New Celica Owner (First Car)

[TRDChamp]

Hey guys I've come across this forum several times and found a lot of good info so I decided to sign up. :)

I've had my car for about 4-5 months now, it's a 2003 Celica GT w Action Package.

When I first saw it, I honestly didn't care that it wasn't a GTS just because of how good I thought it looked lol, but now I do wish it had a bit more power but since it's stick shift I can't really complain.

Here are some quick phone pics from when I first bought it:

http://i51.tinypic.com/eqw27p.jpg
http://i53.tinypic.com/vo52yr.jpg
http://i56.tinypic.com/23iz59d.jpg

Unfortunately it seems the car wasn't taken care of very well by the previous owners, the front bumper has scratches at the bottom, some of the paint is starting to chip, and it's missing the bottom grill (although I've seen a lot of TRD bumpers that are missing it?), and the passenger side side skirt is a bit loose.

The interior is in great condition thankfully with only the passenger side armrest being a bit worn out.

I haven't had much money to do any mods to it yet but I did buy the Celica floor mats (didn't come with them for some reason) and I bought an Alpine dash along w 2 Alpine speakers in the front, however, one of the 2 rear speakers (car came with a JBL system) is blown out and I'm going to have to replace them both with Alpine. I was also told I should bypass the JBL amp because it doesn't make my system sound as good as it could. My headlights were polished and waxed and they look a lot better now.

Also, my passenger side door lock won't lock/unlock with the electrical switch and apparently I have to get the actuator replaced and my mechanic said it was over $200 just for the part O_O!

Recently the engine started making a bit of a louder noise than normal when stopped. My mechanic told me that two of the engine supports had gone bad and that I'd have to get them replaced; I've almost got the money for it.

Now something that's weird and my mechanic said it's also because of the engine support problem is that whenever the car is in 1st gear, about 30-40% of the time when I press the clutch it will kind of "hit" (don't really know how to explain it, but it makes the car jerk abruptly for a second) but on all other gears it's normal.

Some of the mods I plan on buying once my car is fixed:

-Viper alarm
-Tints
-HIDs
-2 Alpine rear speakers + Subwoofer
-An exhaust system (looking at Apexi N1 or TRD)
-Cold Air Intake

Anyway, I know this was kind of a long intro but I hope you guys enjoyed it. Glad to be part of this forum! :D

[h8eternal]

welcome to the boards nice celica.

[celicayounggun]

looks like we'll have a solar yellow at our meets from now on, cant wait to see it in perosn man!

[purpleharo]

welcome to the boards

[Nlkko]

Welcome, sounds like a lot of problems there. Car looks clean though. :D

[TRDChamp]

Thanks guys! I think the problems are to be expected considering it has over 100K miles, but fixing some of the things has prevented me from modding it due to lack of money. Hopefully I'll get everything fixed soon and my baby will be running super smooth again! :D

[GSBoek]

Welcome to the boards. Sounds like the car just needs a little bit of TLC. If you do a little bit each time eventually you'll get it back in shape. I wouldn't worry too much about mods for now. Car looks good.

[x310gtsx]

:wave:

[taryon]

Loving the yellow! :gap:

[Ddragon]

Hey welcome to the boards man! Can't wait to see it in person when I get back next year!:wave:

[breakablecookie]

^same! Welcome to the forums you will learn alot here :wave:

[narly charley]

I would only do the modifications you have listed (nothing more). Just make it look nice; buff it, wax it and keep it clean. When you can save enough money for a paint job I would do that before the other modifications. I would go with some aftermarket wheels before anything though, you can get a nice set for like $500... Don't go crazy, enjoy the looks and the great gas mileage...

[Joey03_VVT-I]

:wave:-Welcome to NC.org my fellow TRD brother! :thumbup:

[hulkster]

welcome aboard.have fun with your car

[lamboceliGTS]

Welcome looks clean!

[Aznboi812]

welcome and its a nice car for a first car.

[TRD01GT]

Oooh clean GT!

[TRDChamp]

Thanks a lot guys! The things I'm going to do ASAP is replace the 2 engine mounts and make sure that that's also what's causing the jerking in 1st gear. Once the engine and everything else sounds/runs smooth, I'll get the actuator replaced and hopefully move on to buy the stuff from my mod list.

Something else my mechanic noticed was that I'm missing an air filter (the one for the AC). When going around 70mph+ I hear some sort of air noise on the passenger side (as if it's getting inside). You guys think the lack of an air filter is what's causing it or is it something else?

[GSBoek]

Believe it or not, the cabin filter wasn't standard equipment but it can be ordered if my memory serves me well.

[TRDChamp]

So then that means that it's not the cause of the air noise. Anyone have a clue as to what it is?

[FrostsCelicaGTS]

It could be that something could be caught in the blower motor inside the cabin. You can pick them up at autozone for $20. There were be a black clip on both side inside your glove back pop them out and youll see the blower motor and there will be a tray both sides have two clips on the tray push them in and put the new on in but stick your hand in there with the car OFF and see if you find anything in the blower probably a small stick or something.

[TRDChamp]

I have a very noobish question:

Is it true Celicas both GT and GT-S are recommended to use Premium gas or is that only for the GT-S?! Mine didn't come with a car manual so I've been using Regular this whole time :/

[TYsumoNCS]

Regular for GT, you're good.

[TRDChamp]

Thank you, I had been reading some posts online and I got scared for a minute there lol.

[silentchaos]

I would only do the modifications you have listed (nothing more). Just make it look nice; buff it, wax it and keep it clean. When you can save enough money for a paint job I would do that before the other modifications. I would go with some aftermarket wheels before anything though, you can get a nice set for like $500... Don't go crazy, enjoy the looks and the great gas mileage...

He doesn't need a paint job and you cannot buy nice wheels for $500.

[mad.mdx]

seriously why would he get a paint job...
dont mod your car until you fix it up, the money is much better spent that way.

car looks pretty good. also who said you had the optional speaker amp? most gt dont have it...

[TRDChamp]

My paint is starting to chip at the front, so I may have to get one eventually.

I have the JBL upgraded sound system. Unfortunately the owner sold it to me with a cheap Pioneer dash so I replaced it with an Alpine and the front speakers died...lol

[ateens4]

try to maintain the paint as long as possible(wax,polish,clay,etc.). if you ever plan to sell the car, let the new owner deal with the paint.

[narly charley]

He doesn't need a paint job and you cannot buy nice wheels for $500.

He said he needs paint in the front (read the OP). And you CAN in FACT buy nice wheels for $500. I bought a set of MSW (sub brand of OZ wheels) 17" wheels for $110 a piece. And bought my MODA (sub brand of Enkei wheels) 16" wheels for $100 a piece (they were on closeout). Both sets were awesome and looked good too, no chipping or anything.

[Nlkko]

Fix up, drop, wheel then paint :D

03+ have optional premium sound no?

[1d0_2ZZ]

Welcome! Nice lookin Celi! :thumbup:

[TRDChamp]

Yeah my bumper is in need of a paint job right now.
Fix up, drop, wheel then paint :D

03+ have optional premium sound no?
Yeah mine came with the JBL sound system, it didn't sound bad at first, but once I bought my Alpine dash just about all of them blew out lol.

As for the drop, I live in MD and work in DC, so that's a no-no if I want to keep my baby in one piece haha.

[pslcelica]

Nice!! I have always liked the yellow. Dont see too many around here.

[TRDChamp]

Thanks and yeah I usually only see silver or spectra blue Celicas around here. How do you like your TRD exhaust btw?

Quick question, has anyone ever had to replace their engine mounts/supports?

My mechanic quoted me $370 for the front, rear, and right mounts (labor included). I could however buy them myself (used) for about $35 each and save a lot of money, or get a friend who works at the dealership to give me a discount on brand new mounts, they would be more expensive than the used mounts, but still cheaper than what my mechanic is charging me for them. Which one is the better way to go?

[GSBoek]

I'd go brandnew, used ones the rubber has become soft, not what you'd want.

[TRDChamp]

I'm still undecided, I don't have much money and I'd have to wait until my next paycheck just to get the brand new mounts (plus installation). However with the used ones, I could buy them as well as the actuator plus get everything installed. That would mean I could use the rest of the money to finally buy my alarm. I don't know what to do! T_T

[TRDChamp]

Update:

I changed the engine mounts and the car is running MUCH smoother. I still get a bit of vibration when I turn off the car though but my mechanic doesn't know why it does it. I'm going to replace the passenger side door lock actuator and get an alarm as well. Then, let the mods begin! :gap:

[03 Celica Gts]

nice car i wish mine come with the trd package so i wont have to go and look or a good deal on it, love the yellow look, but i love my spec blue hehehe. gl with your car in the future all car have a problem trust me lol

[creekboi7]

dont pay $200 to replace the actuator. the part is like $15 on ebay and the work to put it in shouldnt cost you anymore than 40. and thats expensive.

how much was it to fix the engine mounts?
same problem here.

enjoy the car :thumbup:

[TRDChamp]

nice car i wish mine come with the trd package so i wont have to go and look or a good deal on it, love the yellow look, but i love my spec blue hehehe. gl with your car in the future all car have a problem trust me lol
Thanks! :gap: As uncommon and attention grabbing the Solar Yellow is, I'd rather have the Thundercloud Gray or the Spectra Blue to be honest. Metallic colors always tend to look a lot better, plus I can't get Bronze/Gold rims because of my color. :marky:

dont pay $200 to replace the actuator. the part is like $15 on ebay and the work to put it in shouldnt cost you anymore than 40. and thats expensive.

how much was it to fix the engine mounts?
same problem here.

enjoy the car :thumbup:
I'm not buying the actuator new, will probably get a used one in good condition from a member on here.

I bought used front and rear mounts, about $100 for both. Had to buy the right one new and that was a over a hundred alone. Cost me $205 to get them installed by my mechanic. He sort of bitched at me for getting the front and rear used but I had no choice, I wanted to get it fixed ASAP and I didn't have enough to get those two new.

[Azuma]

Hey! Great ride man enjoy the car, there getting rarer. The engine mount problem you said, did the car accelerate rough aswell? like shaking or vibrations right as you step on the gas? I believe I have a bad motor mount too but dont know for sure.

[GSBoek]

He sort of bitched at me for getting the front and rear used but I had no choice, I wanted to get it fixed ASAP and I didn't have enough to get those two new. Probably because he will have to replace those again in the future. :chuckles:

[TRDChamp]

Hey! Great ride man enjoy the car, there getting rarer. The engine mount problem you said, did the car accelerate rough aswell? like shaking or vibrations right as you step on the gas? I believe I have a bad motor mount too but dont know for sure.
Yes definitely, it wasn't too bad at first but after a bit I really started noticing the accelerating getting rough and loud vibrations which is why I got them replaced as fast as I could.
Probably because he will have to replace those again in the future. :chuckles:
Hopefully not! :scared:

At this point I want the get my alarm in and just concentrate on mods. Hoping for a TRD exhaust as my first mod! :wiggle:

[Azuma]

Awesome, thanks for the feedback buddy

[TRDChamp]

Sure thing bro!

[FrostsCelicaGTS]

Hey! Great ride man enjoy the car, there getting rarer. The engine mount problem you said, did the car accelerate rough aswell? like shaking or vibrations right as you step on the gas? I believe I have a bad motor mount too but dont know for sure.



Does the noise come from the passenger side of the car. Is so the actual threaded nut welded the frame actually broke off and was causing my car to vibrate when hitting the gas it was on the passenger side mount

[TRDChamp]

So before I got my mounts changed, the car would vibrate as I turned off the ignition. The day I got them replaced, there was NO vibration whatsoever. A couple of days went by and it was back, slightly. Now it's almost the same as it was before. My mechanic says the mounts are fine and I don't know what else to do. Sure it isn't anything too important, but it annoys me. Also when the car is on idle, every now and then I hear a noise as if the engine is over-working, but it goes away after about 10 secs or whenever the car is moving. It's not vibration as it was before so I know it isn't the mounts. Any ideas?

[dmeine13]

Don't mean to hate but the owner didn't do that bad of a job taking care of it! When I bought my celica the oil was like MUD, I had cylinder misfire codes, rust, it idles rough, dents in it, my vvtl-i still isn't working, it takes me 20 minutes to fill my gas tank, and my seats have tears in them. My 92 camaro only has 29,000 miles on it and its scratched on bottom of the bumper too (they're low cars!) lol but it's a good looking celica and good luck with beatification!

[dmeine13]

So before I got my mounts changed, the car would vibrate as I turned off the ignition. The day I got them replaced, there was NO vibration whatsoever. A couple of days went by and it was back, slightly. Now it's almost the same as it was before. My mechanic says the mounts are fine and I don't know what else to do. Sure it isn't anything too important, but it annoys me. Also when the car is on idle, every now and then I hear a noise as if the engine is over-working, but it goes away after about 10 secs or whenever the car is moving. It's not vibration as it was before so I know it isn't the mounts. Any ideas?

You hear the engine overworking....? RPMs go up er what? Could be cooling fan

[TRDChamp]

Yeah I'm guessing it's the fan, but it doesn't sound RIGHT. Like something is loose because the noise isn't smooth. Noise wasn't there when I first bought the car (neither the vibration). The only thing I changed when I first bought the car was the O2 sensor because the CEL was on and the owner told me the sensor was bad and needed to be replaced. I've had my mechanic and cousin drive the car, and they say nothing is wrong and that it's just me. But then again, only the person who has driven the car every day will know when something has changed and isn't right. The car is approaching 120K miles right now.

I might take the car elsewhere to get looked at, but at this point I'm honestly tired. The car RUNS fine, so it's not a big deal. I just want to get started on my mods which is what I wanted to do as soon as I got the car but have put off until now.

[Geist]

Congrats on a nice solar yellow!

[dmeine13]

Well mine has 193k on it and it's still pushin hard! I bought a ebay SRI not too long ago and I got no issues with it so far (bought it for 50). LOVE the sound of the engine now. Oh yea and try seafoaming it, might clear up any gunk you got. Just make sure you change your oil after. lol yea i feel you on the problems too my dude! I am getting charged by my stealership $200 for a complete diagnostic of every problem with my 00 celi gts

[TRDChamp]

Congrats on a nice solar yellow!
Thanks man! My only concern with the color are rims. I've never been too keen on black rims and most rim colors don't seem to go that well with yellow.
Well mine has 193k on it and it's still pushin hard! I bought a ebay SRI not too long ago and I got no issues with it so far (bought it for 50). LOVE the sound of the engine now. Oh yea and try seafoaming it, might clear up any gunk you got. Just make sure you change your oil after. lol yea i feel you on the problems too my dude! I am getting charged by my stealership $200 for a complete diagnostic of every problem with my 00 celi gts
That sounds a bit expensive, but also worth it. I think I might do that if I have come across some extra cash later on. Nothing like knowing exactly what is wrong with your car so you don't have to keep guessing.

[dmeine13]

Thanks man! My only concern with the color are rims. I've never been too keen on black rims and most rim colors don't seem to go that well with yellow.

That sounds a bit expensive, but also worth it. I think I might do that if I have come across some extra cash later on. Nothing like knowing exactly what is wrong with your car so you don't have to keep guessing.

haha yea it is expensive! gotta love your local stealership

[TRDChamp]

Let me know how the diagnostic goes man!

[Geist]

Thanks man! My only concern with the color are rims. I've never been too keen on black rims and most rim colors don't seem to go that well with yellow.

I wasn't at first either, but I got a set for mine and it goes very well. Silver, graphite, and bronze are also nice choices. Actually, check out our solar yellow triplet Pool Playen Bob's thread in readers ride. He has a very nice set that looks stunning - http://www.newcelica.org/forums/showthread.php?t=324038

Happy modding...although your celica already looks damn good :thumbup:

[Azuma]

Yeah I'm guessing it's the fan, but it doesn't sound RIGHT. Like something is loose because the noise isn't smooth. Noise wasn't there when I first bought the car (neither the vibration). The only thing I changed when I first bought the car was the O2 sensor because the CEL was on and the owner told me the sensor was bad and needed to be replaced. I've had my mechanic and cousin drive the car, and they say nothing is wrong and that it's just me. But then again, only the person who has driven the car every day will know when something has changed and isn't right. The car is approaching 120K miles right now.

I might take the car elsewhere to get looked at, but at this point I'm honestly tired. The car RUNS fine, so it's not a big deal. I just want to get started on my mods which is what I wanted to do as soon as I got the car but have put off until now.

I think we have the same problem. At idle, my car would be at about 750rpm and vibration then i hear the fan go on and the car rpm would go upto 900 and the idle is stable. Also, if I stop the car abruptly, the idle is rough, but if i stop nice and slow, it is no rough. Its confusing i know. sorry about the typing

[GSBoek]

At idle, my car would be at about 750rpm and vibration then i hear the fan go on and the car rpm would go upto 900 and the idle is stable.That's the way it's supposed to be, it's not a problem.

[TRDChamp]

So today I tested it out. When the car is cold, there is no noise. Once the car was fully warmed up and I drove it around for a little bit, then parked the noise came in strong. Friend said it's probably a belt or something but yeah it's not normal at all.

[TRDChamp]

I took a short video of the noise for anyone that wanted to see what it is: http://www.newcelica.org/forums/showthread.php?t=326355

[dmeine13]

posted on your link

[karloz]

About color choices for wheels on a yellow car...

I think I'm gonna get flamed for this, but I like white wheels on a yellow car.
http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/9760/974022744853b9b4e538bco.jpg
Sorry about the Civic fellas, I couldn't find a pic of a yellow Celi with white wheels.

[TRDChamp]

About color choices for wheels on a yellow car...

I think I'm gonna get flamed for this, but I like white wheels on a yellow car.
http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/9760/974022744853b9b4e538bco.jpg
Sorry about the Civic fellas, I couldn't find a pic of a yellow Celi with white wheels.
http://carphotos.cardomain.com/ride_images/1/2401/2601/6001300001_large.jpg

Can't tell if these are white or if they just look like that because of the light. :shrugs: I don't know how I feel about white rims, they look sorta plain...

[dmeine13]

I've always been a fan of gunmetal rims on any car

[GSBoek]

Taryon has white wheels on his yellow Celica, try searching for his pics.

[celicayounggun]

Taryon has white wheels on his yellow Celica, try searching for his pics.

They were white, and it looked good in my opinion. According to his current sig, they're black now.

here's a picture of them white.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4067/4716649768_3df6c073d8.jpg

[TRDChamp]

Any higher res bro? They look like the stock color from here.

I think this color looks pretty good:

http://www.newcelica.org/photopost/data/505/bnl.jpg

[celicayounggun]

Any higher res bro? They look like the stock color from here.

here you go man:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4026/4716633442_8202d7e0df.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4035/4715980979_eba774321a_b.jpg

[TRDChamp]

Oh yeah they do look nice! Does he have all those pics in his gallery or does he have a thread on Reader's Rides?

[celicayounggun]

Oh yeah they do look nice! Does he have all those pics in his gallery or does he have a thread on Reader's Rides?

he's got a reader's ride thread

[TRDChamp]

Thanks :wiggle:

[TRDChamp]

Hmm, can you link me to his thread? I don't know his username. :shrugs:

Edit: Nvm found it!

[celicayounggun]

Hmm, can you link me to his thread? I don't know his username. :shrugs:

his name's Taryon and his thread is here (http://www.newcelica.org/forums/showthread.php?t=319290).

[GSBoek]

That anthracite one doesn't look bad.

[taryon]

I feel loved :gap:

At the moment, it stands black, as I had to get new tein s-techs since my tanabes went blah. To compensate for the higher look I got bored and painted the wheels black.. bad move :gap:
So saving up for new coilovers and then Te37s i hope, but as soon as I go lower I'll get it back to white..

[TRDChamp]

Dropping my baby off at the shop today :sadwave:

Hopefully nothing bad

[taryon]

Dropping my baby off at the shop today

Hopefully nothing bad

Good luck :applaud:

[TRDChamp]

Update:

http://www.newcelica.org/forums/showpost.php?p=5253780&postcount=28