what to look for?
toyotas are hardwaring so check for any signs of clocking, aparently comon before cars come over from japan,
check to see if the stearing wheel and gearselector are abnormaly shinny,
also check how worn the drivers seat is,
strut tops are a comon weakpoints aswell as rear shox on all models.
tour round to the back of the car, open the boot and take of the two caps the the strut tops, bounce the car up and down, it will be clearly evident if the strut tops are away,
get on your ass and check both rear shox to see if there is any sign of oil weaping off the rear shox,
if there are any problems use as a bartering tool,
start the car and give the throttle some decent stabs, if you see any blue smoke pouring out the back run away, could be some worn seals, not comon at all but it happens.
take the oil filler cap and check for signs of mayo, if here is any, waters inthe system, again walk away,
check the oil level and all fluid to check if the car has been well maintained,
starlets are usualy straight bodywork wise with tight panel gaps,
check around the lights, front crossmember and both wings to see any signs of ill repaired crash damage, should be easy to spot,
most of this is comon sense
check to see if the car has been bitmad,(japanese equivlent of HPI)
go over the service record(manditory) to see if its been wellmaintained,
turbocharged cars require a higher level of mechanical sympathy compared to na cars.
the oil should be changed atleast every 3-5k
finaly,on the turbo models when going for a test drive watch the temperature guage like a hawk.
if it dosent move or it has a sevear lathergy problem that will be a screwed thermostat, cheep to fix(£15)but another bartering tool
i made this mistake when buying my first v and used it to get some money knocked off with my last one.
lasty check around the fourth exhuast port for cracking, a few turbo starlets have suffered this with age, usualy a problem resulting from a faulty thermostat where engine overheats causting the head to crack
in all honesty these cars are bullet proof and ultra reliabile, more so the UK models if looked after but im just giving you the fuller picture. . .
what are they like to drive day to day?
day to day they are very acomodating to live with. based on an economical hatch the ergonomics are all easy to live with, the driving postions good, the stearing wheel is adjustable for rake- i feal it could do with droping down maybe an inch more but not to worry - zep racing sell a kit if you so desire.
visability is good alround and the car is perfect for buzzing through town trafic or finding that small gap. they can make comfortable crusers too.
the pedals are decently spaced apart for healing & towing and the gearchange is slick and easy without being overly notchy, due to the design of this it wont slaken with age like some french cars.
because the car was desinged for small people, interior space in that back is a joke so five up is a tight squeeze to be honest. front space is at a premium.
on the na starlet most models come with electric windows and revcounter. on the turbo models you get all the gizmos like ac or climate control dependant on age, retractable electric mirrors, electric windows double din slot for a stereo, two drinks holders underneath on the Glanza. front fog lights. a high low boost button along with three staged boost lights on the revcounter(low boost is set at 6psi where as hi boost is at 9- also worth noting that the glanza is limited to low boost in the first two gears. this was down to traction issues in bad wintery weather conditions in japan but not really needed over here. This did not affect the earlier ep82 models. The restriction can be easily bypassed though increasing driver enjoyment.
the 4efe is an engine of moderate power for its size (74bhp) and is also revhappy all the way up to the 6200 redline.
the 4efte models, due to the dinky ct-9 midrange torque is impressive and even a standard healthy glanza without the boost restriction can punch well above its weight. there is zero lag and full boost comes in at 2800rpm. you get a decent spread of torque and power up to about 6500 (peak power is at 5800rpm) after that your going back down the curve and loosing power. (rev limiter cuts in at 7800rpm on the turbo)
handling wise the car utilises a beam axle and panhard rod at the back with indipendent machpherson struts at the front - it takes a very skilled driver to get the most out of a standard starlet chassis, saying that the car dosent handle bad and you can still have alot of fun on standard suspension settings - in conjunction with standard supension, spending £200 on an antilift kit and rear anti roll bar will drasticaly change what the car is capable of handling wise.
what are they like on fuel?
38 miles to the gallon is possible on the NA 4efe and the rare n1 Diesel is capable of more.
on the 4efte's if you have a healthy engine with a tip top ignition setup and everything running right the ep sips fual if you keep the car off boost. 32+ mpg is possible with a light right foot.
if you drive spritidely though this can drop down to the mid to low 20's. its around 40 beans to fill an empty tank. so thats about 300 miles to a tank. or 200 if you drive an auto model.
any problems that the 1.3 engine are commen to get?
ok. being a toyota the engines and ancilarys are robust and of a good design. if you look after the 4e they can take alot of abuse day in day out. as long as you replace wearable and servicable parts on a frequent bases and dabble in abit of preventative maintinance they will run for ever.
being a turbo, every turbo has a shelf life -one of the first things you should invest in is a turbo timer, this will prolong the life of the ct-9
now from my own experience(over the past four years of ep ownership i cover on average 42000 miles a year. just over three times the national average really have abused every ep ive had and drive hard wherever i go- its just my driving style)
the NA gearboxes are pretty week and do not fair up well to loads of abuse.
the ignition system is a weak area. the leads tend to go on turbo models causing the car to missfire as well as increasing fuel consumption due to unatural loads being placed on the engine - this also has a knock on effect to other parts of the ignition system like the plugs and distributer cap/rotor arm.
the thermostat is weak and prone to sticking. this means your temprature needle will not move off the base line and now heat coming out of the heater. - a knock on effect of this is increased fual consumption. (if left unchecked for quite a while the car will overheat at some point in the future causing the head to warp or crack)
always check around the 3rd exhaust port on turbo models before you buy. if its cracked walk away as you will need a new head to remedy this(expensive to fix). a problem ive found on glanzas but not the earlier ep82s. usually a knock on effect from a faulty thermostat thats not been replaced.
that said all the parts mentioned above are peanuts to replace and out of all the time ive been around ive only heard a few minor cases of each actually happning. so please dont be put off. chances are nothing will go wrong with your v as its a toyota smile.gif
IS there much difference between high and low boost in these cars with fuel economy?
low boost was designed for traction issues with most of japans mountonous regions.
it makes no difference to fual economey so no, just drive on high with a light right foot
Is it 133bhp on high or low boost.
on high boost, but there is a low boost restriction that limits boost in the first two gears meaning a saxo vtr could creap past you,
ul be wanting to pypass the low boost solonoid to get the full 133 in the first two gears.
on a side note if you have the money and ure really wanting to get the full benefits of fual consumption and performance i would recoemend a standalone ecu, one with a 24-32bit map like a power fc or ultimate, that way you could fine tune the fuel and ignition tables.
whats a good bhp to aim for when tuning? stock inturnals... just bolt on mods.
with bolt on mods its close to get 100bhp at teh fly on the NA's.
around 200bhp @ the fly is a good aim for the 4efte engine(about the maximum for the dinky ct-9 toyota turbo with correct fualling and breathing mods in place @ around 15psi - after that it turns into a large hairdryer*note running this boost will reduce the life of the turbo).
to put that into context the power to weight ratio of a 960kg glanza equiped with 200bhp 208.3bhp per ton
a new shape impreza sti equiped with 280bhp weighting 1340kgs is 208.9bhp per ton
this is only a rough guide not taking transmission losses into account but gives you an idea of how potent the Starlet can be.
i have heard of stock internals taking 240-250 every day with the correct tune and the right turbo.
whats reliability like with a lightly modded turbo?
if you keep replenishing servicable parts and have the correct fualiing and right tune in place the car should be just as reliable as standard. obviusly if you run above standard boost you will reduce the life of your charger. cracked manifolds are a comon problem with prolonged boost levels but ull be wanting to junk the standard oe item straight away as there is a major restriction in runner number three.
What is a safe boost level to run stock?
12psi is generally accepted as safe on a totally stock set up 2psi more than standard in hi setting.
With stock internals still around 17psi can be run, but it must be mapped spot on to safe guard your engine.
The life of the standard turbo will also reduce the more you increase boost - Over about 1.0 Bar don't expect the ct9 to last forever!
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