Starlets!

[peaGT]

Hey, im a new member and im after buying a new car and i want a starlet GT turbo, was just wanting to know a little bit about them so if any of you guys own one, could you pls tell me some info about them, eg mpg, bhp, what they are like to drive, are parts expensive or hard to find, just things like that and whether or not they are a good car to own!! cheers

[Hou]

awesome cars, 133bhp standard, 6.7 seconds standard to 60

im managing an average mpg of 31 as long as im not hammering it and keeping it on low boost

Not too bad for parts etc and to drive not only are they quick they handle like little go-karts

[starletgt_48]

HE'S right..........

Absolutely brilliant cars. The best in their league i'd say. Iv got my second now. Its a Toyota end of the day aswell.

Parts aren't too bad to find. Mine gives me around 60 miles to a tenner, thats with high boost, bit of a hammering here and there but not too much. And for me the main thing that differentiates this pocket rocket to others in its league is the Dump valve!!!

Other main thing is the attention and looks you get....

Go for it mate, you wont regret it, though id say that they are VERY adictive....!!!!

[race me]

what can the turbo and internals handle power wise

[Guest]

im pretty sure the 0-60 is 6.9 on paper. still i have one i am very suprised with it. and an air filter and turbo back system witht he required mods will make them even better

i get about 80miles to a tenner too

[Gilly2006]

the standered CT9 turbo can handle about 180-190bhp. anything after that is a no go. if you want more power you will need to get a bigger turbo. the best one for high power is the TD04 turbo kit. if you have the money get one, you really won't be dissapoint. i want one and im only 16! lol!

[starletsy]

You be lucky to ever get 190hp from a stock ct9...

Buyers Guide

All Turbo starlets are imports unless it’s a UK car that’s been converted.

First off here is some background into imported cars from Japan:

The Japanese Car Market

Japan has the largest domestic car market in the Far East, with major car manufacturers such as Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Mitsubishi and Mazda proving popular across the world as well as Japan. Due to the limited space for road vehicles in Japan strict regulations along with other factors have shaped the market to favour part-exchange towards the purchase of new models. As a result their is virtually no domestic used car market in Japan, and a rapid depreciation in car prices.

Intense competition means that models are constantly being upgraded or re-designed, and many extras are fitted as standard, which would add thousands to the price of a UK car.

Shaken

’Shaken’ is a strict car registration scheme which operates in Japan. It consists of a series of safety inspections combined with compulsory insurance, weight and vehicle tax. New cars come with 3 years’ ‘Shaken’. After this has expired the ‘Shaken’ must be renewed every 2 years throughout the ownership of the vehicle. Therefore the Japanese generally sell or part-exchange their car as a period of ‘Shaken’ expires. The cost of renewing the ‘Shaken’ is relatively high as the Japanese Governments policy is to reduce car ownership due to the limited space available. In fact, the Japanese car owner must prove that he/she has sufficient parking space for each car they register.

Imports

Importing a car yourself can save you quite a lot of money but it is far from simple. This is why for the purpose of this buyer’s guide we will just be looking at common problems found with the starlet and things to look out for when going to view.

Bodywork:

This is a good place to start remember the age of the car you are looking at.

Take a magnet and some coins with you.

Use the magnet to check for filler, which is often used by cheap repairs to mask damage.

The coins can be used to judge panel gaps – slide a coin down a panel gap, if it stops then the panel gap is tightening up.

If the car is wet, then dry it as a wet car hides paint defects

You will often find small marks and scratches from the import/shipping process.

One thing that is very important is too look for poor fitting panels and uneven gaps a lot of the cars that go through the auctions in Japan have had minor accidents but there often isn’t any record of them. If repaired correctly then there is nothing to worry about.

The EP82’s mainly the Mk1 versions suffered from pealing lacquer on the roof and bonnet so that one thing to check carefully.

Check the car has been under sealed in Japan they don’t use the harsh road salt we do so the under seal often isn’t up to the standard on European cars this will eventually lead to the car rusting quicker so it a good idea to check it’s been done.

If it’s a dirty car, offer to clean it – whilst cleaning it you’ll spot scratches and problems.

Engine:

Here’s what you do...........

First check under the bonnet. Check the following...............

Engine oil condition. Black oil suggests poor maintenance.

Service history. Very important, especially for a turbo engine.

Receipts from previous turbo repairs. Proof of a reputable service history.

Aftermarket turbo remanufacturer’s nameplate. Has the turbo been replaced before and by whom? Be suspicious if a reputable company did not carry out the repair.

Oil leaks around the turbo. Signs of a poor turbo rebuild or a worn turbo.

Heat shields loose around the turbo. Sign of a recent replacement turbo.

Painted exhaust turbine housing. Could be trying to hide a poor quality turbo repair.

Water staining around the turbo bearing housing. Leaking water connections.

Alignment of hoses and connections. Poor alignment indicates a badly repaired turbo.

Non-genuine hose clips. May indicate poor workmanship.

Bleed valve on actuator hose. Turbo has been operating at a higher boost pressure that it was originally designed for. This may have damaged the turbo.

Dump valve. Indicates that other engine modifications may have been performed.

Replacement actuator. Uprated actuators are fitted to operate at a higher boost pressure. This may result in turbo damage.

Grip marks on actuator rod. Signs of a recently increased or reduced boost pressure adjustment or problems with the turbo.

Air filter condition. Signs of oil staining on the air filter may indicate engine wear.

Split compressor intake hose. Unfiltered air entering a turbo will cause damage to the compressor wheel.

Exhaust leaks. An incorrectly serviced engine can run weak, causing excessive heat build-up in the exhaust. This leads to warping and cracking of the exhaust manifold and turbine housing.

Non genuine oil filter. A sign of cost cutting when servicing a car.

Retro-fitted boost gauges. Cars fitted with a boost gauge tend to have had the boost pressure increased.

Compressor wheel lift. Movement of the turbocharger’s rotating shaft, up and down, is an indication of turbo bearing wear.

Rubbing compressor wheel marks. If you can get the owners permission to remove the air filter hose, check signs of the rotating compressor wheel making contact with or rubbing the housing. This indicates excessive wear in the turbo bearings and means a turbo rebuild is imminent.

Actuator hose cracked or split. This will cause over-boost.

Intercooler damaged or split. This will cause low boost and a loss of power.

Rubbing or split Intercooler hoses. This will cause low boost and a loss of power.

Oil feed hose leaking. May lead to turbo oil starvation and eventual failure.

Oil drain hoses squashed or bent. Restrictions in the turbo oil return will lead to leaking turbo seals and blue oil smoke from the exhaust.

Breather hoses squashed or bent. Restrictions in the breather pipes or hoses may cause blue oil smoke from the exhaust.

Breather system “one-way” valve sticking. Can cause blue exhaust oil smoke.

Up rated or non-genuine exhaust system. Reducing the exhaust back pressure with a free flow exhaust system can cause oil leakage from the turbo oil seals, leading to blue exhaust oil smoke.

The coolant should be bright red. If it’s a different colour then ask why - the system could have been overhauled as routine servicing or there could have been cooling issues with it previously. If the coolant is dark and murky and you can’t see through it then either knock a few hundred off the asking price (or enough to cover draining system, re-core of radiator, replacing water pump, renewing thermostat, cleaning reservoir and flushing the system repeatedly until clean) or walk away.

Next comes the road test. Check the following...............

Start the car from cold. It should fire up quickly and easily and settle into a smooth, but fast idle of around 1200rpm. There should not be excessive smoke – although be aware that on a cold day, there will be more visible water vapour but that is not smoke. Idle speed when the engine is warm (temperature needle halfway across the gauge – should get there and stay there within 5 miles drive) should be between 700-800rpm without air conditioning on. A/C should add roughly 100rpm.

Rubbing noise on acceleration. Turbo bearings badly worn.

Poor performance. Low boost caused by defective turbo, wastegate mechanism or air leak.

Too much performance. Over boost may be due to an incorrectly adjusted or defective wastegate.

Hesitation - violent. This condition can be experienced when accelerating hard. The boost pressure exceeds a nominal value, leading to over boost (a safety cut out switch). The problem may be caused by a defective wastegate.

Hesitation - holding back. Engine mixture weak, or air restriction.

Pinking or detonation under load. Incorrect ignition setting, poor quality fuel, excessive boost pressure or a poorly maintained engine.

Blue smoke under hard acceleration. Engine wear or defective breather system.

Blue smoke under deceleration. Engine wear.

Check on full lock for noises from the CV joints.

Check the Handbrake is holding well the cables are expensive

Now whilst the engine is at normal operating temperature, leave the engine idling for 10 minutes. Check the following..................

Blue oil smoke at idle. Defective turbo seals, excessive bearing wear, defective breather system or restricted turbo oil drain system.

Black smoke at idle. Worn diesel injection pump or injectors or excessive over-fuelling.

White smoke at idle. Engine damage, cracked cylinder head or head gasket failure. Very rarely caused by a damaged turbocharger.

An exhaust blowout noise from the engine bay is possibly a cracked or loose manifold.

Interior:

Check for excessive wear on the seats and steering wheel compared to the mileage it’s done could be a sign of a clocked car.

EP82’s suffer from electric window motor failure and blower motor failure quite often so check these operate correctly.

The speedo records distance. In Japan it would record in kilometres. At some point it may get converted to read in miles, but its true “mileage” will be made up of a mixture of kilometres and miles. To convert divide kms by eight, then multiply by five to get it in miles.

Simon

[HAR45]

hey peaGT I have a GT starlet! great car! have spend some serious money on it and I'll tell you its fun! very fun! Here in Aust. you can buy a TD04L turbo kit for $1500AU Proven to produce over 200bhp and a proven 12sec 1/4 mile. Theres a far few quick GT's in OZ! you should check out Chris's (Boosted GT) 400bhp 4EFTE GT starlet! its impressive!

You'll find heaps and heaps of info, pics, parts and cars for sale here! - www.austarletclub.com

Tim