Looking for a new car battery for the Starlet (again)...

Had a car breakdown, but it wasnt the Toyota Starlet parts that broke, it was the Tudor Battery.. Had to get a new one, even though the Tudor was only about 2-3 years old.

The Tudor Dual battery was crap. Dont buy it for use in a car. Trying to get it to work with the CTEK MXS 7.0 but no luck. Using a Fluke 789 to measure voltage.

Went to Autoexperten in Bromma (Sthlm) and they only sold Varta. The plus pole is on the wrong side..

Then I was planning to buy the Biltema Silver-kalciumbatteri since they have 4 years of guarantee, I thought this 62A battery for 799 SEK would fit but the plus pole was on the right side. Need it to be left side if I dont wanna extend the cables..

This is Biltema Veddesta, near Barkarby.

Tesla Model X, some pictures

This post is not about the Starlet... more about Electric cars.. Namely the Tesla Model X.

Was out to the mall here in Sweden, Västerås and found a Tesla Model X being demostrated. It cost about 970 000 SEK and has two electric engines, one in front and one in the back. The battery is located under the floor. And you can pull a pretty heavy trailer / caravan with this Tesla

 Tesla Model X. You can carry a small bag in the front.

 Nice White vinyl, this was more durable and better lasting than leather the seller told me.

 Nice instruments and interior. Ipad style.

 The batteries are located under the floor she told me.

 Gullwing style. Just the backdoors, not the front door.

.

Problem with the battery Tudor Marine Dual TR350, the Starlet wouldn't start after a motorstop..

First time I get stranded in the middle of the traffic! Never thought that could happen with a Starlet!..

 I was communting to work and got a motor stop at a traffic light and this was during rush hour traffic... When I turn the ignition key the car was dead and made strange noises. Cars everywhere and I couldnt even get the warning lights flashing.. Thank god that the car doesnt weigh much, I could push it a side the road somewhat. After a while there was a hero that stopped and offered me some help pushing the car to a parking place.

Guess this Tudor marine Dual battery that I replaced less than 2 years ago couldnt take the vibration in a car or something. I wrote about it here. The battery was fine when starting it when I left the home..

This is a video explaning the strange problem.

Which Car Stereo did I buy for the Toyota?

The Kenwood KDC-X5100BT was the one the seller recommended 

me, especially since I said i would prefer a rear USB port. Just 

because I think it looks so much better. And it becomes so 

much easier to remove the face and take it with you.

Rear USB, remembers 5 phone connection (paired), 2 at the same time.

A post about Car Stereos..

I've been research a lot lately about todays car stereos. I need to replace the original car stereo in one of my Toyotas. Oh man is it a jungle out there!. It's pretty hard to find good comparisons between stereos today. Now adays it seems to be a small market. It really takes a lot of effort to narrow down the amount of interesting car stereos. This is why I try to help you with this post. :) There were post like this I was searching for in the hunt for a good car stereo. I do not go into depth in this post but you get a feel for what I did finally choose. (After a lot of research!)

In my younger years I was a car stereo enthusiast, loved to build and try to get better sound. Driving to a lot of car stereo competions and so on. At the time there actually were 3 pure car stereo magazine at the same time. This in little Sweden. Those were the days. :)

By the way I've written a post about my consideration on my sister site (the Previa site) also. Check it out here. The final choice comes down to how long you research, I can tell you it has changed for me a couple of times before finally came to this choice.

I decided to choose a Single DIN size. Removable / detachble  front and so on.

Mainly I've comed to focus on 3 brands. Kenwood, Alpine and Pioneer. These have been the ones I liked of some reasons. And I've have been very pleased with Pioneer earlier and have had a few bunch of them. Perhaps time to try something diffrent this time..

I've also checked the cheap ones from China and decided they were not for me.

Yesterday I went to Bilstereohörnan here i Sweden, Västerås where I live. Why? Just to get a feel for what they are selling and are promoting. These is what I found:

The Alpine CDE-178BT is also a nice stereo with high finish. But it seems to be getting a bit old and therefore lacking some of the features that the KDCX5100BT has. For example lacking FLAC and not the most updated Bluetooth version and so on.

Kenwood KMM-303BT is also a nice stereo, lots of features, but a bit older than the KDC-X5100BT., Radio / Front USB / Front AUX, You push a little plastic thing a side to get to the USB and Aux. Bluetooth that support mediastream and phone, 1 x preout 2,5V, Price 995 SEK.

Kenwood KMM-303BT, Radio / USB / AUX, Bluetooth that support mediastream and phone, 1 x preout 2,5V, Price 995 SEK

Kenwwod KDC-BT53U, CD / USB / AUX, Bluetooth support mediastream and phone, 3 x preout 2,5V, variable illumination / led, 1695 SEK

Pioneer MVH-280FD Radio / USB / AUX, red illumination, Class FD 4 x 100W, 2 x preout 2,5V, 1395 SEK

Sony MEX-XB100BT. It has nice carbon fiber look, the illumination flashes and so on, but mayby just too much. CD / USB / AUX, Bluetooth support mediastream and phone. Varible illumination / LED. NFC, Power 4x100W, 3 x 5V preout (RCA), Price: 2695 SEK

This is my choice! The Kenwood KDC-X5100BT. Packed with features. I'll try to do a review on Youtube sooner or later. Keep your eyes open.

Receipt of the transaction. Also bought an ISO-adapter for Toyota. Fits most Toyotas.

JVC and Kenwood are now one company. This Stereo is made in Indonesia. Manufacture may 2017 so pretty new.

The car stereo installed in the Toyota Previa. So far everything is working and am pleased with it. There are so many functions to explore!

KENWOOD KDC-X5100BT, 1495 SEK, Rear USB, 5 phone connection (paired), 2 at the same time. NFC and the list goes on.. This stereo really is packed with features for its price. The seller told me he like to sell Kenwood for over 25 years now because they are so reliable. He told me that this stereo is almost like a competing stereo, like they were a couple of years ago (and then also cost a small fortune). So this was the stereo he was pushing to sell me. It was one of Kenwood latest models so very updated he said.

Alpine CDE-178BT, CD / USB / AUX, Bluetooth that support mediastream and phone, 24-bit DAC, 3 x 4 V preout.

Here's a video where I visit the Car Stereo shop Bilstereohörnan.

Changing tires on a car, Toyota Starlet, using tools in the car

Hi!

Time to change the winter tires to summer wheels.Summer is approaching here in Sweden, yeay..  Did a video of it. Hope you like some Starlet material. :)

Changing tires on a car, Toyota Starlet, using tools in the car



This is some kind of tutorial of how I change tires on my Toyota Starlet (EP91)

Disclaimer: Do this at your own risk! I'm not in any way responsible for your actions. You got to do your own research, and come up with a safe way to change tires. Some people will probably say this is not safe..

Here using original jack. Like, you know, if you got a flat out on the roads.

I like to minimize the amount of tools i need. I’ve used the original floor jack on all the cars during the years and have had no problems with it, some say it might be weak and you should get a better one, your choice. Just make sure you’re on a flat surface ant that the can take the weight of the jack (with a car)..AND.. make sure you put the jack on a safe place, and put it in the correct place on the car, otherwise the car may break or even fall down.
Put an extra tire under the car when you've lifted it, and never go under it! Dont do this on a windy day. The car might fall.
If you want, invest in a real floor jack

If you don’t know what you doing you might need a torque wrench. I don’t. After a while you get a feel for it.

Short video showing OBD1READ device with the Android application TOYOBD1 on Toyota Starlet

So I got it!

I've made a short video showing OBD1READ device with the Android application TOYOBD1.

Here is the package and the OBD1READ device.

Hope you get something out of the video.

ToyOBD1 on a Toyota Starlet

I´m considering getting one of these... Using on a Android phone. Bluetooth communicating with the cars ECU. I think this might even work on my Toyota Previa (which I´ve just bought, late 2TZ-FE (map sensor system)). It´s an affordable price.

Here´s a video of a Toyota Starlet, I dont think it´s the EP91 but the engine is supported:

EP91 4E-FE
EP91 4E-FTE


Thanks Jean-Francois Breton!
http://jfbreton.blogspot.se/

On my EP91 Starlet I had to remove the jumper between WA and WB to get the connector to fit.
According to OBD1READ designer, J-F Breton, he says: On cars without ABS you can throw away this jumper. It is used to trigger the abs ecu error output and other abs tests.

Vacuum cleaning the car..

It´s always nice to have a fresh clean car, so it´s time for the yearly vacuum cleaning! I used the vacuum cleaner that I got at home.

Video about owning a Toyota Starlet as a first car

Came over a pretty new video about owning a Toyota Starlet as a first car. I agree with him, but he doesnt seem to mention the most important about the car. That´s it reliable..Thats the prime reason for me.. Simple, fun, and reliable.

He´s done som modifications to the car, it´s a non turbo. About 95 / 100 horsepower.

Take a look at this Starlet from 1999:

Owning A Toyota Starlet, First Modified Car Review

What I have in my tailgate

Though I might show what I have in my trunk. Good stuff to have.. :-)

It´s a fleece blanket - for the beach, grass or just keep a little warmer in cause of emergency.

Toiletpaper - you just might need it. Cleaning your self if you get dirty.

Jumpstarters - just might need them someday. I never needed them in the Starlet, but in my previous car when I forgott the light on.

BMW E30 - Love the design

Cant just be Starlet here, gotta have something other once and a while, right?

BMW E30
They are not as reliable as the Starlet but they are more beautiful.

I do like the lines on these cars..

This beuatiful BMW E30 stood parked on the guest parking outside where I live. Very nice!

I have a soft spot for the BMW..

They are getting quite expensive here in Sweden. And it's hard to find one in really good original shape.

For sale: BMW E30 Turbo -86,  159 000 SEK

An old beamer with style!

--------------------  --------------

https://www.blocket.se/annons/goteborg/bmw_320_i_convertible_129hk/94799704

Look at this one for example:

Price 249 900 SEK

BMW 320 i Convertible 129hk from 1992

About 950 000 km

---------------  -----------

What glycol did I choose for the Starlet?

Earlier I wrote about what kind of glycol that was suppose to be used for the Toyota Starlet. You can find hit here. After som research I decided to go for a Biltema version. And hope that will work..

I probably had Toyota original glycol, longlife in it already. The color was red-pinkish.

Since you should NOT mix different kind of glycol this is what I did choose.

This is what it looks like. Seems to be working fine so long.

Biltema glycol longlife, ready mixed. Cost: 50 SEK

Fixing squeaky clutch noise on Toyota Starlet

For the last half year I´ve had a nasty noise develop on the Starlet. It has slowly gotten worse and today I had enough of the sound. Time to fix it!

I did a video of it too help you out. Hope you like it. I think this problem is pretty common on cars with hydralics cluthes. ?


DIY. How to fix a nasty squeaky clutch sound.

This is common problem on some hydralic clutch car.
I first though the terrible sound came from inside, from the cluth pedal or something. Wrong, it comes from where the slave cylinder and fork ( pivot ball )
. Everytime you press the clutch you here the squeaking. It kind of gets on your nerves. :-)

Car: Toyota Starlet EP91 from 1997
Using bearing grease. Most people us white grease. But I didnt have that. The grease must be heat resistant. Preferably Lithium based.

Disclaimer: Myself are not responsible for any damage or injury that may result from use of the this DIY video. Automotive maintenance and repair should be performed by qualified technicians. This DIY is for informational purposes, use it at your own risk.

Time to fix it. This is how I did it.
Be careful so you dont get grease on your clutch though.

Ethylene-glycol based antifreeze for the Starlet (if original coolant)

I need to fill up coolant lever (since it dropped). My coolant looks red / pink on the color. So I´m guessing it the original coolant.

NEVER MIX cooloant with for example BLUE glycol.. (Thats what I read anyway, so I follow that)

.... anyway..  this is what I do, do your own research..


From Haynes Toyota Corolla Workshop Manual (They have the same Engine as Starlet plus the VVT-i engine.

The manual says:


“Always use an ethylene-glycol based antifreeze which is suitable for use in mixedmetal
cooling systems.”

” The cooling system should be filled with a water/ethylene-glycol based antifreeze solution, which will prevent freezing down to at least -30° C, or lower if local climate requires it.”

Recommeded for Cooling system according to Haynes:
Toyota long life coolant

“New generation ethylene-glycol based premium engine antifreeze/coolant specially formulated for all Toyota engine cooling systems” - http://www.globalautoparts.biz/toyotagenuinefluids.html

SO WE NEED A ethylene-glycol based Coolant.
And we need deionized water, salt and oxygen makes rust.

I think I will go with the Biltema ready-mixed coolant.

Biltema: 49:90 SEK, ready-mixed

Mekonomen, concentrated

Spotted in town...

It´s not that often that I see a Starlet in town (Västerås, Sweden) so when I see one, I do try to take a picture..

Seems to be in pretty good shape.

No visible rust.

Same color as mine.

Marcus Toyota Starlet update

A little while ago I wrote a post about Marcus Starlet. He has now made a lot of changes! Among other things, lowered the car, put on new wheels, put in a brace bar. Changed the intake manifold (tubular Toyota Corolla). He is kind enough to send us some pictures for us Starlets fans.

Nice to see a styled Toyota Starlet on the roads in Sweden! :-) Looks good!

Here´s what´s been done

The intake manifold is mounted
Coilovers are mounted (some adjustment remains)
Other rims, 16 "are painted and assembled
A brace back, "Brace bar". Sitting between the C pillars behind anyway, although it is varnished and mounted.
The brace bar and the wheels are in the same color, turquoise :)
Japanese shock absorberis are mounted. Rebuild from from the rear axle and the back. Original is the 1.5 " exhaust, silencer had a connection of 2.5" and 4 "exhaust.

Other plans
He´s trying to save up for a wing which costs about 2000 SEK in England.
One of his next plans are to do an air intake in the hood. He has the stuff at home, but have to buy paint and varnish before the hood is cut up. It is for the open air filter to get more direct cold air.
New brakes are to be mounted in the front, both the discs and pads are at home.
External tachometer to be assembled, waiting to get home monitor that I ordered on Ebay and sent from China.

A new turquoise Bracebar in the rear. And a big exhaust!

Looks like Marcus matched the brace bar with the rims. Is he using electrica tape as the rubber? :) Low profile I must say. Seems he found some other rims than he showed earlier. Looks nice!

Here the car overview. Some nice big wheels and pretty low ride. . White indicators (ordered these from Ebay).

Brace bar from inside.

Rear of the car. Rear wiper seems to be removed.

Ground clearance and exhaust pipe.

Sideview. How close to the ground can you go? :-)

Tubular intake manifold from a Toyota Corolla, a black one. Havent seen them before, perhaps he painted it.

He will install an tachometer next. This one.

.

Nice work Marcus, keep us updated!