Advice on Potential Buy

[RyDeFly]

Hello,

I have some concerns with a supra I'm thinking about buying.
It's a 1988 Turbo with 87,500 miles on it going for $2500. Here is an email I received from the seller verbatim:

"The Supra has a problem with over-heating on long distance trips. I have
had the head gasket and the block replaced and the problem is still there.
Other then that I had the starter replaced 3 years ago and the master clutch
cylinder replaced when I purchased the vehicle 4 years ago. Everything else
with the engine seems to be in good condition. The exterior has some minor
hail damage but no rust. The muffler does need to be replaced. The
interior has torn seats. This is a turbo and has never been in a wreck."

It had a HG AND Block replacement, yet it still overheats? Could it possibly be something simple like a clogged radiator line, or should I be running far far away from this one?

Thank you for any input you might have!

[nickvash0104]

Water pump, fan clutch, radiator cap, leaking coolant line, clogged cooling system, improper torque on HG... many things that could cause it still to overheat.

[WiseAssJester]

Radiator its self may not be happy.


I only have worked on much larger motors, so replacing the block in my experience has never solved a heating issue.


Could it, with a Supra?

[RyDeFly]

Another message from the seller:
"I only had the head gasket and block replaced. The mechanics thought that
the head was fine. I don't know if they used new bolts or if they only
tightened them to given specs. It has only overheated once since the
repairs and that was after 7 hours on the interstate and going over a
mountain pass. However, I have not had it on any trips longer than about
2hrs since."

Do supras have a tendency to overheat like that, esp. with turbo? Or would that overheating be another HG issue? I'm guessing seller's mechanic only torqued gasket bolts down to 58ft-lbs., so if i buy this one, would it be a good idea to get HG done all over again?

Thanks for the input

[joel w]

On my rig,
i had to replace my thermal fan switch so my aux fans would kick on at temps..
after of course replacing blown head gasket, all leaky hoses, Tstat, and the sending unit for the temp gauge.(never moved) and of course follow the supra "burbing instructions" once its up to temp, T-stats open, run your hand across the frontside (away from the fans) of the radiator in several spots looking for even temps, if there are cold spots , that may indicate a partially plugged radiator. the top of the radiator is usually hotter than the bottom but only by a few degrees. i have seen water pump impellers blades break off the impeller shafts and or rot away to nothing on other rigs with no external signs of leaking.

just some crap to think about.. with that low milage it sounds like its worth it no matter whats wrong with it for that price, id still hack em down on price if ya can lol

keeps us informed..

[Bullz_EyE]

I found this buyers guide:

http://www.supras.com/06/techcenter/display.php?QID=76

P.S. I bought my 88 with 82,000 on it for $1,700 in running condition. Killed it after driving it only twice.

[RyDeFly]

Ah, just test drove the car last night. Engine looks fine, but when I turned car off, i heard a weird clicking/thumping sound coming from behind the dash... is this possibly a radiator prob?
Another thing, it seemed a wee bit difficult to put the car into gear physically with the stick. I haven't driven a manual car for a couple years, so its entirely possible that I wasn't pushing the clutch far enough in. Still...stick didn't slip into place easily...
She drives it everyday, so i wouldn't worry about it dying after driving it twice..

Before I even remotely come to a conclusion I will have it checked out by a mechanic.

But godDAMN that was fun to drive...

[jfunez]

getting the radiatior cleaned and replacing the possibly partially stuck thermostat might repair the problem, i,m getting this idea because of the condition the current owner describes{after driving 2 hours}