Celica Forums General Discussion Engine and Performance No idea what's wrong with my recently bought GTS

Hello, I'm new here and have no idea where to put this, but I'd be very appreciative of some type of help. Not too long ago I bought a 2000 Celica GTS 6 speed from someone on Facebook about an 1.5 hours away. The post said that the car did not run, but that it needed a new clutch and the Valves needed an adjustment. They wanted $1000, but I got it for $800 and thought maybe it could be a fun project for me and my dad, plus the interior looked very good, and the exterior was fair. We get there and we asked and checked all the vital parts. After everything seemed okay, other than the clutch getting stuck to the floor and the car being so low the rear tires go inside the fender using cheap tien lowering springs and the tired being welded because there was a crack. But after we give them the money, get the title, and get back home we look at it more. We find out the the wiring is bad from the stereo they put in it because somehow they made the low beam lights turn the starter, the trans was cracked, and the battery was dead. We took the trans out and seen that whatever happened, they had broke the flywheel bolts off into the crankshaft and the flywheel rolled around inside the trans and cracked it up pretty bad. But we got it welded and I bought a new clutch and flywheel bolts. We get it all on and everything seemed to work right. So now, the moment of Truth, we finally can crank the car after getting the battery in and what do we hear? A lot of rattling and knocking along with a terrible exhaust leak. My dad had taken it for a small drive and it constantly turned off by itself and the starter would randomly turn. But what I'm asking is if anyone had any idea to how I can fix it and if I may need a completely new motor. I'd appreciate the help. Thank you.

Get one of these from somewhere, https://www.amazon.com/Mechanics-Diagnostic-Stethoscope, harbor freight or home depot online.

At least narrow down where the knocking is coming from. it could be a drive shaft, valves, end bearings, a ton of stuff. that tool is worth its weight in gold. Narrow it down and repost.

The random starter stuff? hell, that's a pain buts electrical probably so changing the motor wont help. broken wire, shorted wire, a ton of stuff but not the end of the world. you have a project car for cheap. enjoy the hassle. I will help wherever I can.

Thanks for the reply. My grandad believes that it's coming from the lower portion of the engine around the crankshaft, which I'm surprised wasn't broken, but I'll look into that stethoscope. We are putting it on hold for now, though, and I'm probably going to have to buy a whole new engine. Tried getting ahold of the seller, but they never messaged back so we think we got hustled by them. As for the wiring, we think whoever did it crossed the stereo wires with some of the other wires and somehow connected the low beams to turn on the starter. But when we get around to it I'll give an update. Forgot to add thaty dad believes the starter turns on it's own because the ignition is going bad or something along those lines

Makes sense. Crankshaft bearings destroyed due to flywheel bolts issue or vise versa.
The bottom end is an easy job once you get the engine out the bottom!!. The head is way more work.
I removed all the sub frame first so i could drop all engine out with headers on.
Might be oil pump? It fits around crank i know over revving can destroy them i used billet gears from monkeywrench racing. Lot of good advice on their site.

Hay, just an idea. Pull off the sump and look inside. You can do it without anything else Being removed other than plastic guards. Wont do any harm to clean that out anyway.
Drain the oil into a clean container first so you can check for metal

Sorry I haven't replied or gave an update, my dad said the engine completely locked down and I'd probably have to get another one. Bummer, but I was curious if you had any knowledge of swapping engines? I was thinking of ordering a European lotus Elise exige 2zz engine with 75000km on it and didn't know if it was possible, or if you have a recommendation of where to get one it'd be appreciated

Recently found out there's a 2zz get at a junkyard my grandad used to work at, they said it was tested and works and it's $750, so I'll just save up and get that and hope to God it works.

So, I'm pretty sure this post is dead at this point, but, in case there is anyone out there, I had a question. I'm still thinking of buying a motor from a junkyard for $750, but I recently found a Greddy supercharged 2zz-ge engine with additional parts like a computer, intercooler and more for almost $6000 with only 45k miles. I was wanting some opinions, if possible, on this decision. It will take a long while to save up, so I have plenty of time to think about it. Thanks in advance.

I would not. That's a lot of money
My whole race car was only $5k!

I have a supercharged Miata, although its fast and has track suspension, the constant little issues with fueling, knock and timing with the extra boost etc just takes the joy away. plus you will still need to spend money on the other areas on top of that.

Just spend that money on a diff car thats stock but fast if thats what you want.

after you pay 5k and then all the little extras that you did not think of you will then be pumping a grand into an LSD to handle the power, then other stuff. Before you know it you will be into $10k. not worth it.

buy a used reg motor, spend a little money on uprated suspension, steering rack bushes, engine mount inserts coilovers and a diff alignment. its far cheaper and you will get just the same enjoyment with less speeding tickets. its rare to get a ticket for not needing to slow down for corners!

Hi guys! Any updates, did you end up getting it running?

Sorry for no updates, but I hadn't bothered with it in a while. Decided to see about ordering parts off of MWR sometime soon when I have the money saved up. Looking into a low miles used motor, head and exhaust gaskets, and a baffled oil pan for around $2600. Already got new CV Axels because a buddy of mine helping take it apart broke one of them. Only problem we know of is, after I get all of this, I need to figure out why the headlights turn the starter.