, and flicker a little bit with the key at the ON position.  Tach needle would start to spin towards the 1k - 2k mark while trying to start, and the starter relay would buzz like mad.*  I had checked relays all over the place, fuses, even pulled the ECU (now talk about a nightmare, what a pain to remove!) and had a look inside.  I checked ECU voltages, ECU wiring resistance, ground wires (engine bay and dash-to-body), and the ignition switch.  Other than the ignition switch showing a little bit of resistance, everything seemed fine.

With a lot of help from my retired-electrician stepdad, and some guys from another forum (T.N. -  member called 90 GP especially), we troubleshooted several connections and determined that there was a fault in one white wire that ran to the ignition switch from the battery.  I hate to say opening up the wire loom was "last" on my list of things to check, but I really didn't want to cut up wire loom if I didn't have to.

Sure enough, there's a wire coming out of the middle (AM1, 40 amp) fusible link that runs toward the firewall and splits into two wires, one of which feeds the ignition switch.  There's a very dubious crimp with exposed wires simply covered with electrical tape -- this ought to have been covered with adhesive shrink tubing, and to that end, a special kind that is made in a Y shape.  Anyways, my stepdad said that moisture got into that area, and that caused the wire connection to corrode into powder.  The connection snapped in my hands as I was unwrapping the electrical tape around it!

I also unwrapped the wire leading from the fusible link for the alternator, and it shows signs of corrosion starting (last pic below).  I almost want to advise people to have these connections checked out and repaired in advance of having an issue like I've had.

This pic ^ shows you approximately how far down from the fusible links / battery positive terminal the weak connection was.

This last pic ^ is another coming from the alternator fusible link (and leading to the alt, I believe) that you can see the corrosion starting.

I hope this helps anyone in the future with similar problems.  I'll probably have about $80 worth of parts to return, lol... I think I'll keep the extra ECU though, if anything I can sell it at cost to someone who really needs one.  (It's from a 1989 All-Trac/4WD 5-speed manual wagon according to the ebay auction & the part number at ToyoDIY.  In fact it's the same part number as my 1988 ECU.)  Before I return anything, I'm going to fix this connection and make sure the engine fires up just fine.  Too tired & hungry to finish tonight...

*I think we determined that the starter relay buzzed because it was not getting the full 12 volts it was supposed to get.  So it shut on & off continuously...