what to look for on st185 gt-four

[cogent]

ok
my workmate has a st185 gt-four with a shot engine, has been diagnosed as rings. He said he would sell me the car for what I consider an ok price ($1000). It has a fully reconditioned turbo, all new sensors all around, new clutch, new waterpump/thermostat.

My plan would be to buy the car, buy a good st185 engine and swap it in with the good turbo and stuff from the existing engine.

From what I understand, these cars are a PITA to work on and to remove the engine you should remove the front suspension and subframe at the same time.

When checking it out, what sort of things should I look for? Common issues to that generation 3sgte and chassis. Do they get rust in a specific place under the door handles etc etc (made up example, but that sort of thing).

any help or advise is welcome

[DeeCee]

Shouldn't need to remove front suspension but will have to remove crossmember and drive shafts.

easiest way is to drop the engine + gearbox down instead of pulling out from top of engine bay

here are some links to common q's on celica gt4s
viewtopic.php?t=70255&highlight=3sgte
viewtopic.php?t=54978&highlight=gt4

[Prymal]

bodywise they are pretty solid - they wil last alot longer than a Evo or a WRX of a similar age . Ive not yet heard of any rust issues in a 185, and mine was rust free even after 15 years ( oz wet area car )

to answer your question , yes the easiest way to sort the engine ut is diconnect everything and drop it out from underneath - dont bother with going out the engine bay , itll be a mess..

Car wise - they ahve a straight forward suspension setup - Mcpherson struts , nothing fancy like the St205 with its superslut ( and expensive ) front end

rear Diff mounts , 2/3 gear syncros , and the dash skin lifting seem to be the main compaints i hear .

Buy it - check the engine out - if its good to fix - refresh it and have a good look at the gearbox to make sure its not crunchy , lower it - put some good tyres on it - and a whiteline rear swaybar - int the boost up to about 11/12 pounds - and slap on an aussie style dump pipe and it'll be a cheap rocket with plenty of grip to offer you

[Boosted_162]

Yep, the 2 posts above have summed it up pretty nicely.

Only rust ive ever seen was from a bad crash repair. Alot of them also probably have hit a kerb at one point or another (my mate is a prime example, got one as first turbo car, boosted round corner understeering into a kerb)

Ive had to replace a shitload of stuff in mine due to lack of maintenence and wear & tear. Mines only done 157km which is quite low for ST185s. ECU had blown, oil was old as and turbo blew, clutch worn, rear diff mount stuffed, all shocks stuffed, PS leaking, thermostat was jammed open etc.

Stu - your making me wanna keep my RC now from your last paragraph

[Prymal]

boosted - you should - or sell it to me cheap cheap so i can have a stable mate for my WRC 205.

if you sell it to a boy racer - , much unhappyness and frowning in your direction will happen

[Boosted_162]

boosted - you should - or sell it to me cheap cheap so i can have a stable mate for my WRC 205.

if you sell it to a boy racer - , much unhappyness and frowning in your direction will happen

Bah no boyracers will pay what i want for it , they'd just see an expensive GT4! But at this stage theres a mate of Marks (BR0Z) whose currently looking for one, so need to get my arse into gear and finish it.

[cogent]

Does anyone know what I could expect to pay for a core engine?

Im trying to do the maths on whether this is worth it (to gain the 'experience' and also a little project). At the minimum I would need an assembled Gen2 (?) engine, just the head/block/internals. I could take all the manifolds and loom and turbo and stuff off the old engine.

Does anyone have a suitable engine for sale?

Thanks for all the advice too, I know what to look for and ask about now

[Boosted_162]

Does anyone know what I could expect to pay for a core engine?

Im trying to do the maths on whether this is worth it (to gain the 'experience' and also a little project). At the minimum I would need an assembled Gen2 (?) engine, just the head/block/internals. I could take all the manifolds and loom and turbo and stuff off the old engine.

Does anyone have a suitable engine for sale?

Thanks for all the advice too, I know what to look for and ask about now

Good ones are getting harder to find. I know wreckers are having trouble getting their hands on them.

But as a guide, ive sold motors (complete bar turbo and manifold pretty much) for $500. I can imagine it would be hard getting a good one for that price nowadays, so expect to pay up to $800-$1000 for a good condition one. They stopped making the gen 2 16 years ago so as you can imagine they are getting few and far between!

[cogent]

Cool. I know of a complete setup with gearbox for sale in wellington, with loom etc. Whole long block basically. They are asking $1500, but I dont know if I can afford that, and I would realistically end up with the bits I dont need and couldnt sell.

Might have to call around some wreckers tomorrow and maybe put up a wanted ad on here

[Gonad]

$1500, it better be bloody mint for that.

Dont forget to look at MR2 3S's as well since you have all the bits to swap over.

[cogent]

oh true, didn't realize you could use the SW20 engines too. Does anyone know of any 3sgte's for sale?

[cogent]

hi all, thanks for your help with my questions. After reviewing the trademe market, I have decided not to buy this car as I dont think I would be able to sell it easily when it is running again