Might be buying a 89 supra...Have questions first

[boosted]

Hey guys new to the forums,
Im looking at buying a 89 supra with a 1jz swap,60k on the engine 127k on body....The guy is selling it for 3,500 because he says when he was working on it one day the tps was loose and he bumped it and threw the tps out of position so now the car wont run he siad its a perfect engine nothing else wrong so when the tps is fixed it will run perfect...Here are his exact words

Yeah it will start and drive but like I said since the tps/and ecu see the tps is in a spot out of the position it's supposed to be in it hits fuel cut, comes down, hits fuel cut comes down, and that's happening like every 10 seconds so not too drivable but does show it runs.

He says all I need to do is re calibrate the tps with an ohm meter and lots of time then the car will run perfect agian,Have any of you guys heard of this or does it sound like bigger problems

And is the 1jz a pretty good fast engine for the most part I have had 2 mk3 supras with the 7mgte...Thanks guys

[batmmannn]

Yes I have heard of this. look in the FAQ or the service manual to find out how to set it. You will have to wait for the experts to come in and advise you on this one. I don't know how the TPS being out of sync effects the car. I know I was told not to mess with mine when I was changing my plugs so it does sound plausible but from when I read the thread on how to adjust it it didn't seem very difficult. I would check with these fellas to see if your symptoms seem correct for a problem with the TPS. Does seem to me though that if a fella had a Supra with such a simple problem he would not be selling it in this condition but would have adjusted it to get his money out of the car. Have to wonder about that.... be careful your not walking into a more serious problem that could be disguised by putting the TPS out of Sync. If you can't drive it normally you can't see what else might be wrong like a blown head gasket or serious engine problems. Be cautious, know for sure what you are getting into before you make a purchase. Although at $3500 that price is pretty high so maybe he is telling you the truth. For $3500 the car would have to be very nice indeed with some major mods. That is $1000 over Blue Book Value at very good to near perfect condition. Blue Book on line only goes back to 1990 and they rate Blue Book Value on a near perfect MK3 1990 Turbo at around $2800. Hard to believe but thats what they say one is worth!

Guys here will tell you to offer him $1500-2K or walk away.

There is a White on White 1989 Turbo right down the street from me I could get for $2500 that has an overheating problem with AC on, I would love to have It's near MINT. Their starting price was $3800. Even at $2500 I am fighting the urge to buy it. Blue Book says for $2500 the car should be near mint with no mechanical problems. That is what people go by to make a purchase, unless they love the car for some other reason and decide to pay more. If he wants $3500 the car needs to run great and look great!

[boosted]

Ok thanks Ijust want to make sure because i have seen supras with a 1jz swap go for alot of cash and 3,500 seems cheap I will check up on it more
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[batmmannn]

You might be right but an engine swap that has mechanical problems from the get go is not something you want unless you know the extent of the problems and can fix it yourself. There are real great knowing guys here, hold off on a decision till they chime in for you. You might want to list all the mods done to the car so a better appraisal of what you should be paying can be obtained.

[907mge]

From experience when someone claims it is only a small problem, it may be something much more indeepth. The question is of why he did not fix it already since it should not be a big deal at least not on a 7m but don't know about a 1jz.

[cre]

The TPS is only a trim sensor. It has a switch inside to indicate to the ECU that the engine is at idle, so without it idle may be rough, but the car should drive just fine for the most part. Saying the car is driving like complete crap due to a TPS is bullshit.... also, they're VERY easy to set... I mean VERY EASY. The ECU has safeguards against running with a sensor that's too far out of range, too far and it ignores it. Unplug it and take the car for a drive, if it drives fine (but idles poorly) then it's the TPS, if not the problem lies elsewhere.

[boosted]

Ok thanks cre well the car is in fort collins I might take a ride down and check it out...From what he says he has a s13 he is building and no time for both projects...So I will look more into it and let you guys know

[boosted]

I asked him about unplugging the tps and he said I've unplugged it and the idle goes way up. Then hit's fuel cut goes back down, and repeats this process.

so mods, aluminum driveshaft, Spec stage 2 clutch and flywheel (good up to 590 hp) brand new brake system, new calipers/lines/pads/rotors, stainless mesh intake filter(, new 2jzgte TPS/thermostat combo, Optima Red Top 800ccamps, hks downpipe, Custom 3" exhaust from downpipe back with high flow cat, brand new Yoko rubber on the rears, boost/oil pressure gauges,torsen differential,

Those are all the mods...Is 3500 a good price with the tps problem?

[907mge]

It is a project car. So use your own judgement on the quaility of the work, condition and what you want to do with it.

[cre]

Originally Posted by boosted

I asked him about unplugging the tps and he said I've unplugged it and the idle goes way up. Then hit's fuel cut goes back down, and repeats this process.

so mods, aluminum driveshaft, Spec stage 2 clutch and flywheel (good up to 590 hp) brand new brake system, new calipers/lines/pads/rotors, stainless mesh intake filter(, new 2jzgte TPS/thermostat combo, Optima Red Top 800ccamps, hks downpipe, Custom 3" exhaust from downpipe back with high flow cat, brand new Yoko rubber on the rears, boost/oil pressure gauges,torsen differential,

Those are all the mods...Is 3500 a good price with the tps problem?

Ft Collins?? Is the seller a member on here by chance?

Optima = not an upgrade.
stainless mesh filter = might as well just put a sock over the turbo's inlet if this is any of the brands I've seen tested.
Torsen Diff = Search SupraMania for "grenaded diff"... these are really cool diffs, but the MKIII's torsen does not live long if you're putting down a lot of power or a lot of aggressive launching.

Other than all that, hell, if it's not worth fixing it's worth parting out.... you'd probably break even.

You and the seller apparently don't know what fuel cut is nor what the real fuel cut is. It's not hitting either kind while just sitting there.