toyota celica engine complaints
Discussion
Hi,
I was browsing through the June 05 edition of "What Car?" which contained the JD power survey. Apparently the Toyota Celica (03/04) scored well in all areas but the major complaints were in regard to the engine. Didn’t have anymore detail than that sorry.
Is this not the same engine the 111R and Exige S2 uses ?
Anyone heard of any problems with it ?
Cheers
Scott
I was browsing through the June 05 edition of "What Car?" which contained the JD power survey. Apparently the Toyota Celica (03/04) scored well in all areas but the major complaints were in regard to the engine. Didn’t have anymore detail than that sorry.
Is this not the same engine the 111R and Exige S2 uses ?
Anyone heard of any problems with it ?
Cheers
Scott
scotte said:
Hi,
I was browsing through the June 05 edition of "What Car?" which contained the JD power survey. Apparently the Toyota Celica (03/04) scored well in all areas but the major complaints were in regard to the engine. Didn’t have anymore detail than that sorry.
Is this not the same engine the 111R and Exige S2 uses ?
Anyone heard of any problems with it ?
Cheers
Scott
I have had the odd problem... cough full rebuild cough
But I am assured it is all my fault.
gooby said:
Hi,
I was browsing through the June 05 edition of "What Car?" which contained the JD power survey. Apparently the Toyota Celica (03/04) scored well in all areas but the major complaints were in regard to the engine. Didn’t have anymore detail than that sorry.
Is this not the same engine the 111R and Exige S2 uses ?
Anyone heard of any problems with it ?
Cheers
Scott
I have had the odd problem... cough full rebuild cough
But I am assured it is all my fault.
WHAT ! you are Joking arn't you ?
Boggy
The truth behind the toyota engine, is that it can not, in any way go above the 8500 rev limit, If it does and I mean by as little as 200rpm then the big ends disintegrate quicker than you can say "huston, I have a problem". According to a very reliable source, Lotus have had a large amount of problems in the states with this failure and one in the UK (me).
Mr_C said:
how do you go above the rev limiter??
surely thats what its there for!!
By cocking up a downshift. E.g. intend 4->3 but execute 4->1.
I'd be surprised if it died from a 200rpm buzz though. If you cock up a down change as I just described youd probably be revving it to 14000 rpm or something. Manufacturers normally don't cover misshifting as its hardly their fault. Apparently it happened a lot in celicas in the states too though.
DanH said:
By cocking up a downshift. E.g. intend 4->3 but execute 4->1.
I'd be surprised if it died from a 200rpm buzz though. If you cock up a down change as I just described youd probably be revving it to 14000 rpm or something. Manufacturers normally don't cover misshifting as its hardly their fault. Apparently it happened a lot in celicas in the states too though.
ahh, never thought of that!
whenever i've done that i've realised in time and not let the clutch out fully!
DanH said:
By cocking up a downshift. E.g. intend 4->3 but execute 4->1.
I'd be surprised if it died from a 200rpm buzz though. If you cock up a down change as I just described youd probably be revving it to 14000 rpm or something. Manufacturers normally don't cover misshifting as its hardly their fault. Apparently it happened a lot in celicas in the states too though.
Exactly, I went from 5th to 3rd. I was one of the highest over revs. Over 750 revs above top limit. But it has happened to over revs (buzzes) as little as 200 rpm (apperently). It is easy to do, especially if you are not used to a 6 speed box.
My arguement was that buzzing an engine would take out the top end, not bottom. Also the buzz occured at engine hour 272 and the failure occured at 375. So I managed to remove the connection between events.
I have the experts at westover to thank. They hounded Lotus and called in all favours in order to help me out. Finally Lotus picked up the bill as a "good will gesture" for which I am eternally grateful. The failure took out engine bearings, main "big end" bearings and a con rod. Basically an engine re build.
You got very lucky mate!
Was it only 750 that took out the bottom end too? I've heard of people lunching Porsche engines doing this but people always say its 4000+ over the limit.
It does seems common for a buzz to cause failure some time later from what I've heard of them.
I guess the yota engine is highly tuned and reasonably reliable, but sat right at its limits for 750 to lunch it!
Wow, that really was some bad luck, but at least Lotus have very decently picked up the tab. As others have said, it really shows how much of a knife-edge the engine is on, and whilst it's impossible to over-rev using the gas pedal, how easy it is to accidentally mess up the engine by other means.
I was having a conversation with my dealer at a track day in April, and were discussing problems and returns on the 111r. He said that they had a couple with paint finish problems but just one engine issue, which was a cracked valvespring in a new motor straight from the factory causing a catastrophic engine failure.
Gooby's adventures remind me of an incident I read about in the paper many moons ago when the Jag XJ220 was handed over to journos. One of them performed a similar 4th-to-1st mis-change and grenaded the engine. According to the report, all the valves were bent and the bearing shaken with the equivalent of a 3-ton hammer blow.
As for my own engine-related indiscretions, I managed to blow two valveseats clean out of the head of what at the time was the freshly rebuilt and tuned engine in my MGB. The chap who had reworked the engine for me (and refused payment for anything other than parts as he had enjoyed doing it) was, needless to say, most un-amused at my antics. However, one top-end rebuild later, I was back on the road attempting to break something else
.
[k]
>> Edited by [k]ar| on Saturday 3rd September 17:08
I was having a conversation with my dealer at a track day in April, and were discussing problems and returns on the 111r. He said that they had a couple with paint finish problems but just one engine issue, which was a cracked valvespring in a new motor straight from the factory causing a catastrophic engine failure.
Gooby's adventures remind me of an incident I read about in the paper many moons ago when the Jag XJ220 was handed over to journos. One of them performed a similar 4th-to-1st mis-change and grenaded the engine. According to the report, all the valves were bent and the bearing shaken with the equivalent of a 3-ton hammer blow.
As for my own engine-related indiscretions, I managed to blow two valveseats clean out of the head of what at the time was the freshly rebuilt and tuned engine in my MGB. The chap who had reworked the engine for me (and refused payment for anything other than parts as he had enjoyed doing it) was, needless to say, most un-amused at my antics. However, one top-end rebuild later, I was back on the road attempting to break something else
. [k]
>> Edited by [k]ar| on Saturday 3rd September 17:08
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