I am checking out an 83 P-type and overall the car seems to be in very good condition, however when accelerating (or pressing the throtte when the can is in neutral), a distinct knocking (not ticking) sound can be heard between 1500-2000 rpm, the above 3000 rpm. The sound seems to be coming from the top right of the block (although I could be mistaken). The sound is not there at idle.
Just wondering what this may be, and if there is a good way to better diagnose whether this is some thing serious ( ie. rod).
Thanks
Tim

might just need to retard the timing.

might just need to retard the timing.

Ok, I'll see if I can get the seller to give that a shot to see if that clears things up.

Whats the price he's asking. If its low just buy it and swap if its the motor. If the car is solid it might still be worth it. An mk11 body rust free is free with no rust. Gl man I hope you get it and tell us some specifics

Whats the price he's asking. If its low just buy it and swap if its the motor. If the car is solid it might still be worth it. An mk11 body rust free is free with no rust. Gl man I hope you get it and tell us some specifics

The seller was asking $1000.
I am perplexed by the condition of the body as the rockers and rear inner fenders are perfect, however, there is a small hole in the floor right under the gas pedal and a hole in the spare tire cavity. The rest of the underbody is rust free including the wheel wells. There appears to be no previous bodywork dont on the vehicle.
The hatch is very rusty as well.

Other than those 3 areas, the body is pretty near mint. I am going to take a closer look and remove some of the panels in the hatch area to see if there is more to this than meets the eye, as normally the rear rockers, inner fenders, and rear wheel wells are the first places to rust.

Car is a 5-speed, has 212km on it, interior is very dirty. Brand new brakes (calipers, rotors and pads), alternator, exhaust, plugs, wires, tires,etc.

Seller is selling it for his son who gave up on getting it on the road and is sitting in his driveway taking up space. He seems very motivated to sell as he is getting tired of seeing it.

I'll take another look to get a better picture.

That knocking sound could be a rod, or valve, or lifter. Listen closely at idle, preferrably with mechanics stethoscope, if you can here a sloppy knock the motor has issues. Happened to my 83 l-type, currently under going a motor rebuild.

either way you go, GL. Oh, and if you do here the sloppy knock at idle, and the body isn't in worse condition than you think, talk him down on the price and swap the motor out.

That knocking sound could be a rod, or valve, or lifter. Listen closely at idle, preferrably with mechanics stethoscope, if you can here a sloppy knock the motor has issues. Happened to my 83 l-type, currently under going a motor rebuild.

either way you go, GL. Oh, and if you do here the sloppy knock at idle, and the body isn't in worse condition than you think, talk him down on the price and swap the motor out.

Great idea. Thanks.
If the motor has rod issues after only 212km, makes me wonder how badly the car may have been abused.

Sounds like a rod knock..My new engine started to do that and after about a week..Then another week of just starting it and letting it warm up once every 2 or 3 days it spun 3 bearings..Found out the motor was not rebuilt and just had new bearings put in to stop the knock..I just put in a new crank and bearings and now it has spun the back bearings..Time for a whole tear down and rebuild if not just getting a new motor with a 5 year waranty..

Really look carefully. You get used to these cars you get to know exactly where the rust occurs. The trunk if its an easy patch then fine but the gas pedal sounds a little weird. If I was closer I would go check it out but thats a little impossible. I would buy it for the parts if it was bad but this definatly sounds pretty easy to fix . Just keep in mind you buy it the chances are the motor has to be swapped. Rust has to be fixed. Its alot of work but if you got the money and time I along with most would say its well worth it. GL on your decision.

Really look carefully. You get used to these cars you get to know exactly where the rust occurs. The trunk if its an easy patch then fine but the gas pedal sounds a little weird. If I was closer I would go check it out but thats a little impossible. I would buy it for the parts if it was bad but this definatly sounds pretty easy to fix . Just keep in mind you buy it the chances are the motor has to be swapped. Rust has to be fixed. Its alot of work but if you got the money and time I along with most would say its well worth it. GL on your decision.

Thanks for the advice! I've owned an 85 and I found out the hard way after bringing it home and finding rotted out areas I never thought to look at before purchasing it.
These cars do rust from the inside out so I need to get inside the plastic paneled areas in the hatch to see the condition.

It is suspicious also that the previous owner dumped a few thousand into the car to get it on the road and now wants to sell it for a significant loss.

It is suspicious also that the previous owner dumped a few thousand into the car to get it on the road and now wants to sell it for a significant loss.

This is exactly how I got my 86P this past summer. A guy was selling it for his son after replacing all the steering components and put in a nice sound system. I got it for a grand cause they couldnt get the engine to pass emissions. The 5m ran well but I replaced it with a 7m anyways.

It must be hard to find a rust free body on the east coast over there so I would snap it up. You can probably get him to come down a bit too.

This is exactly how I got my 86P this past summer. A guy was selling it for his son after replacing all the steering components and put in a nice sound system. I got it for a grand cause they couldnt get the engine to pass emissions. The 5m ran well but I replaced it with a 7m anyways.

It must be hard to find a rust free body on the east coast over there so I would snap it up. You can probably get him to come down a bit too.

Thank god for 20+ year old vehicles being emissions exempt in Ontario!
Just to be on the safe side I am going to try to get one of the local Supra enthusiasts from the Ottawa region to check out the car with me next time I go look. Another set of eyes and ears can't hurt.

No definatly not. Your eyes see stars when buying another car a friend will make thise stars look like meteorites crashing down. Wish I was there to look for you I do it all the time with my friends and neighbors when buying

No definatly not. Your eyes see stars when buying another car a friend will make thise stars look like meteorites crashing down. Wish I was there to look for you I do it all the time with my friends and neighbors when buying

Thanks for the thought Kevin. Yep, those rose coloured glasses go on pretty quick when one has a certain affinity for a certain model of vehicle. My guess is that he would probably let the car go for around $500 as its been for sale for over a month, and if it doesnt sell in 2 weeks, it will be sent to the wreckers.

The wrecker will only give him $50-$75 for the car. At least, that's the going price here in Southern Ontario. So, if it really might go to the wreckers, you should be able to pick it up cheap.
Have you got contact info for other Mk2 Supra owners in Ottawa? If not, let me know your email address and I'll try to get them in touch with you.

The wrecker will only give him $50-$75 for the car. At least, that's the going price here in Southern Ontario. So, if it really might go to the wreckers, you should be able to pick it up cheap.
Have you got contact info for other Mk2 Supra owners in Ottawa? If not, let me know your email address and I'll try to get them in touch with you.

There is a guy here in town who I have bought parts from when he was parting out his 85 who has alot of knowledge on these cars (I haven't seen him on here for over a year though). I am going to give him a shout, but if that doesn't pan out then your help getting a hold of local members would be greatly appreciated !

I passed it up. I am going to be patient and hold out for a MKII with a better floor. Hopefully something will turn up in the Ottawa area.

BTW, if anyone in the Ottawa / Eastern ontario area would interested in this 83 P-type (for parts or whatever) for a few hundred bucks, I'd be more than happy to pass along the contact info regarding the vehicle (if they haven't sent it to the crusher already).