The 1.5 - Back to the future.

[Paul Woods]

So the 3s-gte is coming together now, new bottom end and all new gaskets/seals.

Going for a simple white/black/silver theme to match the car.

[Paul Woods]

Spent a half day on the 1.5, I swear I will get at least one car ready this year!

The engine is now 90% done...





On all 1.5s, the alternator is relocated to the Celica position with the Celica bracket, there is no room for it in the sw20 position. Part of that relocation means a tensioner must be made to tighten the belt. On very basic 1.5s it takes the form of a slotted bar that is manually levered into tension and locked off with a nut/bolt, identical to the 4a-ge way of doing it.

However it isn't the best system, and can work slack over time, so I made a manual adjuster out of a 3s-ge AC tensioner which bolted onto one of the lower block holes and with a quick cut and reweld of the support arm it works. I double checked the pulley alignment with both crank and alternator pulleys and I am within 1mm or so. I am using a new alternator I pulled from a 5s-fe Camry a few years ago.



So it's getting closer to installation time.

[Tommytank]

... and with a quick cut and reweld of the support arm it works. .

By support arm do you mean that you have solid mounted the alternator then? Not a bad idea that...

[Paul Woods]

Yes indeed Tommy, the alternator is now solidly mounted, the lower Celica bracket arm lines up with the pivot hole in the alt.... I just removed the alt hole threads, put some washers between the two and bolted it up, all adjustment is now done via the manual AC tensioner, it just looks neater I think.

[Tommytank]

Not just neater, snap acceleration will be countered, belt stretch automatically sorted, load switching will be slip free...

When you see how much a belt flexes on load and think to life without spring tensioners, its little wonder you had laminating belts all the time... An extreme version of what I mean as follows:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NnMuyifPA4

So yea, a very worthwhile modification!

[Paul Woods]

Engine now hanging in the bay, super clean and decluttered is the plan.

[chasmundo]

That's looking mighty fine. Great work Paul

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

[inglismark]

very clean install indeed, however......we would expect nothing less!

[Paul Woods]

Thanks chaps.

[jimi]

Those new style engine brackets are the dogs! they look more OEM than Mr T's